Urban Mining as Europe’s Raw Materials Infrastructure
In 2024, 202,502.61 tonnes of materials containing critical and strategic metals passed through Elemental Group’s processing installations.
At first glance, this may appear to be an operational metric. In reality, it represents something far more structural.
In volumetric terms, this corresponds to an estimated 130,000–170,000 cubic meters of process material, depending on feedstock density. That is the equivalent of approximately 18–24 full-size football fields filled one meter high.
At this scale, urban mining is no longer a supplementary environmental activity.
It becomes part of industrial infrastructure.
The energy and digital transitions are not built on policy alone. They are built on materials.
Platinum group metals (PGMs) – including palladium, platinum, and rhodium – are essential for catalytic converters, chemical processing, and emerging hydrogen technologies. Lithium, nickel, and cobalt underpin lithium-ion batteries, enabling electric mobility and grid-scale energy storage.
Primary extraction of many of these metals remains geographically concentrated. This concentration creates structural exposure to geopolitical tensions, supply disruptions, and regulatory constraints.
In this context, urban mining – the recovery of metals from electronic waste, spent catalysts, and end-of-life batteries – shifts from being an environmental initiative to becoming a strategic supply mechanism.
It reduces dependence.
It stabilizes value chains.
It enhances systemic resilience.
The Critical Raw Materials Act: A Structural Shift in Policy
The European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) marks a decisive regulatory turning point.
Among its key objectives is that by 2030, at least 25% of the EU’s annual consumption of strategic raw materials should come from recycling. The Act also promotes the development of domestic processing capacity and shorter, more secure supply chains.
These targets cannot be achieved through declarations. They require industrial capability: processing facilities, metallurgical expertise, operational scale, and integration into global value chains.
Against this regulatory backdrop, 202,502 tonnes of processed material in 2024 is not simply a performance indicator. It represents tangible capacity within Europe’s circular raw materials ecosystem.
Urban mining is increasingly embedded in industrial policy.
Transparency and Environmental AccountabilityScale must be matched by responsibility.
In 2024, Elemental Group comprehensively calculated and reported its Scope 1–3 emissions (market-based) for the first time, reaching a total of 110,145.36 t CO2e:
- Scope 1: 8,935.93 t CO2e
- Scope 2: 2,630.61 t CO2e
- Scope 3: 98,539.79 t CO2e
The predominance of Scope 3 emissions reflects the nature of a business operating within global supply chains. What is critical is not the presence of Scope 3 emissions – but the decision to measure, disclose, and analyze them.
In parallel, nearly 70% of electricity consumption across the Group came from renewable sources in 2024.
Emission intensity reached 0.0787 Mg CO2e per tonne of processed waste (location-based), providing a benchmark for year-over-year efficiency improvements.
This is the language of industrial maturity:
measure, analyze, optimize.
Recovery Efficiency: Metallurgy, Not Messaging
Urban mining is often simplistically described as “recycling.” In reality, it is advanced secondary metallurgy.
From 100 kg of printed circuit boards (PCBs), it is possible to recover approximately:
- 21 kg of copper
- 0.075 kg of gold
- 0.5 kg of silver
- 0.01 kg of palladium
In the case of spent automotive catalysts, recovery efficiency can reach up to 95% of contained metal.
Such efficiency is not accidental. It results from precise feedstock analysis, controlled separation processes, metallurgical optimization, and continuous process improvement.
In practical terms, materials already circulating within the economy represent significant “secondary ore deposits.” Their efficient recovery reduces pressure on primary extraction and contributes directly to supply stability.
Infrastructure, Not an Alternative
Urban mining is sometimes positioned as an alternative to traditional mining. A more accurate framing is that it is a complementary layer within the raw materials system.
As demand for critical metals accelerates – driven by electric vehicles, battery storage, and hydrogen technologies – diversified sourcing becomes essential.
If 2024 represented over 200,000 tonnes of material entering recovery processes, the key question is no longer whether circular production matters.
The real question is how rapidly recovery capacity can scale to support Europe’s long-term strategic demand.
Urban mining is no longer peripheral.
It is becoming part of Europe’s raw materials architecture.
