TELF AG highlights the strategic aspects of critical materials recycling

The changes taking place in different mining strategies 

In the last two or three years, faced with the evident increase in global demand for strategic minerals, the issue of the supply of these resources has acquired a new centrality, ending up being placed at the top of the political programs of international institutions and national governments. The most widespread fear, from this point of view, is that current mineral availability would not be able to satisfy demand, which will continue to increase in the coming years to fuel the needs of the green transition. This situation has led many economies to change their mining strategy, diversifying their supplies or attempting to develop the internal capacity to extract and produce these precious resources with local and global approaches. 

Another path that is starting to be explored by an ever-increasing number of players, including governments and industrial companies, is the recycling of raw materials. Above all, this method has proven helpful in improving secondary supply, allowing governments and companies to put back into circulation a resource that had almost finished its existence. But what are the risks and opportunities of recycling in the raw materials sector? 

Recycling is an important strategic element 

The advantages certainly seem greater, but to fully benefit from recycling and reusing, it could be necessary to consider some important factors. These sustainable practices are helpful for strengthening mineral supplies, reducing dependence on imports from third countries, and mitigating the risks associated with resource shortages. Still, they should be used with extreme caution, or rather, with a future-oriented strategic approach. Reusing and recycling, as stated in a recent report by the Payne Institute, should be considered as part of a broader strategy that also includes responsible mining and all those other practices capable of giving life to a supply chain that is safe and sustainable. It is, therefore, not a stand-alone strategy, separated from the rest of industrial planning. To ensure that it proves effective, particularly in the medium and long term, recycling practices must be included in a holistic and interconnected strategy that embraces every aspect of production. 

But what are the most suitable materials for recycling? First, we must mention aluminum, which represents one of the most appropriate resources for this type of practice. Products made with aluminum are designed from the start with a circular approach, with lower energy intensity, making them particularly suitable for this type of practice. To give an idea of the sustainable potential of aluminum, it is enough to remember that 75% of the aluminum that has ever been produced is still in use and that 90% of aluminum for industrial use is recycled. Other materials that have a high recyclable potential are certainly copper and nickel. According to IRENA, a third of global nickel supplies come from recycling, while in 2018, tonnes of copper scrap recycled reached 8.5 million tonnes. 

Recycling is also of great importance for the supply of materials such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements, which will be increasingly requested in the coming years due to their use in producing electric vehicles and their components. With a good dose of recycling of these raw materials, their annual demand could stay within the quantities produced industrially.