Better collection and harmonisation of data on primary and secondary raw materials management
Data concerning Europe’s potential for raw materials are so crucial, that the work conducted towards achieving this common goal never ceases. For example, systematic analysis of the current situation for primary and secondary raw materials (PRM and SRM, respectively) data shows clear potential for improvement. This challenge was addressed by the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on raw materials. A cornerstone of the EIP is the development of the EU knowledge base on PRM and SRM, begun by a series of European-funded projects. The next iteration was the ORAMA project, which focused on PRM and SRM in waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), batteries, end-of-life vehicles (ELVs), other mixed metal wastes and mining waste data-sets. Close examination of the PRM and SRM data revealed several places for improvement. “Hence, ORAMA formulated recommendations, technical guidelines and training materials that will help in improving both quality of the data sets and harmonisation levels,” says project coordinator Mikkola Perttu.
Challenges for harvesting data
Recommendations and the best practices identified were evaluated against the INSPIRE Directive (2007/2/EC), to ensure compatibility with it. These evaluations will result in enhanced data availability and quality in the Joint Research Centre’s (JRC) Raw Materials Information System (RMIS). ORAMA continued this development by addressing specific challenges related to data availability, geographical coverage, accessibility, standardisation, harmonisation, interoperability, quality and thematic coverage in Member States. “The project therefore further helped in systematising the harvesting of pan-European raw material data to provide high quality and up-to-date data that can foster better policies on raw materials,” explains Perttu. The freely available data can also prove useful in fields such as mining or education. Importantly, ORAMA also worked towards comparability of PRM and SRM sources, helping to facilitate the long-term identification of business opportunities relating to the substitution of PRM with SRM. Perttu observes: “As a geologist, I was fully aware of the quality variations related to PRM data and difficulties related in producing meaningful resource data based on them on European level. But before ORAMA, I had no real idea how complex and fragmented the SRM data are.”
Multiple benefits
Yet the solutions needed to improve the situation are sometimes extremely simple. For example, refining the weight groups used in vehicle statistics at EU level would significantly improve estimates for the SRM potential of batteries in e-vehicles. According to Perttu: “The required data exists already in national level but is currently lost in the compilation stage.” In the short term, ORAMA will help organisations producing and collecting raw material data; over a longer timeframe, it will serve those seeking up-to-date and easily accessible information on raw materials. “Those benefitting from ORAMA include EU-level policymakers, academics, and also individual EU citizens interested in where the raw materials essential for their everyday life originate from,” Perttu points out.
Keywords
ORAMA, data, primary raw materials, PRM, secondary raw materials, SRM, European Innovation Partnership, EIP, INSPIRE, Raw Materials Information System, RMIS, raw materials
