Identifying future availability of secondary raw materials (RIA)

A successful transition to a climate-neutral, circular and digitised EU economy relies heavily on a secure supply of raw materials. In order to strengthen EU autonomy and reduce over-dependency, we must boost domestic sourcing, both for primary and secondary raw materials.

Actions should be based on a common understanding of relevant terms and codes, and develop an understanding of anthropogenic resources and derive the needed aspects for classification of recovery projects and to develop criteria for a transparent, consistent and objective classification, needed to establish a comprehensive resource classification approach.

Actions should acquire new data on secondary raw materials via in situ sampling from different regions across the EU, collect existing data and present in a harmonised UNFC format. The action should build on and advance further the work of UNECE – UNFC expert group on Anthropogenic resources regarding the classification of secondary raw materials and the work of H2020 project PROSUM[[http://www.prosumproject.eu/]] regarding collection of data and information on secondary raw materials. The action should develop a proposal for EU statistics for secondary raw materials.

The action should focus on the following streams of secondary raw materials, with particular attention to critical raw materials: waste batteries, WEEE, mining waste, slags and ashes, and construction and demolition waste.

All the data and information generated through these actions should be shared in open formats on a free of charge basis with the European Commission, for its own use and for publication.

The action should envisage clustering activities with other relevant selected projects for cross-projects co-operation, consultations and joint activities on cross-cutting issues and share of results as well as participating in joint meetings and communication events. To this end proposals should foresee a dedicated work package and/or task, and earmark the appropriate resources accordingly.

The action should also contribute to improving the awareness of relevant external stakeholders and the general public across the EU and in non-EU countries of project’s partners about the importance of raw materials for society, the challenges related to their supply within the EU and about proposed solutions which could help to improve society's acceptance of and trust in sustainable raw materials production in the EU.

In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement.