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Future Availability of Secondary Raw Materials

Project description

Recovering raw materials for a green future

Raw materials are crucial for the operation of industries worldwide and necessary for the creation of most products. However, raw materials are finite, which affects their demand, supply and cost. Since little is known about their recoverability and availability, a green push in this sector is difficult. The EU-funded FutuRaM project aims to change this by introducing a strategy, reporting structure and guidelines for raw materials’ use, which will massively improve our data and knowledge on those materials. The findings will assist in assessing waste stream recoverability and secondary and critical raw materials recycling, which are significant for a green future.

Objective

The Future Availability of Secondary Raw Materials (FutuRaM) project seeks to (1) develop knowledge on the availability and recoverability of secondary raw materials (SRMs) within the European Union (EU), with a special focus on critical raw materials (CRMs), to enable fact-based decision making for their exploitation in the EU and third countries, and (2) disseminate this information via a systematic and transparent Secondary Raw Materials Knowledge Base (SRM-KB).

The FutuRaM project will establish a methodology, reporting structure, and guidance to improve the raw materials knowledge base up to 2050, and facilitate the exploitation of SRMs with a particular focus on CRMs. The project will integrate SRM and CRM data to model their current stocks and flows, and consider economic, technological, geopolitical, regulatory, social and environmental factors to further develop, demonstrate and align SRM recovery projects with the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC).

The project will address the following waste streams: Batteries; Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment; End-of-Life Vehicles;
Mining waste; Slags and Ashes; and Construction and Demolition Waste. FutuRaM will further develop and test the UNFC methodology through 18 case studies across the six FutuRaM waste streams.

FutuRaM research into the future availability of raw materials is relevant to the specific aspects of the work plan. It will contribute to a
transition to climate-neutral, circular and digitised economy; develop an understanding of anthropogenic resources; develop the
necessary criteria to establish a resource classification approach; combine new & existing data and present it in a UNFC format;
develop a proposal for EU statistics for SRMs; and contribute to raising awareness of raw materials supply challenges in the EU and
the possible solutions.

Coordinator

WASTE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICAL EQUIPMENT FORUM AISBL
Net EU contribution
€ 1 048 437,00
Address
BOULEVARD AUGUSTE REYERS 80
1030 Bruxelles / Brussel
Belgium

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Region
Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/ Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad
Activity type
Other
Links
Total cost
€ 1 165 096,25

Participants (22)

Partners (7)