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CRITICAL. received an i3 subsidy,as part of the CLOSER consortium, to recover and refine Ga, In andSi-metal from o.a. Solar Panel and Industrial waste in ultra-high purity, for applications by Europe's leading semiconductor industries.
Europe’s renewable energy and semiconductor industries depend heavily on the import of Critical Raw Materials (CRMs), making their supply chains very vulnerable to geopolitical risks, shortages, and price volatility. However, due to the lack of integrated Urban Mining capacity, most of these materials remain unrecovered from electric, electronic and industrial waste. CRITICAL. was founded in 2024 with the goal to address this dependency, by digging much deeper into waste streams and recovering more CRMs.
Demand for Critical Raw Materials accelerates
Electricity grid expansion, industrial electrification, semiconductor manufacturing, AI infrastructure, renewable energy systems, defense technologies, and electric vehicles are rapidly increasing global demand for CRMs such as Copper, Gallium, Silver, and Neodymium. Demand pressures are already visible across key materials markets, with Copper demand alone projected to increase by 35% compared to 2024 levels. Figure: International Copper Association (2025)
Europe's dependency in some cases near 100%
A significant share of the world’s Critical Raw Materials is mined, processed, or refined outside Europe. In key material categories, refining capacity remains heavily concentrated in a limited number of global markets. A clear example is Gallium, an element used in semiconductor and advanced electronics applications, where China currently accounts for approximately 98% of global extraction capacity. Figure: Netherlands Materials Observatory (2025)
CRMs leaving the European Union
Large and rapidly growing waste streams containing CRMs are still insufficiently recovered within Europe at industrial scale. Most materials embedded in End-of-Life Solar Panels, Printed Circuit Boards, Electric Motors, and Wind Turbines are frequently exported, downcycled, or processed through fragmented value chains with limited recovery efficiency. The scale of this challenge is significant, with more than 1.3 Million tonnes of e-waste exported from the EU annually. Figure: Eurostat (2025)
Europe needs new recovery and refining capacity
The vast majority of low-grade Waste Printed Circuit Boards (WPCBs) are currently exported to Asia. Only approximately 5% is processed within Europe, highlighting the significant gap between available material streams and domestic recovery capacity. Strengthening Europe’s refining and recovery infrastructure is therefore essential to improve resource security, reduce external dependencies, and support a more circular industrial economy. Figure: WEEE Forum (2025)
Policy and industry must align to meet ambitions
Through mechanisms such as Strategic Project designation under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), the European Union is accelerating permitting, financing, and cross-border coordination to support the development of new recovery and refining capacity. The ambition is substantial: by 2030, the EU aims to secure 40% of its annual consumption of CRMs through domestic recovery, reinforcing Europe’s industrial resilience and strategic autonomy. Figure: European Commission, CRMA (2024)
Rapid growth of End-of-Life Solar Panels
By 2030, Germany alone will generate 400.000 - 1.000.000 tonnes/year of End-of-Life Solar Panels, with no large-scale Critical Raw Materials recovery solutions in place.Source: Fraunhofer ISE, 2024
Loss of valuable materials from e-waste exports
Over 1.3 Million tonnes of e-waste (including Solar Panels and waste Printed Circuit Boards) are exported from the EU annually, often to regions with lower recovery standards.Source: Eurostat, 2025
Lack of industrial-scale recovery infrastructure
Less than 5% of low-grade waste Printed Circuit Boards are processed within Europe, due to insufficient refining capacity. Source: WEEE Forum, 2025
Missed economic opportunities in circularity
The EU loses € 5–10 Billion/year in potential material value from unrecycled e-waste, including CRMs like Copper, and Rare Earths. Source: European Environment Agency, 2025
The CRITICAL. Urban Mining Platform is an integrated industrial model, connecting specialized Urban Mining Factories (UMFs) across Europe through shared material flows, recovery infrastructure and refining capacity. We are both developer and operator of the platform. Copper functions as the central material stream, while additional Critical Raw Materials — including Gallium, Neodymium and other elements — are consolidated and directed toward our specialized refining hubs for further processing. This integrated approach enables economies of scale in refining, improves infrastructure utilization and strengthens the long-term availability of Critical Raw Materials for European manufacturing, semiconductor and strategic industrial sector.
Urban Mining Factory / Solar Panels
+++ Operational Q4 2027 +++.
Location: Frankenberg (Eder), GermanyFeedstock: End-of-Life Solar PanelsCapacity: 20.000 tonnes/year capacityElements: Ag, Al, Cu, Fe, Ga, Pb, Si-metal, Sn
Urban Mining Factory / Printed Circuit Boards
+++ EU Strategic Project status pending +++
Location: Rotterdam, NetherlandsFeedstock: Low-grade Waste Printed Circuit BoardsCapacity: 15.000 tonnes/year capacityElements: Ag, Au, Al, B, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Pd, Pt, Sn
Urban Mining Factory / Fly Ashes
+++ Advanced conversations +++.
Location: Amsterdam, NetherlandsFeedstock: Fly Ashes from Municipal Waste IncinerationCapacity: 6.000 tonnes/year capacityElements: Cu, Zn, Ni, etc.
Urban Mining Factory / Electric Motors
+++ Initial explorations +++.
Location: Moerdijk, NetherlandsFeedstock: End-of-Life Electric MotorsCapacity: 10.000 tonnes/year capacityElements: Al, B, Fe, Cu, Nd, Ni, Mn
CRITICAL. is supported by a strong network of strategic partners across the private and public sectors. These collaborations cover technology development, industrial infrastructure, permitting, funding, policy alignment, and supply & offtake agreements. Together, these partnerships accelerate the development of CRITICAL.’s Urban Mining Platform and help establish a secure, circular, and resilient Critical Raw Materials value chain for Europe.
And still counting...
