CRITICAL. was founded in late September 2024 by Niels Wagemaker, co-founder of Circular Industries (established in November 2017). In December 2024, the full Intellectual Property (IP) and assets of Circular Industries was acquired, including the Urban Mining Factory Printed Circuit Boards (UMF/PCB) project, designed for the maximum and sustainable recovery of Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) from Waste Printed Circuit Boards (WPCBs). In 2025, we expanded our focus on CRM recovery with the Urban Mining Factory / Solar Panels (UMF/SP) project, addressing a huge gap in Europe's processing capacity of End-of-Life Solar Panels. Now, we're building Europe's first integrated Urban Mining Platform. By 2032, we aim to own, operate and scale at least four Urban Mining projects within the EU, reinforcing Europe’s industrial resilience and strategic autonomy.
Chief Executive Officer
25+ years experience in innovation and business development, of which 10+ years experience within the Circular Economy.
Project Director
15+ years experience in industrial engineering, design thinking, service design and operations.
Chief Operating Officer
20+ years experience in engineering, production, innovations, operations and rapid scaling of processes and companies.
Group Finance Manager
35+ years experience in international tax advice, company management and finance management.
Purchasing Consultant
25+ years experience in purchasing and sales of non-ferro metals, metal scrap and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment.
Sales Consultant
35+ years experience in chemistry, oil & gas, catalyst-manufacturing-, regeneration- and spent catalyst- and metal recycling industry.
Program Management Consultant
25+ years experience in engineering,asset management, program management and health & safety in industrial environment.
Stakeholder Consultant (Germany)
15+ years experience in industrial engineering, sales, operations and project development.
