We are a developer and future operator of Urban Mining Factories 

CRITICAL. was founded in late-September 2024 by Niels Wagemaker, co-founder of Circular Industries in November 2017, and acquired the full Intellectual Property (‘IP’) and assets of Circular Industries in December 2024.

The IP concerns the development of the Urban Mining Factory (‘UMF’) project, aimed at the maximum and sustainable recovery of Critical Raw Materials ('CRMs') from Waste Printed Circuit Boards ('WPCBs').

In 2025, we decided to set-up a second UMF project, fully dedicated to the processing of End-of-Life Solar Panels and Industrial Residues — for which there is a significant lack of adequate processing capacity. This addition enhances our capacity to recover even more CRMs at scale and provide Gallium and Si-metal to the EU's semiconductor industry.

From 2026, 7 'Criticalians' will be working on the recovery of CRMs from Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment ('WEEE') and Industrial Residues.

In the year 2032, we expect to own and operate at least three Urban Mining Factories within the EU.

Octo​ber 17th 2024: Niels Wagemaker presenting CRITICAL.'s On-site Refinery development project in Rome, at the request of the Dutch embassy in Italy.