Press Release Recognition under the Critical Raw Materials Act supports the development of European refining capacity for Critical Raw Materials recovered from low-grade Waste Printed Circuit Boards. Amsterdam, Friday, 9 October 2026 The European Commission today recognised CRITICAL.’s Urban Mining Factory / Printed Circuit Boards (‘UMF/PCB’) as a Strategic Project under the Critical Raw Materials Act (‘CRMA’). The project focuses on maximising the sustainable recovery of Critical Raw Materials and other metals from Waste Printed Circuit Boards for supply to European manufacturing industries. From low-grade Printed Circuit Boards to industrial raw materials Printed Circuit Boards are the richest waste stream in terms of the number of elements they contain. This diversity, however, makes recovery complex. Existing industrial processors recover only a limited number of elements, typically 5. The UMF/PCB sets the bar significantly higher: the factory will initially target 9 elements, with the ambition to ultimately recover and refine 24 different elements. The factory specialises in low-grade Waste Printed Circuit Boards. Their relatively low metal content and complex composition make this waste stream economically unattractive to existing European processors. CRITICAL. has developed a process configuration that combines several at scale proven technologies. The recovered elements are purified into raw materials that meet the specifications of customers in the semiconductor, electronics, energy and wider manufacturing industries. Contributing to European security of supply The Critical Raw Materials Act aims to ensure a secure, diversified, affordable and sustainable supply of critical and strategic raw materials for the European Union. Strategic Projects contribute to this objective by strengthening European raw materials capacity and reducing dependencies on external suppliers. “Europe has an enormous stock of raw materials in the form of End-of-Life products. The challenge is to recover and refine those materials to the quality our industry requires,” says Niels Wagemaker, Founder and CEO of CRITICAL. “Recognition as a Strategic Project underlines the importance of new refining capacity in Europe. With the UMF/PCB, we aim to unlock important raw materials that remain unrecovered by current processing methods.” What the Strategic Project status means for CRITICAL. The Strategic Project status provides CRITICAL. with a framework for more coordinated and thereby faster project development. Under the CRMA, the Netherlands must facilitate the timely and effective implementation of the UMF/PCB, including coordinated permitting through a designated single point of contact and priority treatment in accordance with applicable law. For processing and recycling projects, the Act generally limits the permitting process to 15 months, subject to specified exceptions and extensions. CRITICAL. can also request European-level advice on financing, including potential support from public financing institutions and national and EU programmes. Together, these measures reduce administrative uncertainty, improve investment readiness and help accelerate the factory’s development. Towards an annual processing capacity of 15,000 tonnes from 2029 The next development phase of the UMF/PCB will focus on further technical development, site assessment, permitting, financing and collaboration with suppliers and industrial customers. The UMF/PCB forms part of CRITICAL.’s broader platform strategy and will process approximately 15,000 tonnes of Waste Printed Circuit Boards annually from 2029. About CRITICAL. CRITICAL., launched in October 2024, is a developer of an integrated Urban Mining refining platform for the maximum and sustainable recovery of Critical Raw Materials and other valuable metals from complex waste streams, such as Waste Printed Circuit Boards, End-of-Life Solar Panels and industrial residues. The company combines at scale proven technologies to supply raw materials to European manufacturing industries. The future platform offers significant industrial synergy benefits: combining smaller material streams from one factory with larger streams of similar composition from another creates economies of scale and enables more efficient raw materials recovery. CRITICAL. brings together waste streams, technology, infrastructure, financing and offtake to achieve this. Through this approach, CRITICAL. is building European refining capacity and a circular, resilient raw materials supply that reduces dependence on external suppliers. Founder and CEO Niels Wagemaker has worked full-time on developing Critical Raw Materials recovery projects since 2017. As a recognised expert in this field, he combines technical expertise with a keen understanding of industrial value chains and an extensive network. Together with his colleagues, he is developing the platform and advancing its industrial scale-up. Further information and press contact CRITICAL. Niels Wagemaker Founder and CEO niels@critical.green | +31624684244 www.critical.green
