What are critical raw materials?

What are critical raw materials?

Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) are those raw materials that are economically and strategically important for the European economy but have a high-risk associated with their supply. In this scenario, ‘mitigating actions’ need to be developed to reduce criticalities linked to the use of those raw materials.

What are the most important raw materials?

Critical raw materials

  • antimony.
  • beryllium.
  • cobalt.
  • fluorspar.
  • gallium.
  • germanium.
  • graphite.

Where do critical raw materials come from?

Critical Raw Materials (CRM) are a list of finite materials released by the European Commission that are in scarce global supply. Limited or decreasing access to them are cause for world-wide concern due to their links to technology, industry needs and the environment.

What are Europe’s raw materials?

Fourth list of critical raw materials for the EU of 2020

2020 critical raw materials (new as compared to 2017 in bold)
Antimony Hafnium Phosphorus
Borate Magnesium Tungsten
Cobalt Natural graphite Vanadium
Coking coal Natural rubber Bauxite

Is aluminium a critical raw material?

The inclusion of bauxite, the aluminium-rich ore that is used for primary aluminium production, on the European Commission’s Critical Raw Materials list recognises the strategic importance of the aluminium industry in supporting Europe’s transition to a green and digital economy.

Why are critical raw materials so important?

Raw materials, which are essential elements in today’s industrial production, are crucial for the sustainable functioning of our economy. Adding to the resource scarcity and the geopolitical concerns, the extraction and processing of some raw materials has significant environmental impacts.

Why critical raw materials are important?

Why critical raw materials are important Environment – raw materials are closely linked to clean technologies. They are irreplaceable in solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and energy-efficient lighting.

What are Europe’s resources?

There are many different natural resources found in Europe. These include wood, soil, water, fish, natural gas, coal, and iron. The resource of fish and water can be found in the Mediterranean Sea. Water is an abundant resource in Europe because there are so many bodies of water in/near Europe.

Is gold a critical raw material?

Critical raw materials including gold, silver and palladium are vital in the manufacture of a wide range of electrical items, such as mobile phones, tablets and smart TVs.

What are the critical raw materials at EU level?

List of critical raw materials at EU level (in alphabetical order): Antimony Indium Beryllium Magnesium Cobalt Niobium Fluorspar 1PGMs (Platinum Group Metals) Gallium Rare earths2 Germanium Tantalum Graphite Tungsten 1The Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) regroups platinum, palladium, iridium, rhodium, ruthenium and osmium.

How often is the list of critical raw materials updated?

The Commission reviews the list of critical raw materials for the EU every three years. It published the first list in 2011, updating it in 2014 and 2017 7 . The assessment is based on data from the recent past and shows how criticality has evolved since the first list was published.

How many materials are in the 2020 EU list of criticality?

Member States and companies can also use it as an EU reference framework for developing their own specific criticality assessments. The 2020 EU list contains 30 materials as compared to 14 materials in 2011, 20 materials in 2014 and 27 materials in 2017. 26 materials stay on the list.

What is the ad-hoc Working Group on defining critical raw materials?

Report of the Ad-hoc Working Group on defining critical raw materials Critical raw materials for the EU The ad-hocWorking Group is a sub-group of the Raw Materials Supply Group and is chaired by the European Commission