Summary

This report is the third and final part in a series addressing resource efficiency concerning critical raw materials (CRM) in the Nordic region. CRMs are defined by the European Union (EU) as materials of high economic importance with significant supply risk. To ensure a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials, the EU has launched the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). The act contains regulations aimed at, but not limited to, improving EU extraction, processing, and recycling capacities. The Act also emphasises waste prevention and initiatives to increase the re-use of discarded products and materials as a part of a broader strategy to secure CRM supply chains.

Article 26 of the CRMA requires member states to develop and implement national programmes containing measures designed to “promote waste prevention and increase re-use and repair of products and components with relevant critical raw materials recovery potential”. This report outlines potential measures and instruments for consideration in designing these programmes.

In May 2024, the CRMA entered into force, which means that the regulation already binds Denmark, Finland and Sweden, while Iceland and Norway are currently assessing its EEA relevance.

Almost all products and materials consumed by humans impose a negative environmental footprint throughout their lifecycle. The extraction and processing of raw materials require energy and chemicals, generating waste, pollution and significant disruption to landscapes and ecosystems. Recycling mitigates the need to extract virgin raw materials and often reduces energy consumption and waste generation. However, while the overall environmental footprint of secondary materials is typically much smaller than that of their primary equivalents, it remains substantial. The only products or materials with no negative environmental footprints are those that are never produced or consumed.

Waste prevention measures aim to reduce the total amount of waste generated or minimising specific chemical components within waste, such as hazardous substances or critical raw materials. While recycling primarily focuses on measures after a product or material has been discarded, waste prevention emphasises actions taken earlier in the product lifecycle. Effective measures for CRM waste prevention should prioritise products and materials that contain significant quantities of CRMs. Such products include electronics, vehicles and renewable energy production and distribution systems.

Circular product design aims to minimise CRM content in the products, reduce CRM material losses during the manufacturing process, and extend product longevity through robust designs that facilitate maintenance, repairs and upgrades to maintain functionality and combability. Certain CRM-intensive products, such as mobile phones, laptops, tablets and screens, are particularly suited for life extension due to their frequent usage. Additionally, many CRM-intensive electronic components, including motors, batteries, and cables, can benefit from extended lifespan through proper maintenance, repairs, and upgrades. Key measures to facilitate this include access to repair parts, detailed repair instructions, and secure systems for data deletion to build user confidence during ownership transfers. Furthermore, product designs should enable discarded products and materials to be easily refurbished or remanufactured for continued use. For instance, aluminium panels from demolished buildings or infrastructure can be refurbished and repurposed in new construction projects.

CRM waste can also be reduced or eliminated through adjustments to production processes. One approach involves improving processes that allow the production of the same products and materials with reduced or eliminated inputs of CRMs. An example of such innovations is the direct reduction of steel, where the use of the CRM coke is replaced by hydrogen and electricity. Another example is the production of primary aluminium using inert anodes and chlorine salts, which can reduce or eliminate the need for CRMs such as fluorspar and graphite in the process. Waste prevention can also be achieved through miniaturising products or components, thereby minimising the total CRM consumption per product. For instance, printed circuit boards are now typically smaller and contain lower amounts of many CRMs compared to older, similar circuit boards.

The use phase of a product or material is a crucial stage for waste prevention. By avoiding the consumption of non-essential products and materials or by extending the use phase for consumed products and materials through considerate and practical use that includes maintenance, reparations and upgrades necessary to maintain full functionality for as long as possible, significant waste reduction can be achieved. Strategies for waste prevention during the use phase are often summarised using the keywords refuse, reduce, re-use, repair, refurbish and rethink.

Consumption habits can play a significant role in reducing CRM waste. Individuals can make a substantial impact by reducing their total consumption of CRM-containing materials. Possible measures that facilitate this include information campaigns that raise consumer awareness regarding CRM concerns and lead to voluntary consumption restrictions. Economic measures like adding a fee to certain products and materials that make their consumption more expensive can also influence consumer behaviour. Legal instruments like banning or restricting specific CRM-intensive products and materials for particular non-essential use can reduce CRM waste but may be seen as controversial. Product applications considered non-essential include entertainment purposes like party balloons and fireworks. The CRM use of helium gas can easily be significantly reduced by banning the use of helium in party balloons. Similarly, some consumption of several CRMs, including strontium, magnesium and barium, can be reduced by prohibiting or restricting the use of fireworks. This may however encourage illegal import and distribution of the banned products.

Re-use refers to the process where still functional products and materials that would otherwise be discarded as waste are taken over and used by new consumers. Cars, bicycles, furniture, EEE-products and textiles are examples of products that are commonly re-used by new consumers through transactions on second-hand markets. There is also a developing market for re-used construction materials. Discarded products and materials can also be re-used after being collected as waste. This will however often require additional preparation before being ready for a new user life compared to exchanging the products between users before being discarded as waste.

Waste prevention is used as a concept covering strategies for both reducing the total amounts of waste and minimising the concentration of specific chemical components of the waste like hazardous substances or critical raw materials. If a material or chemical component is to be replaced without loss of functionality it must be replaced by an alternative substance that provides similar properties while being less hazardous or scarce. This operation is often referred to as substitution. However, finding alternative materials with acceptable properties are often challenging, and can therefore in the worst-case lead to substitutions that have undesirable product effects like loss of functionality, or increased health hazards.

The following measures are discussed in this report: