Online PhD Summer School: Going circular with Critical Raw Materials

Going Circular with Critical Raw Materials

The concept of material criticality was born from the concern that some materials (in particular, metals and minerals) may become increasingly difficult to access and/or afford, highly volatile in their price, or in other ways no longer routinely available for production and technologies deployment. These constraints may undermine industrial competitiveness and the implementation of strategic technologies for sustainable development, such as electric mobility or renewable energy.

The transition to a circular economy is highlighted as a promising approach for material criticality mitigation. However, closing the loop of critical materials poses many challenges from the technological complexity of recycling to financial, organisational, and operational constraints.

The school aims to provide the opportunity to learn how circular economy approaches may assist the sustainable management of (critical) raw materials. In particular, the course will focus on circular economy approaches from a company and supply chain perspective. The former refers to product design solutions, while the latter addresses approaches for the development of closed-loop supply chains. These complex topics will be tackled from multiple perspectives: technological, economic, environmental, and regulatory.

Application deadline: 16 July
Acceptance notification: 26 July
Confirmation of participation deadline: 6 August

For more information, please consult the webpage or contact carol.maione@polimi.it.