EIT RawMaterials at UNECE Resource Management Week 2018
24 April 2018
Symposium on the availability of raw materials from secondary sources – a key aspect of circular economy
On 24 April, EIT RawMaterials together with UNECE, ESM and COST Action “Mining the European Anthroposphere will co-oragnise the Symposium on the availability of raw materials from secondary sources – a key aspect of circular economy. The Symposium will be held during the UNECE Resource Management Week 2018 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Securing the future supply of energy and minerals is fundamental for both regional and global economic development and prosperity. In contrast to the traditional mining sector, the stakeholders in the urban mining, recycling and recovery sector lack reliable information on the material quantities expected to be available in the near future. This impedes the identification of recycling and recovery opportunities and creates risks for investment decisions concerning secondary raw material processing facilities. In addition, it hinders national resource planners from integrating primary and secondary sources into a comprehensive raw material system that can be used for accounting, scenario development, and policymaking.
To overcome the barriers, reliable and transparent estimates on the availability of secondary raw materials are needed. Therefore, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) – Expert Group on Resource Classification (EGRC) and the pan-European Expert Network “Mining the European Anthroposphere” (COST Action MINEA) are developing a new standard for classifying raw materials from secondary sources, such as mine tailings, buildings, infrastructure, consumer goods, and all sources from the material life cycle stages, including production, use and end- of-life.
Applying this new standard enables consistency and transparency in communicating retrievable material quantities. This allows government authorities, policy makers, investors and decision makers in the materials and waste management sectors to make a reasoned and balanced judgment on the potential of material sourcing projects and strategies. From an operational point of view, it supports project portfolio management, national material management, policy setting and capital allocation.
EIT RawMaterials at Symposium on the availability of raw materials from secondary sources – a key aspect of circular economy
Dr Roland Gauss, Senior Advisor for Substitution and Recycling at EIT RawMaterials, will co-chair the Thematic Workshop on Classifying Anthropogenic Resources.
Dr Karen Hanghøj, CEO at EIT RawMaterials, will talk about the Raw Materials for Sustainable Development: Opportunities and Challenges at the Special Workshop on Waste Valorization and Critical Raw Materials. Dr Roland Gauss will join the discussion on challenges and possible collaborations towards case study projects.
Find the full Symposium program here.
CERA innovation project showcased at the 9th Session, Expert Group on Resource Classification
On 26 April, DMT, a partner of EIT RawMaterials, will present an innovation project CERA: Certification of raw materials at the 9th Session, Expert Group on Resource Classification.
CERA: Certification of raw materials
Sustainability in the raw materials industry is a new major strategic theme of the EIT RawMaterials. CERA will be a standardized certification scheme ensuring environmental, social and economic sustainability in extraction, processing, trading and manufacturing of all mineral raw materials including fossil fuels. It guarantees traceability of certified materials by using a combination of traceability technologies including proof of origin methods throughout the entire value chain.
Learn more about the CERA project supported by EIT RawMaterials here.