EU: Critical raw materials – products, components and waste streams with a high potential to recover critical raw materials

 

The EU Commission has published a draft laying down the list of products, components and waste streams considered as having potential to recover critical raw materials.

Article 26 of the Critical Raw Materials Act empowers the Commission to specify in a list such items with a high potential for critical raw material recovery. This helps Member States create national circularity programmes containing measures to address various circularity dimensions, e.g. reuse, recycling and waste prevention & collection.

Article 26(1) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1252 requires Member States to develop national programmes containing measures aimed at enhancing the circularity of critical raw materials (CRMs).

In accordance with Article 26(7) of the same Regulation, the European Commission is tasked with establishing a list of products, components, and waste streams deemed to have significant potential for CRM recovery. This list is intended to guide Member States in implementing the national measures required under Article 26(1). However, the list is non-exhaustive, and Member States are free to include additional items in their national programmes based on their own circular economy strategies.

The Annex to this Regulation sets out the Commission’s indicative list of products, components, and waste streams with relevant CRM recovery potential. This list has been compiled based on the criteria outlined in the second subparagraph of Article 26(7) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1252.

Extractive waste is not included in this list, as its recovery potential is already addressed under Article 27 of the Regulation, which covers specific measures for the recovery of CRMs from such waste.

List of products, components and waste streams that are considered as having a relevant critical raw materials recovery potential:

1. Batteries, with the following components, in particular:

(a) Cathode active materials;

(b) Anode active materials;

(c) Cathode current collectors;

(d) Anode current collectors;

(e) Battery management systems;

(f) Internal cables.

2. Electrical and electronic equipment, with the following components, in particular:

(a) Permanent magnets;

(b) Hard disk drives;

(c) Compressors;

(d) Displays (cathode ray tube, liquid crystal, thin film, plasma);

(e) Printed circuit boards;

(f) Cables;

(g) Photovoltaic cells;

(h) Photovoltaic frames;

(i) Remaining fraction after specific dismantling in pre-treatment1.

3. Wind turbines and related infrastructure, with the following components, in particular:

(a) Permanent magnets;

• (b) Generators;
• (c) Transformers;
• (d) Converters and inventers;
• (e) Cables.

4. Motor vehicles, as defined in the Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council, with the following components in particular:

• (a) Permanent magnet traction motors;
• (b) Induction traction motors;
• (c) Non-traction electric motors;
• (d) Electrical and electronic components subject to re-use, recycling or any other form of recovery under relevant Union acts in their valid version;
• (e) Converters and inventers;
• (f) Main wiring harnesses;

(g) Fuel cells;

(h) Catalytic converters;

(i) Spark plugs;

(j) Wrought aluminium components and/or parts;

(k) Cast aluminium components and/or parts;

(l) Magnesium components and/or parts.

5. Light means of transport.
6. Energy and telecommunications infrastructure.
7. Industrial pumps.
8. Industrial catalyst.
9. Digestate or compost from separately collected biowaste.
10. Slags, sludges, and ashes, in particular:

(a) Sewage sludge from urban wastewater treatments;

• (b) Bottom and fly ashes resulting from the mono-incineration of sludges from the treatment of urban wastewater;
• (c) Bottom ashes from municipal solid waste incineration;
• (d) Bottom ashes from commercial or industrial waste incineration.

11. Construction and demolition waste, particularly focusing on aluminium and copper alloys and cables in buildings.