Solutions for CRitical Raw materials - a European Expert Network (SCRREEN)

Research Project, 2016 – 2019

Since the publication of the first list of Critical Raw Materials (CRM) in 2010 by the Ad-hoc Working Group on CRM, numerous European projects have addressed (part of) the CRMs value and several initiatives have contributed to gather (part of) the related community into clusters and associations. This led to the production of important knowledge, unfortunately disseminated. Numerous databases have also been developed, sometimes as duplicates.
For the first time in the history, SCRREEN aims at gathering European initiatives, associations, clusters, and projects working on CRMs into along lasting Expert Network on Critical Raw Materials, including the stakeholders, public authorities and civil society representatives.
SCRREEN will contribute to improve the CRM strategy in Europe by (i) mapping primary and secondary resources as well as substitutes of CRMs, (ii) estimating the expected demand of various CRMs in the future and identifying major trends, (iii) providing policy and technology recommendations for actions improving the production and the potential substitution of CRM, (iv) addressing specifically WEEE and other EOL products issues related to their mapping and treatment standardization and (vi) identifying the knowledge gained over the last years and easing the access to these data beyond the project.
The project consortium also acknowledges the challenges posed by the disruptions required to devlop new CRM strategies, which is why stakeholder dialogue is at the core of SCRREEN: policy, society, R&D and industrial decision-makers are involved to facilitate strategic knowledge-based decisions making to be carried out by these groups. A specific attention will also be brought on informing the general public on our strong dependence on imported raw materials, on the need to replace rare materials with substitutes and on the need to set up innovative and clean actions for exploration, extraction, processing and recycling.