Resource Wende

In the world and in Europe the demand for critical raw materials (CRMs) is increasing exponentially. This is causing all kind of challenges: economical, geopolitical, ecological and social. The UNEP-IRP Global Resource Outlook is quite explicit about the consequences of a business-as-usual trajectory for climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and social injustice. According to this report humanity needs to bend the resource consumption curve, which does not necessarily mean economic degrowth.

The Resource Wende will develop scenarios indicating the options to decrease the demand for CRMs, in line with sustainable global supply volumes and equal sharing principles. The most favourable scenarios will lead to adaptation strategies showing how European economies and societies can adapt to the shrinking availability of CRMs. This international and cross-sectoral approach complements the EU CRM-Act, that mainly focusses on mitigation strategies to ensure supply chain security.