Efficient Use of Critical Raw Materials for Optimal Resource Management in EU Countries

Lucia Domaracka, Simona Matuskova, Marcela Tausova, Andrea Senova and Barbara Kowal
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Lucia Domaracka: Faculty of Mining, Ecology, Process Control and Geotechnologies, Institute of Earth’s Resources, Technical University of Kosice, Letna 9, 042 00 Kosice, Slovakia
Simona Matuskova: Institute of Economics and Control Systems, Faculty of Mining and Geology, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 2172/15, 708 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic
Marcela Tausova: Faculty of Mining, Ecology, Process Control and Geotechnologies, Institute of Earth’s Resources, Technical University of Kosice, Letna 9, 042 00 Kosice, Slovakia
Andrea Senova: Faculty of Mining, Ecology, Process Control and Geotechnologies, Institute of Earth’s Resources, Technical University of Kosice, Letna 9, 042 00 Kosice, Slovakia
Barbara Kowal: Faculty of Civil Engineering and Resource Management, AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków, 30-059 Krakow, Poland

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 11, 1-14

Abstract: The European Commission has established a Critical Raw Materials List (CRM) for the European Union (EU), which is subject to regular review and updating. CRMs are needed in many key industries such as automotive, steel, aerospace, renewable energy, etc. To address this issue, we studied publicly available data from databases developed by the EU for monitoring the progress of individual countries in key areas for the development of society. The paper analyzes indicators of import reliance, net additions to stock, domestic material consumption (DMC), resource productivity, and circular material use rate. Prospective products and technologies, in electromobility, digitalization, Industry 4.0, and energy transformation, are changing and increasing the demand for raw materials. The aim of this article is to look at the ways forward in order to use critical raw materials as efficiently as possible while at the same time ensuring the optimal economy of the countries. From the sources and databases of data available for the EU, we analyzed a number of variables and suggested options for future developments in the efficient use of critical raw materials. We defined what we believed to be the optimal management means in relation to critical raw materials and worked backwards to find a path to efficient use of critical raw materials.

Keywords: raw material; critical raw material; resources; gross domestic product; SAS JMP software (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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