The role of industrial actors in the circular economy for critical raw materials: a framework with case studies across a range of industries

Alexander Cimprich, Steven B. Young, Dieuwertje Schrijvers, Anthony Y. Ku, Christian Hagelüken, Patrice Christmann, Roderick Eggert, Komal Habib, Atsufumi Hirohata, Alan J. Hurd, Min-Ha Lee, David Peck, Evi Petavratzi, Luis A. Tercero Espinoza, Patrick Wäger and Alessandra Hool ()
Additional contact information
Alexander Cimprich: University of Waterloo
Steven B. Young: University of Waterloo
Dieuwertje Schrijvers: WeLOOP
Anthony Y. Ku: NICE America Research
Christian Hagelüken: Umicore AG & Co. KG
Patrice Christmann: KRYSMINE
Komal Habib: University of Waterloo
Atsufumi Hirohata: University of York
Alan J. Hurd: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Min-Ha Lee: KITECH North America
David Peck: Delft University of TechnologyArchitectural Engineering and TechnologyDelft University of Technology (TU Delft)
Evi Petavratzi: British Geological Survey
Luis A. Tercero Espinoza: Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI
Patrick Wäger: ESM Foundation
Alessandra Hool: ESM Foundation

Mineral Economics, 2023, vol. 36, issue 2, No 8, 319 pages

Abstract: Abstract In this article, we explore concrete examples of circularity strategies for critical raw materials (CRMs) in commercial settings. We propose a company-level framework for systematically evaluating circularity strategies (e.g., material recycling, product reuse, and product or component lifetime extension) in specific applications of CRMs from the perspectives of specific industrial actors. This framework is applied in qualitative analyses—informed by relevant literature and expert consultation—of five case studies across a range of industries: (1) rhenium in high-pressure turbine components, (2) platinum group metals in industrial catalysts for chemical processing and oil refining, (3) rare earth permanent magnets in computer hard disk drives, (4) various CRMs in consumer electronics, and (5) helium in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines. Drawing from these case studies, three broader observations can be made about company circularity strategies for CRMs. Firstly, there are multiple, partly competing motivations that influence the adoption of circularity strategies, including cost savings, supply security, and external stakeholder pressure. Secondly, business models and value-chain structure play a major role in the implementation of circularity strategies; business-to-business models appear to be more conducive to circularity than business-to-consumer models. Finally, it is important to distinguish between closed-loop circularity, in which material flows are contained within the “focal” actor’s system boundary, and open-loop circularity, in which material flows cross the system boundary, as the latter has limited potential for mitigating material criticality from the perspective of the focal actor.

Keywords: Critical raw materials; Material criticality; Supply security; Circular business models; Circularity strategies; Industrial actors (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s13563-022-00304-8 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:minecn:v:36:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1007_s13563-022-00304-8

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/13563

DOI: 10.1007/s13563-022-00304-8

Access Statistics for this article

Mineral Economics is currently edited by Magnus Ericsson and Patrik Söderholm

More articles in Mineral Economics from Springer, Raw Materials Group (RMG), Luleå University of Technology
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().