New Guidelines Promote Responsible Sourcing and Sustainability for Rare Earth Element Use in Permanent Magnets
Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) and EIT Raw Materials created guidelines on responsible sourcing and sustainability in primary and secondary rare earth element (REE) use in permanent magnets. A key message of the guidelines is that scaling up short-loop permanent magnet recycling requires more than technological advances. Europe also needs stronger traceability, clearer identification of magnet-containing waste streams, robust due diligence and better coordination across the value chain.
As rare earth elements (REE) become increasingly essential in view of the EU’s goals pertaining to the green and digital transitions, there is an urgency to strengthen a secure, ethical, and sustainable supply for these elements.
The report presents a comprehensive set of sustainability guidelines. It identifies seven key policy domains for action, covering permitting and compliance, infrastructure and capacity building, strategic recognition, circular procurement, ESG integration, traceability and market stabilisation.
The guidelines provide tools for industry representatives and public authorities and thus seek to contribute to a European REE ecosystem that is not only economically and technologically advanced but socially responsible and environmentally sound. Further stakeholder discussions are planned based on the guidelines.
The guidelines were developed in the on-going MAGELLAN project. They support the project’s wider objective of establishing a circular European value chain, capable of producing high-performance permanent magnets with recycled material for electric vehicle traction motors.
More information
Harri Kaikkonen, Senior Specialist
Geological Survey of Finland
Tel. +358 29 503 0149
harri.kaikkonen@gtk.fi
