Metals in the circular economy

• Main Author: Petrova Vessela
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: EDP Sciences 2021-01-01
• Series: SHS Web of Conferences
• Online Access: https://www.shs-conferences.org/articles/shsconf/pdf/2021/31/shsconf_brd2021_02014.pdf

Traditionally, green technologies are associated with renewable materials, such as wood, biomass, water and earth, instead of the metals that formed the backbone of the industrial revolution - steel, copper, iron, tin and aluminum. Although at first glance it does not seem that they will play a role in the sustainable transition, in fact many of the building blocks of the circular economy would not exist without them [1] A number of European organizations are adamant that non-ferrous metals are essential for Europe’s low-carbon transition because of their central use in breakthrough technologies including clean mobility, renewable energy and batteries. Moreover, they play a significant role in the circular economy strategy launched by the European Commission in 2015. Contrary to this assertion, another one claims that the circular economy should be linked to reduced material use and waste consumption.