Linkedin

Circular Innovation for Critical Raw Materials Recycling and Reuse for Printed Circuit Boards, Permanent Magnets and Electronic Components

Why CIRCUIT4EU?

Europe depends heavily on imported Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) and Strategic Raw Materials (SRMs), the building blocks of electronics, renewables, and digital technologies. To reduce that dependency, the EU Critical Raw Materials Act sets a clear target: 25% of annual CRM consumption needs to come from recycling by 2030. CIRCUIT4EU responds directly to this challenge, unlocking the CRMs and SRMs trapped in Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), starting with printed circuit boards, permanent magnets, and electronic components.

Why CIRCUIT4EU?

Europe depends heavily on imported Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) and Strategic Raw Materials (SRMs), the building blocks of electronics, renewables, and digital technologies. To reduce that dependency, the EU Critical Raw Materials Act sets a clear target: 25% of annual CRM consumption needs to come from recycling by 2030. CIRCUIT4EU responds directly to this challenge, unlocking the CRMs and SRMs trapped in Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), starting with printed circuit boards, permanent magnets, and electronic components.

CIRCUIT4EU ‘s goals

Recover 9 of the EU’s 34 Critical Raw Materials – including copper, cobalt, nickel, antimony, tantalum, and rare earth elements – from everyday electronics

Advance 10 new technologies (robotics, desoldering, hydrometallurgy, Digital Product Passports, and AI-driven quality inspection) up to TRL 7

Pilot solutions across 4 real WEEE product groups: laptops, Wi-Fi boxes, e-scooters, and dishwashers

Give recyclers and refurbishers real-time visibility of CRM/SRM flows across Europe

Shift the market from supply-driven to demand-driven, so refurbishers and recyclers can order high-value components on demand

Feed practical evidence into EU policy, standardisation, and future CRM regulation

How CIRCUIT4EU
gets there

  1. Map the opportunities: quantify how much CRM and SRM value is sitting untapped in Europe’s WEEE streams today.

  2. Build the technology: develop robotic disassembly, AI-driven component recognition, and advanced recycling processes for PCBs, magnets, and electronic components.

  3. Connect the value chain: use Digital Product Passports and a shared marketplace to give CRM data visibility to everyone who needs it, from collection point to recycler.

  4. Pilot at scale: test the CIRCUIT4EU solutions on real laptops, Wi-Fi boxes, e-scooters, and dishwashers, with pilots running through 2029.

  5. Support policy: turn results into standards proposals, business cases, and recommendations for the EU CRM Act.
0

Partners

0

Countries

0

Months

0

CRMs targeted

Get involved

CIRCUIT4EU is building a network of industry, researchers, policymakers, and recyclers who want to shape the future of circular electronics.

Join the CIRCUIT4EU stakeholder network