Rare earth elements (REEs) such as neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium are key ingredients of permanent magnets, which are found in many devices and products from data centers and wind turbines to cell phones, electric vehicles (EVs), and power tools.

They are vital to developing the critical infrastructure that supports global industries, especially amid the urgent shift to clean energy technologies.

The challenge? China currently dominates the world’s supply of REEs and global demand is projected to increase almost sevenfold over the next decade[1], surpassing the anticipated supply. To meet this need responsibly, companies are turning to recycling as a resilient and sustainable local source that aligns with environmental and social values.

Increasingly, REE recycling is also important for economic security and compliance with global regulations, including Europe’s Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) and the End of Life Vehicle Regulation Proposal (VRP) which have stringent targets for sustainable material sourcing and circularity.

Read the full story on Waste 360 here