Euromines is a proud partner of the Raw Materials and Circular Societies Prize that was just launched by the EIT RawMaterials in collaboration with the WEEE Forum and EYDE Cluster. The aim is to discover ground-breaking solutions for an efficient and sustainable supply of critical and strategic raw materials from secondary sources. These solutions are urgently needed to meet Europe’s demand for a green and circular economy.

Last week, the Commission adopted the 2022 Strategic Foresight Report – “Twinning the green and digital transitions in the new geopolitical context”.

As highlighted in the press release: The current geopolitical instability confirms the need to not only accelerate the twin transitions but also reduce our strategic dependencies. In the short term, this will continue affecting energy and food prices, with a significant social fallout. In the medium- and long-term, for instance, sustainable access to raw materials critical for the twin transitions will remain of paramount importance, adding pressure to move to shorter and less vulnerable supply chains and to friend-shoring wherever possible.

The remnants of the Zechstein Sea lie beneath Veendam, 2000 meters below the ground. A primeval sea full of minerals and salts that dried up millions of years ago and lay untouched in the soil... until 1972. Researchers encounter a remnant of the primeval sea and find a rare, bischofite salt layer. The salt layer appears to contain unusually pure magnesium salt. Because of this high purity the applications of Nedmag's magnesium salt are endless.

The mining industry in Sweden is a driving force for sustainability. For this, the industry wants to go beyond becoming fossil-free and take even greater responsibility. This includes biodiversity. The Swedish mining industry's new concept, Mining with Nature, is a roadmap for mining companies to contribute to biodiversity net gain in all regions where mining and minerals operations and exploration take place. This means that the industry will be investing further in developing innovative solutions for achieving sustainable land use in harmony with nature.