WEEE is a rich source of critical raw materials, and the availability for recycling and recovery differs from element to element. The FutuRaM project, funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe research programme and run by an international consortium of 29 partners, developed comprehensive insights on the amount of WEEE that arises in the market every year, the so-called ‘WEEE generation’) and recovery to secondary resources, and recommendations how to recover them. In 2022, households and businesses across the EU27+4, generated 10.7 Mt of WEEE, an average of 20 kg per person. Embedded within this waste was an estimated amount of 1 Mt of 29 distinct critical raw materials, as identified in Annex I of the Critical Raw Materials Act. These include copper in cables, aluminium in casings, rare earth elements in magnets and fluorescent powders, and platinum group metals found in circuit boards and displays. Of the 10.7 Mt of WEEE generated in 2022, 5.7 Mt (54%) were collected and appropriately treated in a compliant manner, i.e. in accordance with EU regulations, such as the WEEE Directive. These volumes were collected through retailers, municipal collection points, and commercial collection companies. Following treatment, approximately 0.4 Mt of critical raw materials were successfully recovered.

To foster the recovery of Critical Raw Materials from WEEE, the consortium makes a number of recommendations: (i) Create a harmonised EU framework for secondary raw materials reporting and classification, (ii) Institutionalise the Urban Mine Platform as a core EU digital infrastructure, (iii) Require all actors to contribute to the development and operation of EU Raw Materials Monitoring systems, and (iv) Strengthen enforcement, market surveillance and control of illegal flows.

Please read here for additional findings https://www.scycle.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/FutuRaM_CRM-FINAL.pdf , and stay tuned in the presentation how this could help assist in recycling more CRMs in WEEE.