(Critical) raw materials are a fundamental need of the manufacturing industry in Hessen and crucial for independence in the manufacturing of products. Recently, increasing price volatility, supply chain disruptions and geopolitical dependencies have been creating significant challenges for manufacturing companies. This talk presents our findings from a recent survey among Hessian manufacturing companies on raw material demand, supply risks and corporate strategies for securing raw material availability.

The results show that raw material price fluctuations and shortages represent a major business risk for a large share of companies, probably directly affecting product pricing, competitiveness and innovation capacity. In addition to widely used raw materials such as iron, aluminum and copper, a substantial number of companies reported dependencies on critical raw materials as defined by European and national raw material strategies.

The second part of our presentation will showcase a possible European circular economy for batteries since there will be a flood of EoL batteries that we will need to manage, recycle and keep the materials in the loop by 2030. Battery recycling is a very complex process or consists of many processes. We will present a hydro-mechanical process that provides the safety advantages of the pyrometallurgical treatment and combines it with the high purity fractions of a mechanical separation at the same time. The process has broad application potential for various battery types due to its adaptability for different shapes and construction designs, especially for large battery systems coming from automotive sector.

With this example we aim to provide grounds for further discussions on how innovation in material technologies, circular economy and resource efficiency can contribute to a more resilient and competitive industry. Furthermore, expectations towards political support are analyzed, highlighting the need for targeted funding, information and networking initiatives.