If we were to collect all smartphones and recycle them, we could have enough cobalt to manufacture batteries for four million electric cars. (Photo: Phil Greaney)

Raw materials: 'holy grail' of 21st century industrial policy

EU & the World

Green Economy

Opinion

by Maros Sefcovic, Brussels,

Raw materials are indispensable for carbon-neutral solutions in all sectors of the economy.

This is among key messages presented in the European Commission's strategy towards a climate neutral Europe by 2050.

Even if they go unnoticed, practically everything we use contains raw materials like steel, aluminium or copper.

Less-known metals, rare earths are essential to green technologies such as wind turbines. Lithium, nickel, cobalt and graphite are necessary for electric c...

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EU & the World Green Economy Opinion

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s, not those of EUobserver

Author Bio

Lisbeth founded EUobserver in 2000 and is responsible to the Board for effective strategic leadership, planning and performance. After graduating from the Danish School of Media and Journalism, she worked as a journalist, analyst, and editor for Danish media.

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If we were to collect all smartphones and recycle them, we could have enough cobalt to manufacture batteries for four million electric cars. (Photo: Phil Greaney)