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When we talk about sustainability, it’s very important to think about supply chains, and access to raw materials.
Right now, as you know, the EU is highly reliant on photovoltaic imports from China, often produced with little respect for human rights.
If we take one example, silicon, we see it predominantly sourced from a very small number of countries, with China being a major producer.
That’s also true for other key components like gallium and germanium.
Right now, there are export restrictions for these materials from China, and it’s clear that we need to source these elements differently. We need supply chains that are more resilient, sustainable, and geographically diverse.
So this is another area of EU action. Together with the Net Zero Industry Act, I would single out the Critical Raw Materials Act.
The idea is built on the strengths of the European market, and on external partnerships to build up our strategic autonomy. We can do that by encouraging the development of European value chains, and ensuring access to sustainable supplies, delivering a more stable supply.
Under the Critical Raw Materials act, the EU should have the capacity to extract 10%, process 40%, and recycle 25% of its annual consumption of strategic raw materials by 2030.
Going circular is essential, if we want a sustainable supply of raw materials. It cuts our dependence on virgin materials, it reduces emissions related to production, and it cuts the harmful impacts that you always get with mining, here in Europe or elsewhere.
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Source: European Commission
Speaker: Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries
Format: Speech
China Policy Research 