Supporting the EU-28 Raw Materials and Circular Economy policies through RMIS
Recycling as a source of secondary raw materials contributes to the security of supply and helps advance materials circularity in the EU economy. Relevant and reliable recycling data and indicators are therefore vital to a number of EU policies related to raw materials, waste management, and circular economy, in order to better understand the present and monitor the progresses towards the future.
In the 2016 Raw Materials Scoreboard and in the context of the 2017 list of critical raw materials (CRM) for the EU, the principal recycling indicator is the end-of-life recycling input rate (EOL-RIR). The EOL-RIR equals the ‘input of secondary material to the EU from old scrap to the total input of materials (primary and secondary) and is regarded as a robust measure of recycling’s contribution to meeting materials demand. EOL-RIR meets in fact the so-called "RACER criteria", i.e. is considered to be Relevant, Accepted, Credible, Easy and Robust. The same indicator (EOL-RIR) is also adopted in the Circular Economy monitoring framework.
The objective of this report is threefold: (1) consolidate the methodology to calculate EOL-RIR, update relevant data, and fill data gaps, (2) identify a meaningful complementary recycling indicator, namely the end-of-life recycling rate (EOL-RR), focused on how efficient recycling industries and recycling routes in the EU are, and (3) explore a methodology for estimating recycling potentials.
Building on a previous JRC report , the key methodological issues related to the principal indicator EOL-RIR are described. Further guidance is provided, in particular, on how to handle multiple data sources in order to: (a) progressively switch from global to regional (EU-28) flows, (b) optimise the use of EU Material System Analysis (MSA) data, (c) handle comparability while mixing EU MSA, Global UNEP/IRP , and industry data. The most updated EOL-RIR figures for 78 raw materials are shown.
Methodological details are provided for EOL-RR and results are shown for selected raw materials. The EOL-RR captures the amount of (secondary) materials recovered and functionally recycled at end-of-life compared to the overall waste quantities generated, (i.e., it is an output-related indicator). It therefore provides complementary information specifically about the performance of the collection and recycling sector and is thus useful from a recyclers’ perspective.
The estimate of recycling potentials has shown to be an interesting exercise, with promising perspectives as a field of future investigation. The EOL-RIR (potential) can be estimated using the same system boundaries as the EOL-RIR, by considering the amount of material recoverable from non-dissipative end-use applications, under the assumption that the current demand, quantity of products collected for treatment, and import and export flows remain unchanged (‘snapshot in time’). The methodology proposed is illustrated with few examples: Indium, Tungsten, Copper and Aluminium.
A general conclusion is that recycling indicators need to be assessed by taking into account materials individually and using material system analyses (MSA)-derived data. Further expansion of raw materials coverage in MSA studies is needed and an update of the 2015 MSA study is advisable, as it used 2012 data which is partly outdated by now. The EU Raw Materials Information System (RMIS) can play a key role in further collecting, storing, and harmonizing material flow related data in the EU.
TALENS PEIRO Laura;
NUSS Philip;
MATHIEUX Fabrice;
BLENGINI Giovanni;
2018-11-20
Publications Office of the European Union
JRC112720
978-92-79-97247-8 (online),
1831-9424 (online),
EUR 29435 EN,
OP KJ-NA-29435-EN-N (online),
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC112720,
10.2760/092885 (online),
