A most recent project report developed under the Horizon Europe funded FutuRam project (https://futuram.eu/) co-authored by
G. Iattoni, S. Bottausci, T. Yamamoto, M. Schubert, V. Forti, R. Kuehr, C.P. Baldé (from SCYCLE)
K. Kippert, R. Hu, V.S. Rotter (from TU Berlin)
M. Charytanowicz (WEEE FORUM)
A. Bizouard (Ecosystem)
A. Perello-Y-Bestard (Leiden University)
found the following:
Findings
Most recent data at a glance (EU27+4 in 2022)
● 10.7 million tonnes of WEEE generated — about 20 kg per person
● 29 critical raw materials are present in e-waste
● 1 million tonnes of critical raw materials embedded in that stream
● 54% (5.7 million tonnes) managed compliantly in line with EU rules; 46% (5.0 million tonnes) outside compliant channels
● From compliant treatment, approximately 400,000 tonnes of critical raw materials were recovered, including:
○ 162,000 tonnes copper
○ 207,000 tonnes aluminium
○ 12,000 tonnes silicon
○ 1,000 tonnes tungsten
○ 2 tonnes palladium
● Even within compliant systems, around 100,000 tonnes of critical raw materials were lost, largely rare earth elements in magnets and fluorescent powders
● Non-compliant routes led to major losses:
○ 3.3 million tonnes mixed with metal scrap (partial recovery at best)
○ 700,000 tonnes of e-waste landfilled or incinerated; 400,000 tonnes exported for reuse
○ The remainder undocumented
Outlook to 2050: More waste, more potential
● By 2050, the total volume of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in the EU27+4 is projected to rise from 10.7 million tonnes in 2022 to between 12.5 and 19 million tonnes annually. The exact trajectory depends on which of three scenarios Europe follows: business-as-usual, recovery, or circularity.
● The amount of critical raw materials (CRMs) embedded in this stream is expected to grow from about 1.0 million tonnes in 2022 to between 1.2 and 1.9 million tonnes per year by 2050. In other words, even if overall e-waste stabilises under a circular economy pathway, the concentration of valuable materials in products like photovoltaic panels, EV chargers, and servers will continue to increase.
● Depending on policy choices, collection rates, and recycling efficiency, Europe could recover between 0.9 and 1.5 million tonnes of CRMs annually by 2050. Under business-as-usual, recovery levels remain modest, leaving much of this resource untapped. In the recovery scenario, investment in infrastructure and processing technologies pushes yields higher, while the circularity scenario achieves similar recovery volumes despite generating less e-waste overall – proof that smarter design, repair, and reuse strategies can balance reduced waste with strong material returns.
● The circularity pathway offers a double dividend: it keeps annual WEEE volumes close to today’s 10.7 million tonnes while still enabling recovery of over 1 million tonnes of CRMs each year. That stability reduces environmental pressure, cuts the risk of hazardous leakage, and ensures Europe has a resilient source of metals like copper, aluminium, and palladium. It also highlights the importance of focusing not only on how much e-waste is generated, but on how effectively Europe designs products for disassembly, collects them at end-of-life, and processes them through advanced recycling.
Specific quotes from SCYCLE:
“Europe’s e-waste is not trash, it’s a multi-billion-euro resource waiting to be unlocked,” said Kees Baldé, Senior Scientific Specialist at UNITAR SCYCLE, scientific coordinator of the FutuRaM Project, and a lead researcher behind the Global e-Waste Monitor. “Every kilogram we recover and any device we repair strengthens our economy, reduces our dependency, and creates new jobs, and getting the facts right is crucial for decision making, policy development to improve resource management.”
“This report shows that urban mining is no longer a concept, it’s a business opportunity,” says Giulia Iattoni from UNITAR, the lead author of the report and member of FutuRaM consortium. “New recycling facilities are opening across Europe, and demand from manufacturers is guaranteed. The challenge now is to scale collection and processing systems to make this potential a reality.”
Policy relevance
The findings feed directly into Europe’s evolving policy framework:
● Critical Raw Materials Act (2024): sets benchmarks for extraction, processing, and recycling of strategic materials, aiming for 25% of annual demand to be met from recycling by 2030.
● Circular Economy Act (consultation launched Aug 2025): will address the lack of sufficient demand and supply of secondary raw materials and the fragmentation of the EU single market.
● WEEE Directive revision (expected 2026): likely to tighten collection and reporting rules, boosting demand of secondary raw materials and traceability.
● FutuRaM Urban Mine Platform: an open database on CRM availability, to be used by policymakers, recyclers, and industry (to be launched in November 2025)
Read the full report:
The report is also available on scycle.info
