Environmental information in the Raw Materials Information System (RMIS): Background and thematic information on environmental considerations related to the production of non-food, non-energy raw materials

The 2008 Raw Materials Initiative (RMI) aimed to promote, among other aspects, the sustainable supply of raw materials from both EU sources and outside the EU. Moreover, the new Green Deal and the Circular Economy action plans put sustainability and circularity at the core of economic growth in the EU, and very much link to the future of the EU’s raw materials sector. For the implementation of the these policies, information and data are needed covering a variety of environmental aspects. Indeed, environmental considerations in relation to raw materials supply are manifold. Firstly, raw materials pose pressures on the environment through the use of natural resources (land, water, fuel, etc.) and through the emission of polluting substances over the whole life cycle, from extraction, to transport, processing, manufacturing of final products and until their end of life. At the same time, raw materials are essential for industrial processes that allow societyies to develop, as defined by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Certain raw materials are also essential for the deployment of green and low-carbon technologies. In addition, varied environmental conditions and heterogeneous environmental regulatory frameworks at different locations, can determine the suitability of raw materials production itself. The Raw Materials Information System (RMIS) is the EC’s reference web-based knowledge platform on non-energy, non-agriculture raw materials. It acts as the core access point to such knowledge and as interface for policy support. As it is stated in the RMIS roadmap, the RMIS aims to provide information on the emission of greenhouse gases and pollutants to the environment, the use of resources such as land or water, and the framework environmental conditions (e.g. water scarcity, nature protection areas) in which extractive and processing facilities operate. This should cover, whenever information and data availability allow for that, all relevant raw materials sectors, covering primary and secondary production and all relevant supply chain stages. The main environmental impacts of the sector, and best practices are to be also highlighted in the RMIS. This report describes the environmental information and data included to date in the RMIS. In particular, the report mirrors the full content of the dedicated section on the environmental dimension, and describes also the environmental content available in other related sections. The dedicated section on the environmental dimension first sets the framework of the environmental considerations to be taken into account, based on the mapping and analysis of relevant literature. Then, information related to specific aspects/impacts/media is presented. The latter covers so far industrial emissions, climate change and decarbonisation, water, air pollution and land use and soil. Other sections providing environmental information and data are the raw materials´ profiles, EU country profiles and the section on monitoring schemes.JRC.D.3-Land Resource

Soil quality, properties, and functions in life cycle assessment: an evaluation of models

Soils provide essential ecosystem services for supporting both human and ecosystem needs and has been under pressures resulting from the intensification and expansion of human activities. In the last 15 years, substantial efforts have been made to quantify the impacts on soils derived from production systems and their related supply chains. In this study, a systematic, qualitative evaluation of up-to-date models connecting land occupation and land transformation to soil impact indicators (e.g., soil properties, functions, and threats) is performed. The focus is on models that may be applied for assessing supply chains, namely in the context of life cycle assessment (LCA). A range of eleven soil-related models was selected and evaluated against different criteria, including scientific soundness, stakeholders' acceptance, reproducibility, and the applicability of models from the perspective of LCA practitioners. Additionally, this study proposes a new land use cause-effect chain to qualify the impacts of land use on soils. None of the models is fulfilling all the criteria and includes comprehensively the cause-effect impact pathways. Notably, trade-offs were most frequent between the relevance of the modeled impact processes and the models' applicability. On the one hand, models proposing multi-indicators cover several drivers of impacts and have a broader scope. On the other hand, several models just focus on one driver of impact, but may provide more relevant impact characterization. Our results provide common ground for the development and identification of models that provide a comprehensive and robust assessment of land use change and land use impacts on soils. Indeed, to ensure both a comprehensive and relevant characterization of impacts, the study identifies several research needs for further models' developments, namely: 1) adopting a common land use cause-effect chain and land use classification; 2) accounting for different land management and land use intensities; 3) expanding the inventory data beyond the accounting of the area related to a certain land use; 4) assessing the added value of multi-indicators compared to single indicators, including the reduction of possible redundancies in the impact evaluation; 5) improving consistency from midpoint to endpoint characterization, especially the link with biodiversity; 6) guiding the calculation of normalization factors; and 7) assessing systematically model's uncertaintyinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

EU methodology for critical raw materials assessment : policy needs and proposed solutions for incremental improvements

Raw materials form the basis of Europe's economy to ensure jobs and competitiveness, and they are essential for maintaining and improving quality of life. Although all raw materials are important, some of them are of more concern than others, thus the list of critical raw materials (CRMs) for the EU, and the underlying European Commission (EC) criticality assessment methodology, are key instruments in the context of the EU raw materials policy. For the next update of the CRMs list in 2017, the EC is considering to apply the overall methodology already used in 2011 and 2014, but with some modifications. Keeping the same methodological approach is a deliberate choice in order to prioritise the comparability with the previous two exercises, effectively monitor trends, and maintain the highest possible policy relevance. As the EC's in-house science service, the Directorate General Joint Research Centre (DG JRC) identified aspects of the EU criticality methodology that could be adapted to better address the needs and expectations of the resulting CRMs list to identify and monitor critical raw materials in the EU. The goal of this paper is to discuss the specific elements of the EC criticality methodology that were adapted by DG JRC, highlight their novelty and/or potential outcomes, and discuss them in the context of criticality assessment methodologies available internationally

Non-energy, non-agriculture raw materials production: data to monitor the sector’s water use and emissions to water

Water is an essential resource in the operation and sustainability of facilities producing raw materials, which is used and impacted in multiple ways. Therefore, there is a need for sound data to monitor the EU sector water performance and its pressures on the environment from a quantitative and qualitative point of view. This study assesses available water data for a well-informed EU raw materials policy which covers the extraction of non-fuel, non-agricultural raw materials. In this study, EU available national level data on water use and water pollution were assessed. We found that official records are limited for a comprehensive assessment of the sector, and accessible water accounting by the industry is poor. Limited country and sector coverage and comparability of different datasets illustrate some of the challenges faced to provide sound data to some policy making areas. This highlights the need to combine data from official, scientific and industry data sources, yet this remains challenging. Therefore, the improvement in the systematic compilation of comprehensive, detailed and validated raw data related to water use, water pollution and industrial production remains the main priority.JRC.D.3-Land Resource

Mapping the role of Raw Materials in Sustainable Development Goals

The UN 2030 Agenda (UN General Assembly, 2015) established 17 Goals for implementing the three dimensions of sustainable development i.e. society, environment and economy, and strengthening peaceful societies. The EU, which has a well-established development policy in place, has aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework and has published a set of indicators to monitor them at EU level (Eurostat, 2017a). Ubiquitous in modern societies and essential to economic growth and well-being, raw materials (RM) can contribute to SDGs in different ways. The production of materials, indeed, can generate severe environmental and social impacts. However, their use in, e.g. high tech applications, transport and energy infrastructures, construction sector, medical devices etc. demonstrates their crucial role for economic development and human wellbeing. The EU strategy on non-energy, non-agricultural raw materials tackles the challenges related to these sectors, and aim at fostering a secure and sustainable supply from domestic sources and international markets, and increasing the contribution of secondary materials. To support this policy, an EU knowledge base has been developed by DG GROW and DG JRC, including the Raw Materials Information System and the Raw Materials Scoreboard. The latter is a collection of indicators on several aspects related to the RM sectors, encompassing economic, environmental, social considerations and aspects related to governance and security of supply. In this study, based on literature review and experts’ opinion, we analyse how raw materials affect or contribute to the SDGs, considering the whole value chain (extraction, manufacturing, use, end-of-life) of biotic and abiotic materials. We also provide examples of European policies and actions that are responding to the issues of concern highlighted in the analysis. In addition, we assess to what extent the SDGs are reflected into the RM Scoreboard, which monitors the main challenges of raw materials production in the EU. Circular economy is an area where the Scoreboard appears to be very advanced, including various indicators and aspects. Environmental aspects have a partial coverage as impacts on terrestrial and marine ecosystems are not fully addressed. Other areas for potential improvements relates to gender equality and inequalities within and among countries. The efforts of the RM industry in promoting sustainable development could also be monitored in the Scoreboard, acknowledging Goal 17 on the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.JRC.D.3-Land Resource

Suggestions for the update of the Environmental Footprint Life Cycle Impact Assessment

In 2011 the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (EC-JRC) published the International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) Handbook recommendations on the use of Impact Assessment models for use in LCA (EC-JRC 2011). This created the basis for the Product and Organisation Environmental Footprint (PEF/OEF) recommendations for impact categories and models as per Recommendation 2013/179/EU on the use of common models to measure and communicate the life cycle environmental performance of products and organisations (EC 2013b). This Commission Recommendation is expected to contribute to the Building the Single Market for Green Products (EC 2013a) by supporting a level playing field regarding the measurement of environmental performance of products and organizations. The selection of LCIA models for the ILCD Handbook recommendations in 2011 was based on an assessment framework and related requirements and was limited to models available up to the year 2008. Between 2008 and 2016 a number of LCIA models have been published in scientific journals for several impact categories, with increased level of complexity, resolution and geographic coverage in comparison to the models available in 2008. The present report illustrates the assessment of available models in order to update the recommendations for the impact categories covering impacts due to resource use, land use, water use and particulate matter.JRC.D.1-Bio-econom

Raw Materials Information System (RMIS): towards v2.0 - An Interim Progress Report & Roadmap

The European Commission's (EC) Raw Materials Initiative (RMI) emphasises that raw materials are essential for the sound and sustainable functioning of Europe’s industries and, in a broader context, of Europe’s economy and society. The EC is committed to promote the competitiveness of industries related to raw materials. These industries play an important role in many downstream sectors in the European Union (EU) such as construction, chemicals, automotive, aerospace, machinery, pharmacy, equipment, renewable energy devices, and defence. These sectors have a combined added value of around EUR 1,000 billion and provide employment for some 30 million people. Securing the undistorted supply of raw materials and, in particular, Critical Raw Materials (CRM) is thus crucial and requires a sound and continuously updated knowledge base, namely the European Raw Materials Knowledge Base (EURMKB), as highlighted in the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Raw Materials, in its Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) from 2013, particularly in the Action area no. II.8. In this context, and responding to a specific action of the 2015 Circular Economy Communication, the EC's Directorate General (DG) Joint Research Centre (JRC), in close collaboration with DG GROWTH, is advancing its Raw Materials Information System (RMIS). The first version (hereinafter referred to as RMIS 1.0) was launched in March 2015. The advanced RMIS (hereinafter referred to as RMIS 2.0) intends to become a one-stop information gateway and knowledge service centre for non-energy, non-food primary (e.g. extracted through mining) and secondary (e.g. recycled, recovered from mining waste) raw materials and materials/commodities. RMIS 2.0 will (a) support European Union (EU) policy with tailor-made products like the Raw Material Scoreboard and CRM assessments, and (b) to help coordinate other EU level data and information on raw materials. The EU policy support will rely on knowledge from the EUKBRM. This will be made available directly in the RMIS from different sources. The coordination role will be jointly developed with Member States, industry representatives, and other stakeholders, e.g. hosting an entry point to the EURMKB and by further coordination activities with focus on compilation, presentation and application of EU level data. Towards the launch of the RMIS 2.0 (foreseen in the 4th quarter of 2017), this “Interim Progress Report & Roadmap” presents the up-to-date development of the RMIS, including the key policy support knowledge needs that shall be fulfilled, and starts linking identified (EURMKB) knowledge needs with knowledge providers. It also presents foreseen key building blocks for the policy support and several development milestones of the RMIS 2.0 (as of February 2017). The key building blocks focus on a number of themes, including: Critical Raw Materials (CRM) and criticality analysis; Material Flow Analysis (MFA) including the EC Material System Analysis (MSA); the Raw Materials Scoreboard; trade policy aspects; material efficiency and secondary raw materials; sustainability aspects; business & industry; Research & Innovation (R&I); and the policy context. With a view to reinforce synergies and stregthen cooperation with raw materials knowledge providers, as well as with other relevant stakeholder groups (including RMIS users), the first RMIS international workshop will take place in March 2017. The aim of the workshop is to present progress and the foreseen development milestones, as well as to discuss the frame and concept of the cooperation with stakeholders.JRC.D.3-Land Resource

Raw materials scoreboard

The raw materials scoreboard is an initiative of the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Raw Materials. Its purpose is to provide quantitative data on the EIP's general objectives and on the raw materials policy context. It presents relevant and reliable information that can be used in policymaking in a variety of areas. The scoreboard will, for example, contribute to monitoring progress towards a circular economy, a crucial issue on which the European Commission recently adopted an ambitious action plan. The scoreboard will be published every two years

Assessment of the Methodology for Establishing the EU List of Critical Raw Materials - Annexes

This report presents the results of work carried out by the Directorate General (DG) Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission (EC), in close cooperation with Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (GROW), in the context of the revision of the EC methodology that was used to identify the list of critical raw materials (CRMs) for the EU in 2011 and 2014 (EC 2011, 2014). As a background report, it complements the corresponding Guidelines Document, which contains the “ready-to-apply” methodology for updating the list of CRMs in 2017. This background report highlights the needs for updating the EC criticality methodology, the analysis and the proposals for improvement with related examples, discussion and justifications. However, a few initial remarks are necessary to clarify the context, the objectives of the revision and the approach. As the in-house scientific service of the EC, DG JRC was asked to provide scientific advice to DG GROW in order to assess the current methodology, identify aspects that have to be adapted to better address the needs and expectations of the list of CRMs and ultimately propose an improved and integrated methodology. This work was conducted closely in consultation with the adhoc working group on CRMs, who participated in regular discussions and provided informed expert feedback. The analysis and subsequent revision started from the assumption that the methodology used for the 2011 and 2014 CRMs lists proved to be reliable and robust and, therefore, the JRC mandate was focused on fine-tuning and/or targeted incremental methodological improvements. An in depth re-discussion of fundamentals of criticality assessment and/or major changes to the EC methodology were not within the scope of this work. High priority was given to ensure good comparability with the criticality exercises of 2011 and 2014. The existing methodology was therefore retained, except for specific aspects for which there were policy and/or stakeholder needs on the one hand, or strong scientific reasons for refinement of the methodology on the other. This was partially facilitated through intensive dialogue with DG GROW, the CRM adhoc working group, other key EU and extra-EU stakeholders.JRC.D.3-Land Resource

Methodology for establishing the EU list of critical raw materials - Guidelines

This is a prescriptive document containing the guidelines and the ‘ready-to-apply’ methodology for the EU criticality assessment and the revision of the list of critical raw materials (CRM) for the EU. These synthesised guidelines build on the methodology used to establish the lists of CRM in 2011 and 2014 and integrate the methodological improvements identified by the European Commission in the project ‘Assessment of the methodology on the list of critical raw materials’, in close consultation with the ad hoc working group ‘Defining critical raw materials’. Additional information regarding the methodology, including justification and discussion, can be found in the background report developed by the Directorate General Joint Research Centre (JRC) and in related annexes. These guidelines also contain recommendations on how to reorganise and improve the single fact sheets of the assessed raw material