Recycling ofCritical Minerals Strategies to scale uprecycling and urban mining INTERNATIONAL ENERGYAGENCY The IEA examines thefull spectrumof energy issuesincluding oil, gas andcoal supply anddemand, renewableenergy technologies,electricity markets,energy efficiency,access to energy,demand sidemanagement andmuch more. Throughits work, the IEAadvocates policies thatwill enhance thereliability, affordabilityand sustainability ofenergy in its31member countries,13associationcountries and beyond. IEA membercountries: IEA associationcountries: AustraliaAustriaBelgiumCanadaCzech RepublicDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceGermanyGreeceHungaryIrelandItalyJapanKoreaLithuaniaLuxembourgMexicoNetherlandsNew ZealandNorwayPolandPortugalSlovak RepublicSpainSwedenSwitzerlandRepublic of TürkiyeUnited KingdomUnited States ArgentinaBrazilChinaEgyptIndiaIndonesiaKenyaMoroccoSenegalSingaporeSouth AfricaThailandUkraine This publication and anymap included herein arewithout prejudice to thestatus of or sovereignty overany territory, to thedelimitation of internationalfrontiers and boundaries andto the name of any territory,city or area. The EuropeanCommission alsoparticipates in thework of the IEA Source: IEA.International Energy AgencyWebsite: www.iea.org Abstract As the shift to a clean energy system accelerates, substantial investments in newmines and refining capacity, especially in geographically diverse regions, will berequired to produce essential minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt andrare earths. Recycling is indispensable to the security and sustainability of criticalminerals supply for clean energy transitions. While recycling does not eliminatethe need for mining investment, it creates a valuable secondary supply source thatreduces reliance on new mines and enhances supply security for countriesimporting minerals. Moreover, scaling up recycling mitigates the environmentaland social impacts related to mining and refining while preventing waste from end-use technologies ending up in landfills. The importance of unlocking the potential of recycling has long been a theme ofInternationalEnergy Agency(IEA)analysis,and this was one of the keytakeaways from thefirst-ever IEA Critical Minerals and Clean Energy Summit inSeptember 2023. This report, which responds to the request by Ministry of ForeignAffairs of Italy as part of its G7 agenda, aims to evaluate the current status ofrecycling of minerals critical to the energy transition, analyses the prospects forsecondarysupply under different scenarios,and outlines targeted policyrecommendations to accelerate the uptake of recycling that can pave the way formore sustainable and secure future mineral supply chains. Acknowledgements This report was prepared by the Office of the Chief Energy Economist of theDirectorate of Sustainability, Technology and Outlooks, in co-operation with otherdirectorates of the International Energy Agency (IEA).Tae-Yoon Kim, Head of theEnergy Minerals Analysis Unit, designed and directed the report together withTimGould, Chief Energy Economist.Amrita Dasguptaled the analysis for and theproduction of the report and was one of the principal authors. The principal authors from across the agency were:Eric Buisson(rare earthsand solar photovoltaic recycling),Shobhan Dhir(battery and copper recycling,economics),Alexandra Hegarty(state of play,mine waste,sustainability),Gyubin Hwang(economics, technology),Yun Young Kim(e-waste recycling,cross-borderwastetrade),K.C.Michaels(policiesandregulations,sustainability),Tomás de Oliveira Bredariol(environmental issues),RyszardPospiech(data), and Joyce Raboca(policies and regulations, cross-borderwaste trade, sustainability). Eleni Tsoukala provided essential support. Erin Crum edited the manuscript. The report also benefited from valuable contributions and inputs provided by IEAcolleagues, in particular, Laura Cozzi, Christophe McGlade, Oskaras Alsauskas,Simon Bennett, Jiayi Chen, Sadhika Gulati, Alexandre Gouy, Mathilde Huismans,Teo Lombardo, Kentaro Miwa,Tristyn Page, Apostolos Petropoulos, JemimaStorey and Biqing Yang. Thanks also to Jethro Mullen, Curtis Brainard, Astrid Dumond, Zachary Egan,Lucile Wall, Isabelle Nonain-Semelin, Merve Erdil, Liv Gaunt, Grace Gordon andRob Stone of the Communications and Digital Office. This analysis has been supported by the Clean Energy Transitions Programme,the IEA’s flagship initiative to transform the world’s energy system to achieve asecure and sustainable future for all, particularly through the financial assistanceof the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy. Thanks also go to the IEA Working Partyon Critical Minerals and the IEA Critical Minerals Expert Advisory Group whoprovided valuable input to the report. Many experts from outside the IEA provided essential input and/or reviewedpreliminary drafts of the report. Their comments and suggestions were of greatvalue.They include:Stéphane Bassene(TotalEnergies);Peter Borkey(Organisation for Economic Co