European Commission | Towards more sustainable management of material resources in Europe

ABSTRACT - Raw materials are essential for modern economies and the transition to a climate-neutral and sustainable Europe as laid out in the European Green Deal (EGD). However, obtaining raw materials can also be associated with adverse environmental and social impacts along the supply chain. Europe is dependent on raw material imports, e.g., for metal and metalloids required for low-carbon technologies or modern information and communication systems. Achieving the ambitious goals of the EGD, therefore, requires robust knowledge and data on primary and secondary material flows and stocks to better manage these and strengthen the competitiveness of European industry.
Against this background, the European Commission’s (EC) Raw Materials Information System (RMIS) aims at providing a structured knowledge base related to non-fuel, non-agricultural raw materials from primary to secondary sources. Among the RMIS’ overarching goals are to facilitate: (1) the availability, coherence, and quality of knowledge required by EU raw materials policies and EC services, and (2) access to key raw materials information from knowledge bases within and beyond Europe.

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