Rare Earth Circular Economy: Innovation landscape report
This report explores opportunities to build a resilient UK circular economy for rare earth elements and permanent magnets.
Produced by: Innovate UK
Overview
The Circular Critical Materials Supply Chain (CLIMATES) programme worked on a series of groundbreaking innovation landscape reports, aimed at securing and innovating across the rare earth elements (REEs) value chain.
This report examines the potential to develop a circular economy for REEs, contained in Rare Earth Permanent Magnets (REPMs). It highlights the strategic importance of reducing reliance on overseas suppliers, identifies innovation gaps, and outlines circular economy strategies across the REE value chain.
Key findings
This report explores the following key innovation needs and opportunities to build a resilient UK circular economy for rare earth elements:
- Commercial viability
- Competing with primary extraction
- Limited technologies for direct recycling in the UK
- Lack of UK activity in materials tracking
- Design products for disassembly
- Raise awareness around the safe handling and storage of magnets
- Collaboration across the supply chain
More details about this publication
Context
This Innovation Landscape Report on Rare Earth Circular Economy forms part of a series of reports into the UK Rare Earth Elements (REEs) Value Chain, commissioned by Innovate UK as part of the Circular Critical Materials Supply Chains (CLIMATES) Programme which was established to develop and support critical materials supply chains within the UK, beginning with REEs.
There are six publications in this series – an executive summary and five innovation landscape reports. Each report identifies UK capabilities, global comparisons, and innovation opportunities.
Purpose
The reports highlight the strategic importance of REEs to the UK economy, emphasising their role in clean energy and digital technologies. Innovation is seen as key factor in the UK to building resilience and reducing dependency on monopolised global sources.
This report aims to summarise the UK opportunity and the current state of the innovations being developed for the circular economy of REEs, including the recycling of Rare Earth Permanent Magnets (REPMs).
What’s included
- Executive summary
- Background context
- Technology overview: Introduction to the circular supply chain
- Current state of the innovations being developed
Related reports in this series
- Rare Earth Value Chain: Executive summary
- Rare Earth Permanent Magnet Manufacturing: Innovation landscape report
- Rare Earth Processing: Innovation landscape report
- Rare Earth Permanent Magnet Alternatives: Innovation landscape report
- Rare Earth Exploration, Extraction, Beneficiation and Concentration: Innovation landscape report
Related programmes
Critical Materials Supply Chain Innovation Network
Connect with partners and access funding, collaboration and commercial opportunities that strengthen the UK’s critical materials supply chains.
Circular Critical Materials Supply Chains
The CLIMATES programme supports the development of resilient, UK-based supply chains for rare earth elements. It aims to strengthen collaboration across sectors and build robust, circular supply chains ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical materials.