Stabilising the supply of critical minerals

In this episode we’re bringing together two top-of-mind topics: the scramble for critical minerals, and how circular economy strategies can help us secure and stabilise their supply.

Humans have been mining metals and minerals for thousands of years. Today, critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and rare earth elements are essential for not only renewable energy products like wind turbines and EV batteries but the infrastructure and systems needed to power them.

As part of our Circling Back series, over the next five weeks, we’re revisiting some key conversations from our archive that feel especially relevant right now. Join us in Episode 189 to hear:

From Ke Wang at the World Resources Institute about why the circular economy is central in the energy transition

How economics and competitiveness are driving that transition, and examples of where that is already happening in practice

As the rollout of renewable energy scales at pace, e-waste continues to increase, and the first generation of EV batteries and wind turbines start to reach the end of their lives, we have a window of opportunity to build a better system, based on the principles of a circular economy.

Find out more about the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's work on Critical Minerals

This conversation originally featured in episode 174: Material security in a circular economy, published in April 2025.

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