Redesigning Europe
I have lost count of how many times people have asked me: “Why are you not advising the European Commission on raw materials and circularity?”.
While that is not a question I am going to try to answer, I am willing to share a few of my thoughts around what I think the European Commission could put more emphasis on:
1️⃣ What comes in and goes out are both important. Stockpiling critical raw materials is unlikely to be an efficient measure to securing minerals and metals, if end-of-life products and waste are still being exported in large quantities.
2️⃣ Transparency is great, but publicly announcing that you are looking to buy large amounts of product often leads to the price going up. Rather than using taxpayers’ money to pay heightened prices, it might be worth considering when and where transparency is really needed.
3️⃣ If you are spending a large amount to tackle an issue, it might be worth taking an approach that is viable in the long run. Virgin mining is not the only way to reach resource sovereignty and secure supply chains. Europe's critical raw material future could also be powered by circularity, urban mining, and secondary minerals. What you pull out of the ground is finite. Setting up circular systems can create solutions with considerably more longevity.
4️⃣ If the goal is to strengthen our democracies, it might be worth considering if you have actually taken the time to explain to citizens what the issue is, why it matters, and what you are doing to fix it. Again, transparency is great and, in this context, it might be worth considering where it is currently missing.
5️⃣ Groupthink is risky business, so rather than investing increasingly more in training and backing the same people and entities, you might want to consider opening the door to someone else. There is a reason why interdisciplinarity and cross-pollination are considered key to innovation.
6️⃣ If you want to reduce risk and build resilience, you need to bring in more women and minorities. Not because it makes you look better, but because it is a good policy and business decision. That one woman on your otherwise fully male panel or management team is not enough. You need to give women and minorities an actual say and real power.
7️⃣ Setting up KPIs and programs to increase gender equity will have little to no effect, if you are operating in old systems that are not designed for women. Women do not need more mentorship and visibility. They need access and funding, along with an infrastructure that actively welcomes them rather than just creating little pockets in which their presence is tolerated.
Perhaps this is enough free policy advice for now? If you are looking for more solutions to manage raw materials and e-waste, I welcome you to explore our learning, innovation, and action hubs.
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