As we all know, our world is facing a multitude of economic, social and environmental challenges. How, for example, do we put the economy on the road to recovery while minimizing the depletion of natural resources and protecting our environment?

The EU has already positioned itself as a pioneer in the drive towards a more sustainable future. It has fixed, ambitious targets to increase the share of renewables in its energy supply mix and to cut CO2 emissions. Moreover, it is tackling its dependency on the import of strategically crucial raw materials, in particular technology metals required in hi-tech products. Via the Raw Materials Initiative, it aims to enhance resource and energy efficiency, recycling and increasing the share of reusable materials.

Umicore is the world’s leading recycler of precious metals. While recycling has obvious benefits, it can only be truly effective when placed within a sound legislative framework. The European Union’s WEEE (“waste electrical and electronic equipment”) Directive on the collection and proper recycling of electric and electronic waste, for example, should serve as an example for other types of waste materials. More needs to be done, for example, to further embed societal acceptance of recycling, to extend the range of legislation to a wider range of materials and to boost collection rates.

The fact that millions of tonnes of spent electronic and other waste continue to be shipped out of the EU to other countries is unacceptable, as it is often processed in extremely unsafe, unhealthy and environmentally unsound ways. Whereas the plants based in the EU meet the highest environmental, social and resource efficiency standards, this is not necessarily the case for foreign competitors, distorting the level playing field and resulting in valuable and strategically important secondary materials (in the form of scrap and waste) bleeding from Europe.

The existing Waste Shipment Regulations need therefore to be reviewed, tightened and more vigorously enforced. Materials should only be shipped to duly certified and registered plants meeting certain environmental, social, ethical and business standards. Also, a clearer definition of what constitutes “waste” needs to be found and a more vigilant approach applied to illegitimate exports of materials that are currently masquerading as products for re-use.

I am convinced that our energy and materials future must also encompass the application of “life-cycle analysis” to every material we produce. Preference should be given to designs based on those materials which can be effectively recycled once they have reached the end of their lives. We can make considerably more of the huge potential that the “urban mine” of the EU has to offer. More than ever, we require legislation which is practical and enforceable, enough to tackle the problems of today and visionary enough to meet the needs of tomorrow.