Building Europe’s Resilience in Permanent Magnet Recycling: Highlights from the RawMaterials Summit Side Session
On May 15, 2025, MAGELLAN joined forces with fellow EU-funded projects REEsilience, PERMANET, and HARMONY for a dedicated side session at the RawMaterials Summit 2025 in Brussels, under the leadership of EIT RawMaterials’ Rare Earths SIGN and the coordination of Orano. The session brought together key stakeholders from industry, academia, and EU institutions to discuss the regulatory and research challenges in creating a viable, circular, and resilient value chain for permanent magnets in Europe.
As demand for rare earth magnets continues to grow – particularly in strategic sectors like electric mobility and renewable energy – the session explored how Europe can reduce its dependence on imports by scaling up domestic recycling capabilities. The discussion focused on both the policy measures and technological advancements needed to unlock this potential.
Key Takeaways:
🔹 Permanent magnets are small but strategically critical. Their value isn’t reflected in volume or price, but in their irreplaceable role in clean energy technologies and the associated supply risks.
🔹 Resilience – Recycling – Performance must be balanced. Europe needs a coherent approach that integrates short- and long-loop recycling with emphasis on the high-performance applications that are the most critical (EVs and Wind Turbines).
🔹 Recycling is not a cost – but it’s an investment in autonomy. Robust recycling infrastructure should be seen as insurance against export restrictions, price volatility, and geopolitical pressures.
🔹 Policy must lead the way. Concrete steps like setting recycled content targets by 2030, establishing clear waste codes, and aligning with the Circular Economy Act were discussed as essential enablers.
🔹 Research and skills development are crucial. Advancing the technological maturity of recycling processes – and building the workforce to implement them – will determine Europe’s ability to stay competitive.
The session concluded with a lively panel discussion where project representatives and industry stakeholders shared perspectives on the strategic needs for permanent magnets, end-user expectations, and how collaboration can drive meaningful change across the value chain.
Speakers Included:
- Milan Grohol, DG GROW, European Commision
- Benoît Richebé, Project Director, Rare Earths and Magnet Recycling, Orano, MAGELLAN project
- Fernand Vial, Vial-Consulting
- Carlo Burkhardt, Professor, Pforzheim University, REEsilience project
- Lama Itani, Business Development Manager, Rare Earths, Solvey, PERMANET project
- Andrea Giacomelli, Strategic Developer, ERION, HARMONY project
- Simone Manfredi, Joint Research Centre, European Commission
Moderator & speaker: Nabeel Mancheri, Senior Advisor, EIT RawMaterials
The road to a resilient, circular magnet value chain begins now – and collaboration between research, industry, and policy will be the key driver.
