The European Green Deal targets for climate neutrality by 2050. Raw materials are identified as key enablers for a globally competitive, green and digital Europe. To fulfil the ambition, the access to resources is seen as a strategic security question, as there is expected to be a significant increase in demand for critical raw materials to reach the target.
In recognition of the critical importance of raw materials to the EU’s security, sustainability and industrial leadership, a new alliance – ERMA, European Raw Materials Alliance, has been recently established. ERMA will serve as a platform for European level cooperation to ensure the access to strategic metals and minerals, advanced materials and industrial processing know-how - with sustainability at its centre. Fortum joins ERMA as one of the founding members along with other companies from different parts of the value chain.
ERMA will have an important role in the implementation of Europe’s capacity to establish a circular economy of complex products, such as electronics, electric vehicles, clean tech, industrial machinery and hydrogen equipment.
Fortum provides circular economy solutions and recycles several materials such as lithium-ion batteries. Batteries are seen as a utility of the future and are likely to be a key to sustainable mobility and to the integration of renewable electricity generation in the grids. Fortum is active in several parts of the value chain: using batteries for energy storage, providing charging stations for Electric Vehicles (EV), and developing a larger scale recycling solution for lithium-ion batteries. The aim is to be an important supplier of secondary raw materials in batteries manufacturing.
“Having a strong battery value chain is of strategic value and importance for Europe as well as for our industry,” says Tero Holländer, Head of Business Line, Batteries at Fortum. “We see that joining ERMA will help our organization in facilitating key partnerships and relationships throughout the European continent, which will enable Fortum to become a reputable leader in the sustainable production of raw materials for batteries through recycling.