Countries accounting for the largest share of EU sourcing of CRMs (2020)

Product design

You cannot simply leave this to the market. “So far, the market has failed. The business community does not realise the urgency of the situation”, he says. “You need politicians and policymakers to make important decisions.” Ultimately, the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering will also make a significant contribution. This is because product design will play a substantial role in resolving the problems concerning critical materials, as it did during the Second World War.

Peck also has high expectations of what are known as ‘material passports’, in which AI and, in the future, quantum computing, will also play a major role. They will be deployed to establish when, where and in what products critical materials are used, which will enable high-quality reuse. “At the moment, we often have absolutely no idea of the history of these materials.”

Elephant in the room

When will the Netherlands, and the EU, achieve this strategic and technological autonomy? This is out of reach of the Netherlands; the EU may eventually achieve it but only on the basis of mutual dependencies with multiple partners.

“I would like to ask another question”, says Peck. “How autonomous do we want to be and what effects will that have?” The most important consideration is what we need as opposed to how much we want. “That is the elephant in the room. Everyone is talking about the demand for materials with which to make products whereas we should really be talking about what is necessary.”

“Strategic autonomy is possible if we live in keeping with what we really need and within planetary boundaries. But it will lead to enormous social change.” Universities are playing an important part in answering these questions, according to Peck. “It is a ‘wicked challenge’. There are no easy answers.”

And yet, the British managed during the Second World War. “A period of two years was all they needed to work things out. We can do it if we have to.” ■