Sustainable critical materials

Critical materials are materials which we need for current and future product technologies, but which are now or soon difficult to acquire. BK Bouwkunde is part of the consortium SusCritMat, which aims to educate people from industry and academia about important aspects on critical materials. 

Critical materials have been defined as materials of high importance to an economy, but which are also highly insecure in supply. This can be due to economic, political, or technical challenges. The materials, which include the rare earth elements, are widely used in the built environment. Therefore, they are a core part of Europe’s plans for a transition towards a circular economy. This means the emerging academic field of critical materials is vitally important for creating a sustainable future. 

SusCritMat aims to educate people from industry and academia about important aspects on critical raw materials. Participants develop new skills which will help them to better understand the impact and role of critical raw materials in the whole value chain. Understanding the bigger picture and the interconnected nature of global business and society is increasingly necessary to and valued by industry. At BK Bouwkunde, researchers from the Circular Built Environment work with the SusCritMat consortium. The SusCritMat consortium consists of ESM (lead partner), TU Delft, University of Leiden, University of Bordeaux, The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, University of Augsburg, Granta Design, and The French Geological Survey (BGRM). 

Suscritmat will be organizing courses next year as well. There will be a short day course on 10 April at the University of Cambridge, which will be part of the Materials Education Symposia. On 10 – 12 July 2019, a three-day Summer School will be hosted in Cambridge, UK. If interested, please contact Tanya Tsui.