NEWMAT - New Value Creation based on Global Circular Material Streams

Lithium ion batteries (LIBs) and the recycling of these batteries is a new and significant value chain. This project will give Norwegian companies a strategic understanding of material recycling flows and the future secondary use, enabling them to take a leading position in the European market. Norway has a strong primary metal processing industry, which produces crucial battery raw materials such as Nickel (Ni), Cobalt (Co) and Aluminum (Al), as well as potential important elements such as Silicon (Si). Today, these raw materials are predominantly extracted from virgin material mined globally. Given the expected growth in used LIBs, it is pivotal that alternative strategies for handling batteries and locked-in materials/elements are evaluated in a timely fashion, and that new business models are considered to give Norwegian industry a competitive advantage. Importantly, Norway has a first mover advantage in the LIB market due to the early adoption of electric vehicles, and will be one of the first area to see large volumes used LIBs. The future secondary use market presents opportunities for new and existing companies to extract additional value from LIB, before end-of-life recycling. In this context, it is important to understand the impact on end-of-(primary)-life of new business models.

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The Norwegian process industry is a global leader in the production of primary non-ferrous metals and alloys. Due to a high emphasis on R&D, products based on these materials are specialized for high end applications and used in demanding and well-developed markets such as energy systems and the automotive, aviation and construction industries. After the oil and gas industry, the Norwegian process industry is the second largest exporter in terms of value but i) consumes between 35-40 % of the Norwegian renewable power production and ii) is responsible for approximately 20 % of Norwegian CO2 emissions. To maintain a leading global position, the Norwegian Process industry must adapt their strategy, productions systems and value chains to new dimensions of sustainability. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG) 12 focuses on responsible consumption and production and increasing global welfare from economic growth, while simultaneously reducing resource use, degradation and pollution along the lifecycle of products and services. On a global scale, the process industry represents an important part of upstream value chains for a wide variety of high-end applications. These suppliers can therefore play a significant role in contributing to reducing CO2 emissions and transitioning towards a circular economy. However, there is a need to develop and adapt necessary tools to enable companies to create new value and make more sustainable business decisions that support increased circularity and reuse of non-ferrous metals and alloys for the Norwegian process industry. The overall goal of the NEWMAT project is to create the basis for new value chain develop through a global analysis framework of material flows that focuses on important materials, and that is relevant for companies that are broadly representatives of the largest Norwegian process industry actors.