Critical raw materials in telecommunication products

Abstract

Most electronic devices depend on Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) to be produced or repaired.
As such, this increasing dependency represents an emerging threat to the resilience of modern technological systems; without these materials, essential devices such as servers and modems could become inaccessible. Most CRMs lack short-term substitutes and are often sourced from regions with low levels of governance or complex geopolitical relationships with the European Union (EU). In addition to supply risks, the primary production of CRMs is associated with environmental impacts such as resource depletion, acidification, biodiversity and greenhouse gas emissions. These dynamics emphasize the need for innovative solutions that reduce dependency on primary materials, for which a suggested approach is increased circularity.
Therefore, this study addresses the dependency on primary CRMs by exploring strategies to reduce or slow primary material inflow through circular practices, focusing on the end-of-life (EoL) stage of consumer telecommunication products. This is done through static (bookkeeping) and dynamic Material Flow Analysis (MFA), applied within the Dutch context and in collaboration with telecom provider KPN. KPN currently applies circular measures, such as product reuse and recycling, to some of its distributed devices. However, a comprehensive overview of CRM quantities within product flows, as well as a structured outlook for future CRM circularity, were not yet developed. Consequently, this study addresses this gap by providing insights in applied CRM circularity practices and future strategies, based on one of KPN’s most distributed products. The outcome offers pragmatic insights for KPN to slow primary CRM demand, aligning with the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and the company’s own sustainability objectives to achieve net-zero emissions in the value chain by 2040. Of the circular practices applied to an internet modem as use case, reuse shows the highest potential: compared to the total primary production and transport, the total emission reduction through reuse could amount to roughly 0.814% of emissions in the Dutch communications sector over the y to y+14 period. From a materials perspective, this research identified fifteen CRMs in the product under study. For these materials, reuse and recycling could prevent the need for 624 kg of CRMs on the printed circuit board. Including aluminium from the heatsink, material savings increase to a total of 241 tonnes, which equates to a Global Warming Potential (GWP) impact score prevention of up to 83.5% over the device’s total material production. Herein, mainly recycling has some limitations as KPN only applies open-loop recycling to a limited set of CRMs.
Furthermore, the study evaluates the potential of future circular strategies, such as improved waste management, product lifetime extension, and increased CRM recycling. These scenarios suggest that additional material savings could reach up to 10.7 tonnes, with an additional GWP
impact score prevention of around 3.89%. Increasing total GWP prevention from 83.5% to 87.4%. However, as this study uses a single product as use case, scaling this study’s approach across a broader range of telecommunication or other similar products is recommended to confirm whether substantial company- or sector-wide impact can be identified. In addition, this study recommends to also explore further possibilities to increase circularity; such as advancing on the R-ladder through refusing, rethinking and reducing the use of CRMs and critically assess how EU recycling targets could still be met within the limited remaining time.
Finally, this study contributes to the scientific debate by exploring the underexamined area of CRM flows in telecom equipment through circular strategies. By taking an industrial ecology (IE) perspective, it applies a systems approach to position KPN’s supply chain within its wider
environmental context, offering both practical implications and theoretical insights.