Critical raw materials from secondary sources: a multi-criteria assessment framework of EU waste streams

The recovery of Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) from secondary sources is a strategic EU priority, yet, from a firm’s perspective, prioritizing which waste streams to target remains largely unsystematic. This study proposes and applies a multi-criteria assessment framework to 33 CRM-containing waste streams across five categories of placed-on-market end-of-life products: batteries, vehicles and automotive components, wind energy equipment, permanent magnets, and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The framework combines eight analytical dimensions into four priority perspectives, from which an Integrated Priority Ranking is derived to guide new recovery initiatives. The four perspectives are not significantly correlated and capture distinct characteristics of each waste stream. Batteries and permanent magnets achieve the highest overall scores, whereas WEEE results are more nuanced, with printed circuit boards scoring high and printers and CRT monitors scoring low. Automotive catalysts emerge as the best-performing single waste stream.