Clean energy material recovery opportunities in the European Union 2030

As Europe's clean energy infrastructure ages there will be a need replace them with modern facilities and replace parts, leading to growth in the amount of waste arising within these sectors. This will present opportunities for the circular economy as many materials used in the production of these facilities can be recovered for recycling.

By 2030, the waste materials generated annually by the wind energy sector is projected to reach 4.75 million metric tons by 2030, of which 90 percent can be recycled. Meanwhile, some 240,000 metric tons of lithium-ion batteries could be generated annually by the energy storage and mobility sector, of which 100 percent can be recycled.