Why resilient raw material supply starts with better resource utilization
Raw material resilience is often discussed in terms of new mines, diversified sourcing and strategic inventories.
Part of the solution is already within reach: recovering more value from the ores, by-products, residues and metals already in the system.
Better resource utilization can complement new production, reduce material losses and strengthen long-term supply resilience. The question is not simply how to produce more raw materials, but how to make better use of the resources we already have.
Supply resilience needs more than new production
Demand for minerals and metals needed for electrification, energy infrastructure and advanced manufacturing is increasing, while many supply chains remain geographically concentrated.
New mines and processing facilities will be essential to meeting future demand. But bringing new capacity online requires time, investment, permitting and social acceptance. Supply resilience therefore cannot depend solely on increasing primary extraction.
At the same time, significant opportunities exist within current operations and material flows. For mining and metals companies, this means looking more closely at where valuable material is being lost – from the orebody through processing and beyond.
Without concerted action, global resource extraction could increase by 60% between 2020 and 2060, according to the UN Environment Programme1. In Europe, the Critical Raw Materials Act sets a benchmark for recycling capacity to cover at least 25% of the EU's annual consumption of strategic raw materials by 20302.
Can recycling alone secure future supply? No. Rapid demand growth means responsible primary production remains essential. But inefficient recovery and underused secondary materials can increase exposure to supply disruption, environmental pressure and material-price volatility.
Start with the resources already available
One of the first questions operators can ask is simple: where are valuable materials currently being lost?
At site level, material-flow analysis can help identify opportunities across mining selectivity, ore sorting, concentration, metallurgical recovery, by-product extraction and residue management.
Improving recovery from an existing orebody, for example, can increase the amount of saleable material recovered from the same extracted material. Co-products and by-products may provide additional sources of value, while tailings, waste rock, slags and wastewater can contain minerals that were previously uneconomic or technically difficult to recover.
For operators, this is not only a resource-efficiency question. Higher recovery, additional saleable products and alternative feedstocks can strengthen asset economics while reducing exposure to future supply constraints.
Not every secondary resource makes business sense
Finding valuable material is only the beginning. Tailings, waste deposits and other residues may contain potentially recoverable minerals, but technical potential does not automatically make them commercially viable resources.
The business case needs to be established through representative sampling, mineralogical characterization and metallurgical testing. Technology requirements, environmental impacts, permitting conditions and product-quality specifications also need to be understood – along with whether there is a credible market for the recovered product.
This makes the assessment of secondary resources a multidisciplinary question. What materials are present? Can they be technically and economically recovered? At what cost? And is there sufficient value to justify further development?
Answering these questions early can help companies focus investment on opportunities with realistic technical and commercial potential.
Look beyond the mine site
Better resource utilization does not stop at the boundary of the mine or processing plant. Manufacturing scrap and end-of-life products can provide additional feedstocks and diversify material supply. Their contribution, however, depends on functioning collection systems, traceability, sorting, pre-processing and refining capacity.
The International Energy Agency identifies recycling as an indispensable part of future mineral security while also emphasizing that it cannot eliminate the need for investment in new mines and refining capacity3.
This distinction matters. Recycling should not be viewed simply as a way to manage waste. As demand grows, materials already circulating in society – as well as those stored in tailings facilities, waste deposits and industrial sites – can become increasingly relevant sources of future supply.
Primary and secondary resources need to work together
There is no single solution to raw material security. New mines will be needed. Existing operations will need to become more efficient. Recovery rates will need to improve. By-products and residues should be evaluated more systematically, and recycling systems will need to expand.
A resilient supply strategy therefore treats primary production, operational efficiency and circular material flows as complementary rather than competing approaches.
For mining and metals companies, the opportunity is to take a broader view of the resources available to them – and identify where better utilization can create both technical and commercial value.
Turning resource potential into business value
AFRY brings together expertise across mining, mineral processing, metallurgy, environmental services and circular solutions. Together with AMC Consultants and Reta Engenharia, AFRY supports clients from resource evaluation and early-stage studies through process development, engineering, implementation and operational optimization.
This combination of capabilities helps companies assess the technical, environmental and commercial potential of better resource utilization – and turn viable opportunities into practical solutions.
