the hidden treasures of French waste

On November 20, 2024, a report from the firm Oliver Wyman revealed that France is not efficiently exploiting its recyclable metal resources, called “urban mines”. This delay is particularly worrying at a time when the energy transition requires strategic materials such as copper, cobalt or lithium. This situation highlights industrial shortcomings and questionable economic choices.

An unexplored deposit in metal waste

Urban mines, rich in precious metals from electronic waste, end-of-life vehicles or demolished buildings, represent a unique opportunity to reduce our dependence on imports. Every year, 218,000 tonnes of copper scrap are collected in France, but only 66,000 tonnes are recycled locally. The rest, either 206,000 tonnesis exported, notably to Belgium, Germany and Italy.

These massive exports deprive French industry of a strategic resource. According to the report, doubling recycling in the territory could help reduce the trade deficit by 3 %while strengthening the economic independence of the country.

Structural obstacles to recycling in France

The low recycling of metals can be explained by several factors:

1. Insufficient infrastructure
   Currently, France has only one copper recycling site, located in Lens (Pas-de-Calais), operated by the Nexans group. Although work is planned to increase its capacity to 80,000 tonnes per year by 2026, this initiative remains insufficient given the scale of needs.
2. Absence of incentive regulation
   Unlike other materials such as plastic, metal-consuming industries are not required to incorporate a minimum percentage of recycled materials. This slows down the development of local collection and sorting sectors.
3. Dependence on external markets
   China controls 70 % global capacities for pre-treatment of critical metals, while countries like Chile or Peru provide 40 % of world copper. This dependence puts Europe's economic sovereignty at risk.

Why should France review its strategy?

he lack of development of urban mines is hampering not only French industry but also the ecological transition. Ademe estimates that demand for copper and aluminum in Europe could increase by 1 to 1.4% per year by 2030making recycling even more vital. Doubling national recycling capacity would also limit tensions on supplies of natural resources, already under pressure on a global scale. The International Energy Agency (IEA) says recycling could reduce demand for virgin metals by 40 % for copper and 25 % for lithium by 2050.

Despite some projects, such as the investment of 90 million euros by Nexans to expand its recycling plant in Lens, development remains too limited. Eramet's project to recycle electric batteries was recently suspended for lack of commercial outlets, illustrating the lack of coordination between technological innovation and economic strategy. However, waste recovery could respond to 50% of global needs for critical metalsaccording to the former president of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi. By fully exploiting this potential, France could establish itself as a major player in the circular economy.

Avenues to explore for optimal exploitation

To improve the management of urban mines, several areas must be prioritized:

• Strengthen industrial capacities : invest heavily in technologies like hydrometallurgy to process complex alloys.
• Introduce regulatory obligations : impose a minimum percentage of recycled materials in industrial production.
• Develop a European recycling market : create synergies between Member States to pool resources and guarantee stable outlets.

Table: Benefits of urban mining