For years, companies have viewed waste management as a cost factor. Collection targets, reporting requirements, recycling obligations. Under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), these were strictly viewed as compliance tasks rather than strategic opportunities. But something has changed. Quietly and steadily, a new paradigm is shifting governments’ view of waste and manufacturers can no longer afford to ignore it.
Welcome to the age of urban mining, where yesterday’s discarded products become tomorrow’s competitive advantage in the supply chain. This shift is fully in line with the European Green Deal, which places the circular economy, resource efficiency and reduced dependence on fragile raw material imports at the heart of European industrial strategy.
The hidden ‘Mines’ in our Cities
Every laptop, every battery, every vehicle and every device contains metal and material deposits that are becoming increasingly difficult – and politically risky – to extract from nature. Cobalt from conflict zones, rare earths from geopolitically tense regions and critical raw materials tied to volatile global markets.
But while the world worries about supply shortages, these very materials lie in our cities, waiting to be recycled. The richest mines are no longer underground, but in drawers, garages and recycling centres. This is the logic that shapes today’s waste regulations. The pressure to recycle is not only ecological, but also strategic. In other words, waste isn’t leaving your value chain. It’s coming back as a resource.
How Urban Mining is practically implemented
Three changes are already underway:
1. Eco-design: products designed for recycling
Manufacturers are redesigning products so that they can be easily dismantled, sorted and recycled. What used to be considered a cost factor at the end of a product’s life is now becoming an opportunity for material recovery.
2. Better collection and traceability
With the introduction of digital product passports, return systems and more transparent collection channels, it will be possible to better track where valuable materials end up after use. This will ultimately enable companies to recover these materials more reliably and reintegrate them into production.
3. New cooperation models
Producers, compliance systems and recycling companies are working more closely together than ever before. When they share data and plans, this leads to higher recovery rates, lower costs and more stable access to scarce materials.
Why this is important for Companies right now
Companies that still view waste solely as a compliance issue are missing the big picture. Urban mining is becoming an indispensable strategy for
- reducing dependence on unstable global supply chains,
- lowering material costs,
- achieving circular economy goals, and
- strengthening brand and ESG performance.
Working together to make Circularity happen
Together, both producers, PROs, and ourselves at PRONEXA can work more closely together to make the circular economy a reality and improve sustainability.
In case of any questions about Urban Mining, your contribution as a Producer and EPR in general contact us today!