Mapping critical raw materials in green technologies

2025/08/14 by Francesco de Cunzo, Davide Consoli, François Perruchas +1 · 1 voice
Engineering · Environmental Science · #Extraction and Separation Processes #Sustainable Industrial Ecology #Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

paper · doi:10.1080/13662716.2025.2522451

openalex publication_date 2025/08/14 · openalex created_date 2026/02/08 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23

Abstract

This paper provides an exploratory analysis of the relationship between critical raw materials (CRMs) and environmental technologies. Using text mining techniques to parse and analyse patent data, we explore: (i) the dependence of green technologies on CRMs; (ii) the countries that are more reliant on CRMs in their green patent portfolios; and (iii) the connections between major users and suppliers of CRMs. Framed in the context of recent policy debates on the viability of the sustainable transition, our study points to the criticalities of both the evolution of green technology and of the spatial distribution of demand and supply of CRMs.

Citations

• The curse of natural resources
• How to Count Patents and Value Intellectual Property: The Uses of Patent Renewal and Application Data
• Specialization, Diversification, and Environmental Technology Life Cycle
• The decarbonisation divide: Contextualizing landscapes of low-carbon exploitation and toxicity in Africa

Discussions

• This is but an exploratory study of the complex relationship between green technology and critical raw materials. Our mapping in geographical and technological spaces suggests many interesting avenues [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]