Description

HORIZON-CL4-2026-01-MAT-PROD-14

Expected Outcomes

Projects funded under this topic are expected to deliver:

• Advanced recycling technologies: Development of cost-effective and efficient methods for disassembly, separation, shredding, and sorting of end-of-life products and urban mines, while ensuring energy, resource, and water efficiency.
• Biodiversity-conscious solutions: Analysis of biodiversity impacts of urban mines and end-of-life product recycling, with solutions proposed to renature and restore ecosystems.
• Responsible supply: Improved sustainable supply of raw materials to Europe, contributing to the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) objectives (Article 1).

Scope

Actions should focus on EU-based recycling systems for metals, with particular attention to critical raw materials, covering the full recycling chain:

• Processes: From collection, logistics, and characterization to disassembly, separation, shredding, sorting, cleaning, refining, and purification of secondary raw materials.
• Quality: Ensure high-quality recycled materials, avoiding downcycling (materials of lower functionality than the original).
• Renaturation: Restore urban mines and waste deposits to reduce ecological impacts and enhance biodiversity.
• Industrial engagement: EU-based recycling industry and users of recovered materials must play a central role, with adequate resource allocation.
• Clustering & collaboration: Include a dedicated work package for cross-project cooperation, joint consultations, sharing of results, and participation in common events with projects in bioremediation, second-life, reuse, repurposing, and remanufacturing.
• Business case & exploitation: Proposals must include a credible exploitation strategy. For TRL 6-7 projects, industrial partners must outline plans for future full-scale deployment in the EU.
• International cooperation: Strongly encouraged with countries holding Strategic Partnerships on raw materials, especially Ukraine.