Elretur and the LIFE Foundation make students more knowledgeable about critical raw materials
Critical raw materials are essential for everything from mobile phones and computers to batteries, electric vehicles and wind turbines.
At the same time, many of these resources are limited, and supply is concentrated in relatively few countries.
As a result, questions about raw material supply, recycling and supply security are becoming increasingly prominent in both political debates and the green transition.
To strengthen young people’s understanding of these challenges, the LIFE Foundation has developed the educational programme Minefelt in collaboration with Topsoe and Elretur.
The programme combines chemistry, sustainability and social responsibility, giving students insight into how the recycling of electronics can contribute to future raw material supply.
The programme will be available to upper secondary schools from August 2026 and is aimed at Chemistry B and C level.
In the programme, students will identify critical elements in products from their everyday lives and investigate how raw materials are either extracted through mining or recovered from electronic waste.
Through experimental work with precipitation reactions and the separation of metal ions from a simulated battery mixture, students gain insight into some of the chemical processes behind the recycling of valuable materials.
The teaching concludes with a debate on responsibility and roles: Who should ensure future access to critical raw materials - producers, consumers or policymakers?
As a partner, Elretur contributes expert knowledge on resources, critical elements in everyday products and the technological processes behind modern electronic waste management.
Electronic waste contains a wide range of valuable materials that can be recycled and used in new products.
Therefore, efficient collection and recycling systems play an important role in ensuring future access to critical raw materials.
For Elretur, it is not only about technology and recycling, but also about supporting a system in which producers take responsibility, and where future generations understand the choices and distribution of responsibilities that underpin a more circular economy.