Reflections from CLOSER Investor Day – EU CRM, Market & Industry, and Investors perspectives

EU CRM & Project Perspective

Speakers highlighted that Europe has established a strong policy and funding foundation for critical raw materials, with clear targets and instruments now in place. The agenda is shifting decisively from innovation to execution, moving beyond pilots toward scalable, interconnected value chains. Projects like CLOSER demonstrate that the capability exists, while also highlighting that regulatory complexity and fragmentation remain key barriers to rapid deployment.

Market & Industry Perspective

Market and Industry speakers pointed out that the business case for circular raw materials is clear, but scaling remains the primary challenge. Market adoption depends on consistent quality, industrial integration, and compliance with strict standards, while regulatory and operational barriers continue to slow progress. The critical priority is not technology alone, but embedding circularity into existing industrial systems at scale.

Investor Perspective

Speakers emphasized that investor appetite for circular CRM is growing, supported by strong structural drivers such as resource security and supply chain resilience. However, capital is not the constraint; bankable opportunities are. The key gap lies in developing mature, de-risked projects with clear feedstock, offtake, and scale-up pathways, enabling investors to move from interest to deployment at scale.

Takeaway

Europe has the ingredients: policy, technology, and capital, but success will depend on connecting them into investable, scalable ecosystems.

Thanks to all speakers and contributors for an insightful exchange, including: DGGrow Salvatore Amico Roxas European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) Valentina Pinna Francesca Nanni AFIL – Associazione Fabbrica Intelligente Lombardia Samuel Nazzareno Monaco University of Viterbo “La Tuscia”​ Alessio Maria Braccini Francesco Sgromo Clust-ER Meccatronica e Motoristica Umicore Jan Tytgat Philips Harald Tepper Fincalabra Giuseppina Bruno Chrysalix Venture Capital Fred van Beuningen ​Holland Circular Hotspot Freek van Eijk Vesna Lavtizar, PhD