The conversation will be structured around the following guiding questions to ensure a focused and solution-oriented exchange: 

• What are critical factors preventing the scaling up of circular economy models at different stages of the life cycle of critical minerals?
• How can developing countries and resource-endowed countries leverage circular economy approaches in ways that support their sustainable development? 
• What trade-related cooperative mechanisms—bilateral, regional, or multilateral—can be envisaged to enhance the circularity of critical-mineral supply chains while supporting broader sustainable development objectives?

The goal will be to connect the dots between different initiatives and processes, identify opportunities for collaboration among diverse stakeholders, and explore avenues for enhanced international cooperation on trade in support of a circular economy transition.

The IEA’s Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2026 projects that demand for minerals essential to the renewable energy transition will rise sharply by 2040: threefold for lithium and by 50% to 90% for nickel, graphite, and rare earth elements. This increased demand continues to be driven by technologies such as EV batteries, energy storage systems, grid electrification, and wind power magnets. In the coming years, increasing the supply of these minerals quickly enough to meet rapidly growing demand will constitute a major challenge for the current linear model of extraction and processing, which is exposed to high geographic concentration, price volatility, supply chain disruptions, and significant environmental and social impacts.

The IEA estimates that scaling up the recycling of critical minerals could reduce the need for new mining activity by 25% to 40% by 2050 in a scenario where countries meet their national climate pledges, making circularity integral to the security and sustainability of critical mineral supply. Key strategies include scaling up battery recycling and secondary material recovery, extending product lifespans through second-life applications, repair and refurbishment, and redesigning manufacturing processes to reduce dependence on primary extraction. In today’s highly integrated global economy, trade and trade policy will play a critical role in accelerating the scale-up of circular solutions by leveraging international comparative advantages and economies of scale. Trade is already central to the functioning of key circular value chains, from trade in secondary raw materials, remanufactured goods, waste and scrap, to circular economy-related services.

In this context, and faced with the imperative to move away from a linear model of extraction, transformation, and disposal, a growing number of governments, stakeholders, and companies are exploring options to use trade and trade-related measures to integrate circularity into their critical minerals’ strategies. These include traceability requirements, standards and regulations, extended producer responsibility schemes, and incentives for secondary material markets. Yet differences across jurisdictions and industry initiatives in product classifications, standards, and regulations are slowing the scale-up of circular solutions and increasing transition costs, particularly for SMEs. There are also important questions about how developing and resource-endowed countries can leverage circular economy approaches in ways that support their sustainable development objectives. In this context, there is an urgent need for collective approaches that send the right signals to companies and international supply chains to shift investment, spur innovation, and generate new economic opportunities that support circular economy outcomes and sustainability objectives in critical minerals value chains.