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November 24, 2025

‘A trillion-dollar industry’: Startups are tackling Europe’s critical materials problem

From mining reserves at home to using AI to create substitute materials, European startups are trying to reduce Europe’s dependence on imported critical materials


Critical materials, of which the EU lists 34 in total, are key components of many everyday devices. Photo by MiningWatch Portugal on Unsplash

A growing number of European startups are tackling the continent’s over-reliance on foreign players for some critical materials, as global supply chains continue to be rocked by geopolitical tensions.

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Daphné Leprince-Ringuet

Daphné Leprince-Ringuet is a senior reporter for Sifted, based in Paris. She covers French tech and writes Sifted's AI and Deeptech newsletter . You can find her on X and LinkedIn

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