Conference on enhancing supply chain resilience for rare earths

Rare earths are among the most important raw materials for the key technologies of the 21st century. Deposits are found primarily in China, the USA, Myanmar and Australia. As a result, political tensions have a direct impact on procurement. Greater resilience in the supply chain is therefore the major challenge for Europe when it comes to these valuable raw materials.

This is to be achieved primarily through the recycling of existing permanent magnets, which are manufactured using rare earths. How this can be achieved was one of the central themes at the REEsilience Main Event on 24 March 2026 at the Hosokawa Alpine site in Augsburg. 

The REEsilience project is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and coordinated by the Institute for Precious and Technology Metals at Pforzheim University. The aim is to establish a more resilient supply chain for magnet materials containing rare earths in Europe and to create alternatives for these critical raw materials. “As an active part of the rare earths network, we make a decisive contribution to the processing and use of these valuable materials through our technological expertise. It was therefore only natural for us to host the event in Augsburg,” said Michael Kuhnen, CEO of Hosokawa Alpine.

Rare earths are used, for example, in the manufacture of magnets, which are employed in electric motors, amongst other applications. They thus play a vital role in electromobility, aviation, wind turbines and medical technology. “The performance of the magnets depends crucially on the quality of their components. Above all, the optimal processing of rare earths is important here, for which we have developed the ideal process,” emphasises Kuhnen. 

The event on this topical subject took place before a select audience from industry and politics. The programme featured two panel discussions on the topics “From Mine to Magnet – Strengthening the Permanent Magnet Supply Chain in Europe” and “Increasing Circularity for Permanent Magnets – Opportunities and Challenges”. This also includes solutions for the recycling and reprocessing of rare-earth-based permanent magnets, for which Hosokawa Alpine’s equipment is used, among other things. Yener Bicakci, Strategic Sales Manager and specialist in rare earth processing at Hosokawa Alpine, also contributed his expert knowledge here. Federica Miccoli, Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), European Commission, spoke in a keynote address on “Securing Europe’s critical raw materials for the green transition”. The presentation of solutions from the REEsilience project and complementary initiatives rounded off the event programme. Last but not least, there were also several slots for networking and a guided tour of the Hosokawa Alpine factory. In the end, the participants agreed: Europe is on the right track, but the path to independence from China or the US is still a long one.