Security of supply and scarcity of raw materials : towards a methodological framework for sustainability assessment

The security of supply of raw materials has become a high-priority theme in the political agenda of the European Union (EU). The European Commission has started to take action in order to ensure access to resources and avoid supply shortages. Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) have been identified with the aim of helping to anticipate/prevent supply shortages. Supply chain analysis could be used to detect and signal the use of CRMs in order to enhance the efficiency in their use, facilitate their proper end of life management, speed up their substitution and provide policy makers with proper information. The scope of the JRC workshop "Security of supply and scarcity of raw materials - A methodological framework for sustainability assessment" was to review the methodologies of impact assessment for resources in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the ones for CRMs identification in order to shed light on the supply chain analysis potential in supporting resource policy. The inclusion of supply risk-related aspects in LCA deserves further investigation and development. It was concluded that LCA has a potential for managing risks related to resources in the context of sustainability assessment.