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U.S. DOE Seeks Information on Increasing the Recyclability of Materials to Decarbonize the U.S. Economy

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently issued a request for information (RFI) to better understand the key opportunities and challenges associated with increased material circularity. According to the DOE, this RFI will inform the departments efforts to advance circular economy technologies and systems in the U.S.

In its RFI, the DOE stated:

Developing pathways that keep materials in use beyond a single lifecycle is critical to decarbonizing the U.S. economy and setting the nation on the path to achieving the Biden Administration’s clean energy goals of a 100% clean electrical grid by 2035 and net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050.

The transition to a circular economy represents a strategic opportunity for the United States to pioneer new technologies with international demand and to strengthen domestic supply chains ranging from critical materials to commodities. With this transition, our nation will reduce material waste and minimize the associated environmental impacts, while also recovering critical materials that can then be reused in green energy technologies.

DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) will be facilitating this request for public input. In order to better understand the barriers of moving from a linear to a more circular flow of materials through the manufacturing sector and larger domestic economy, the AMMTO is specifically interested in information on:

  • Life Cycle Databases and tools used in generating Environmental Product Declarations
  • Approaches to incentivize innovation, increase demand for recycled materials, and reduce demand for virgin materials
  • Potential for electronic waste (e-waste) to be a viable source of critical materials
  • Technical, information, market, financing, and policy challenges and opportunities to transition from a linear to a circular economy

The AMMTO welcomes feedback from businesses across the value chain, as well as from academia, research laboratories, state and local policymakers, regulators, government agencies, community-based organizations, and more.

Read the RFI and learn how to submit feedback here. Responses must be submitted no later than 5:00 P.M. ET on Monday May 1, 2023.

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