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Water & critical raw materials

Topic

Critical raw materials are essential for the energy transition, digitalisation and many strategic industries. Their extraction, processing and recovery can consume significant amounts of water and create complex water quality challenges. This makes water expertise an important part of the critical raw materials value chain. Dutch water knowledge and technologies can help make mining and processing cleaner, more water efficient, innovative and socially responsible, while also supporting companies and public authorities in addressing shared water challenges with local communities.

Where water and raw materials meet

The world’s demand for materials such as lithium, copper, cobalt, rare earths and other critical minerals is growing rapidly. As stated in the ‘EU Critical Raw Materials Act’, Europe is seeking to secure the supply while making raw material value chains more circular and sustainable. Water plays a role throughout these value chains. Mining and processing depend on reliable water supplies, while wastewater, tailings and process streams must be managed safely. These streams can also become a source of valuable materials. Opportunities for involvement can start at preliminary hydrological studies and extend into water-efficient mining and processing, wastewater treatment and reuse, resource recovery, brine management, monitoring, modelling, and the prevention of environmental impacts. Potential solutions can reduce freshwater demand and environmental impacts while supporting socially responsible decision-making from the early stages of mining projects.

Opportunities for the Dutch water sector

The Netherlands is strong in water technology, resource recovery, circular solutions, environmental monitoring and integrated water management. These can support mining companies and governments through water efficiency, circular wastewater treatment, hydrological analysis and safe drinking-water solutions, and include approaches that benefit surrounding communities. The potential goes beyond conventional treatment. Water technology can help recover valuable substances from industrial wastewater and other residual streams, thereby reducing freshwater usage and closing water and material cycles. These developments closely fit the Netherlands’ wider goals on circularity and supply security. In 2026, the Dutch Government identified 17 raw materials with a high supply risk for the Netherlands (in Dutch). It also highlighted the country’s strengths in circular solutions, refining and recycling as areas that can support greater European supply security.

At European level, the connection between water policy and critical raw materials is becoming increasingly explicit. In 2026, the European Commission launched a targeted review of the Water Framework Directive to explore how EU water legislation can better support circularity and access to critical raw materials, while maintaining high standards of environmental and human health protection.

Exploring the role of the Dutch water sector

For NWP, water & critical raw materials is an emerging field with potential for the Dutch water sector. NWP is exploring where Dutch water expertise can add value, which international developments and markets are most relevant, and where opportunities lie for cooperation between water organisations, technology providers, knowledge institutes, industry and public authorities. By connecting expertise, identifying opportunities and bringing different sectors together, NWP aims to help the Dutch water sector better understand this developing market and determine where it can make a meaningful contribution. The transition towards more secure and circular raw material value chains is not only a materials challenge. It is also a water challenge – and one in which Dutch water expertise could play an important role.