Welcome to Money for Change, a brand-new podcast from Triodos Bank! In this weekly podcast, the Impact & Economics department will share insights and challenges related to our core question: how can we transition to a more balanced and just world?

Each episode, we’ll be joined by Hans Stegeman, Triodos Bank’s Chief Economist. Together, we’ll dive into various topics and current affairs related to this overarching question, exploring ways in which these necessary changes might be realized.
This week’s episode will cover the current race for critical raw materials. While this term might not immediately ring a bell, the products that rely on these materials certainly will. Critical raw materials are essential for technologies like smartphones, solar panels, and electric cars. These materials, including metals like cobalt, lithium, and neodymium, are called critical because we expect future demand to be much greater than the reserves we are currently mining. This scarcity creates a competitive environment which has some serious implications for the dynamics of the production process and leads to what we would call a ‘rat race’ for these critical resources. Furthermore, more mining would lead to further ecological damages and often poor labour conditions. To address these shortages, we’ll discuss the importance of more efficient usage of critical raw materials and the potential alternatives that could help reduce our reliance on them.
At the end of the podcast, Hans will give us an update on bond markets and French politics and analyzes what these developments could mean for the Eurozone.
Host: Ernst Hobma

Fixed guest: Hans Stegeman

Guest: Matija Kajić

If you have any comments or questions about this episode, feel free to contact us using the form on our webpage: https://www.triodos.com/en/podcasts/money-for-change

How can the EU adapt to scarce raw materials?

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