3FOOD

Third Industrial Revolution Consulting Group
3.2.2 Blockchain also is currently being explored for measuring and verifying resource,
pollution and waste flows, providing key metrics for advancing the circular economy.
4 Public Policy
4.1 Develop and promote the industrial scale recovery of critical raw materials from
electronic scrap or production residues collected around the world. Terrestrial resources
of critical materials and rare earth metals are limited and will be depleted or increase
steeply in cost over the next few decades at current world economy growth rate. The EU
CRM list includes 20 critical materials (antimony, beryllium, borates, chromium, cobalt,
coking coal, fluorspar, gallium, germanium, indium, magnesite, magnesium, natural
graphite, niobium, PGMs, phosphate rock, heavy REEs, light REEs, silicon metal and
tungsten). Recovery from scrap and residues is also an integral component of the circular
economy idea pursued by the TIR initiative, as well as integrating into the activities of the
transportation and logistics hub. This expands competitive technology edge opportunities
for Luxembourg’s industry, university, and public and private research opportunities, as well
as attracting new business in thishighly technologized field, including first mover
opportunities for some rare metals processes that are not yet developed or at pilot level. It
will also create a large number of lower qualification profile jobs involved in transportation
logistics and disassembling/segregation of electronic scrap.
4.2 Set-up smart spatial planning and management of business sites (industrial and
commercial zones). Digital GIS visualization tools are essential for making the best use of
energy and materials and achieving zero waste and pollution targets through industrial
symbiosis and enhanced logistics. Examples are legion, highlighted by the following
opportunities:avoiding unnecessary transportation of people and goods; closing material
loops by being energy efficient at every level (individual businesses, business site level, and
at a national level); promotion of smart regional planning of business sites and integrated
designs of business parks with long-term added value for the economy, the environment
and society; mapping existing heat sources (‘waste heat’), quantifying untapped material
flows (waste, off-gas and wastewater) and optimally matching these potential opportunities
with needs of new businesses (closed loop energy and material flow management systems);
creating energy services from on-site renewable energy sources; managing and distributing
energy via smart grid solutions (including energy storage solutions); making sure business
site management entities will be put in place (e.g. syndicates); making use of brown fields
instead of high quality arable land or valuable ecosystems; ensuring good connection to
public transport and logistics hubs; foreseeing buffer zones between planned business sites
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