About the project
Critical Matters is MiXi Center's EU co-funded Nordic initiative dedicated to mapping organizations working with circular solutions for critical raw materials across the entire supply chain. The initiative aims to increase visibility and accessibility of circular economy efforts in this strategic sector while fostering collaboration that drives systemic change and innovation across Europe.
The Critical Matters database is public, freely accessible, and open to everyone to join. It brings together companies, startups, researchers, investors, and public sector actors working on circular solutions for critical raw materials, creating a shared resource to identify opportunities for collaboration, scaling, and impact.
As an EU co-funded project, it is designed to support transparency, knowledge-sharing, and cross-sector connection across the circular innovation ecosystem and is in continuous development. Our priority is to ensure the information is as accurate and up to date as possible. We therefore welcome your feedback to help keep the database relevant, reliable, and useful. If you notice missing or incorrect information, or would like to suggest additional features or content, you can share your input here.
The Critical Matters project also publishes a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting new projects, innovative solutions, news insights, and collaboration opportunities. We invite you to subscribe here and stay up to date on developments in the field.
If you would like to collaborate in the project or be featured in the newsletter, you are welcome to contact us directly at criticalmatters@mixicenter.com.
About MiXi
MiXi acts as a dynamic ecosystem catalyst, accelerating the transition to a circular economy by empowering entrepreneurship through tailored programs, curated events, and multi-sector collaboration. We recognize that circular innovation requires coordinated effort across actors and value chains—rethinking supply chains, integrating digital solutions, optimizing logistics, and improving operational systems. In this context, MiXi serves as a bridge between the linear and circular economy, while also connecting investors, startups, and companies seeking to engage with Europe's evolving circular innovation landscape.
How to use the database
- Database — the main page. Browse every organization as a card grid. Use the filters on the left to narrow by organization type, material, value-chain step and location, or search by name.
- Details — click an organization to open its panel. Materials, value-chain steps, partners and portfolios are clickable, so you can hop between related entries.
- Industry Updates — recent funding, policy, research, industry and consortia/partnership news from the ecosystem, filterable by category.
Classification criteria
To make the database easier to navigate and compare organizations across the ecosystem, entries are categorized according to their position in the value chain, organization type, and the raw materials they work with.
Value chain categories
The high-level value chain categories are based on the framework presented in a study by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) and the Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA). The categories reflect the different stages involved in securing, processing, using, and recovering critical raw materials within a circular economy.
- Exploration — activities focused on identifying, assessing, and characterizing mineral and ore deposits.
- Mining — extraction and preparation of raw materials for further processing. This category also includes activities related to mine tailings, secondary resources, and urban mining.
- Processing — the treatment and refining of ores and concentrates through pyrometallurgical, hydrometallurgical, and other processing technologies.
- Manufacturing — the transformation of refined minerals and metals into components, products, and technologies. This category also includes material substitution solutions that reduce dependency on critical raw materials.
- Use Phase — solutions that improve the utilization of products and materials during their use, including sharing models, repair, refurbishment, remanufacturing, and product-life extension strategies that reduce demand for virgin materials.
- Recycling and Recovery — the collection, recycling, and recovery of manufacturing scrap and end-of-life products to return valuable materials back into the economy.
- Entire Value Chain — organizations, projects, and initiatives working across multiple stages of the value chain. This often includes research organizations, ecosystem initiatives, and collaborative projects spanning several categories.
Organization types
Organizations are categorized according to their primary role within the ecosystem:
- Ecosystem Organization — networks, clusters, industry associations, and ecosystem-building initiatives.
- Company — private companies, including startups, scale-ups, SMEs, and established corporations.
- State-Owned Company — companies owned or majority-owned by public authorities.
- Government / Public Authority — municipal, regional, national, or European public sector organizations.
- Academia / Research — universities, research institutes, and scientific organizations.
- Accelerator / Incubator — organizations supporting the growth and development of startups and innovation.
- Investor — venture capital funds, corporate investors, angel investors, and other financing organizations.
- Project — research projects, innovation projects, and collaborative initiatives led by universities, companies, public authorities, or ecosystem actors.
- Consultancy / Services — organizations providing expertise, advisory services, software, technology, or other enabling services that support circular solutions.
Raw materials
The database primarily focuses on solutions related to Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) identified by the European Union due to their high economic importance and supply risk. However, recognizing that circularity often extends beyond official CRM lists, the database also includes organizations working with other strategically important raw materials and minerals that contribute to resource resilience and circular value chains.
Examples of Critical Raw Materials include:
- Antimony
- Arsenic
- Bauxite / Aluminium
- Beryllium
- Bismuth
- Boron
- Cobalt
- Copper
- Feldspar
- Fluorspar
- Gallium
- Germanium
- Hafnium
- Helium
- Heavy Rare Earth Elements
- Light Rare Earth Elements
- Lithium
- Magnesium
- Manganese
- Natural Graphite
- Nickel
- Niobium
- Phosphate Rock
- Phosphorus
- Platinum Group Metals (PGMs)
- Scandium
- Silicon Metal
- Strontium
- Tantalum
- Titanium Metal
- Tungsten
- Vanadium
In addition to these materials, the database may include organizations working with other minerals, metals, industrial by-products, and secondary resources where their activities contribute to the development of more circular, resilient, and sustainable raw material value chains.