Materials and circularity
Recycled content needs a defined claim
Recycled NdFeB is a material sourcing question as well as a technical one. EMTXI can review an enquiry for recycled content and request supporting information from a proposed route. We do not promise a recycled grade, percentage, environmental saving or production capacity before the product and evidence are confirmed.
Define what is being measured
“Recycled magnet” can describe different material histories. An enquiry should say whether it concerns recovered production material, material recovered from used products, or a stated recycled share of particular elements. The percentage needs a denominator and a clear calculation method.
Ask whether the claim applies to the supplied batch, an annual production average or another accounting boundary. A general corporate recycling policy does not establish the recycled share in the parts delivered to you. Record any limitation before using the claim in your own product literature.
Separate CRMA benchmarks from product rules
The EU Critical Raw Materials Act sets a 2030 benchmark for EU recycling capacity of at least 25% of annual strategic raw-material consumption. That is not a requirement that every magnet contains 25% recycled feedstock.
Articles 28 and 29 separately address specified products containing permanent magnets. Article 29 links certain disclosure requirements to product scope, a total magnet weight above 0.2 kg, and a timetable connected to delegated rules. Future minimum recycled shares require further delegated acts. Applicability and operative dates therefore need checking against the current implementing framework. See Regulation (EU) 2024/1252.
Request evidence at the right level
For a proposed route, clarify the claimed recovered inputs, the source category and the calculation boundary. Ask how the supplier connects the declaration to the ordered material or lot, and what verification is available. Where material streams are mixed, the accounting method and its limits should be explicit.
Keep recycled-content evidence separate from country-of-origin evidence. Material may be recovered in one location and processed in another. Recycling does not automatically remove contractual origin requirements or export-control obligations.
Qualify the part against its function
The finished part still needs an agreed specification for magnetic properties, dimensions, coating and the intended operating environment. A recycled-content declaration cannot replace the producer's material specification or the buyer's acceptance plan.
Use the qualification process to identify the evidence needed before substitution. If the proposed material or production route changes, assess whether existing approval remains valid. Commercial availability and repeatability also need confirmation for the required quantity and schedule.
Keep environmental claims specific
A recycled-content percentage does not, by itself, quantify carbon savings. Any environmental comparison needs a defined system boundary, methodology and comparable reference product. Avoid turning a supplier's general sustainability statement into a numerical benefit for a particular part.
An initial enquiry can establish the desired claim, the applicable product requirements and the evidence a prospective route can provide. EMTXI does not currently publish a verified recycled-content catalogue. Any resulting quotation should distinguish confirmed specifications from documentation or availability still awaiting review.
Recycled-content questions
Does the CRMA require every magnet to contain 25% recycled material?
No. The 25% benchmark concerns EU recycling capacity for strategic raw materials by 2030. It is not a blanket minimum recycled-content requirement for each magnet.
Does recycled material establish a non-Chinese supply chain?
No. Recycled content, processing location and upstream origin are separate claims. The required production stages and the evidence for them must be defined independently.
Can recycled NdFeB replace an existing grade without qualification?
A proposed material still needs to meet the agreed magnetic, dimensional and environmental requirements. Recycled content alone does not establish interchangeability; the buyer's qualification requirements apply.
Sources and further reading
EMTXI · Reviewed
Your next step
Share the part specification, the recycled-content requirement and the evidence you need. We will assess what a prospective route can substantiate.