Our Goal
Our goal
The goal is to enable resource utilization and recycling of critical raw materials (CRMs) from household and commercial waste such as electronics, batteries, vehicles and landfill, an area of increasing strategic importance for green transition and industrial self-sufficiency. The potential for extraction of the critical raw materials from our waste is huge, but a major bottleneck is inefficient sorting and dismantling processes.
The project responds to Europe’s growing need for technological sovereignty and circular economy, in light of vulnerable value chains and increasing waste volumes. With Norway’s high EE waste and low recycling of non-ferrous raw materials, there is a need for new, automated solutions.
CARM will contribute to the development of sensor and AI-powered robots and flexible processes for sorting and recycling, and at the same time strengthen competence, education and innovation in Agder.
The results will contribute to sustainable value chains, new jobs and international competitiveness in green technology and resource recovery.
CARM start-up funded by the Sørlandets Kompetansefond 2025–2027
CARM – Automated Recovery of Critical Raw Materials from Waste
The future of sustainable resource use lies in what we have already consumed.
CARM is a competence centre developing new solutions to recover critical raw materials from waste—using robotics, sensors, and artificial intelligence. Our goal is to strengthen supply security, enable the green transition, and create new industrial value.
CARM will contribute for the ambition to make the EU the world leader in the circular economy by 2030
Why is this important?
Europe is facing a serious shortage of critical raw materials—essential components in modern technologies, energy systems, and industry.
Today, supply chains are highly dependent on imports from a limited number of countries, making them vulnerable to disruptions. At the same time, global demand is rapidly increasing.
Critical raw materials are essential for:
- green energy and battery technologies
- digitalisation and electronics
- industrial production and innovation
Securing access to these materials is key to Europe’s competitiveness and sustainability.
