On 12 November 2009 HCSS, in cooperation with TNO, presented the results of a study on the nature and consequences of mineral scarcity. Prominent speakers from the government, businesses, and researchers presented their vision on this issue.
There is an ongoing debate over the adequacy of future supplies of mineral resources, putting forth the question of whether or not our current handling is sustainable and whether or not minerals are scarce at all. The issue at hand is what a possible mineral scarcity could mean for the Dutch economy and national security.
The identification of the minerals that are crucial to national security, economy and the private sector, is the basis for the HCSS / TNO study. Through a systematic and extensive benchmark, the project has identified policy developments in relation to dealing with scarce minerals on a national and international level.
The Initiatorsgroup Material Scarcity consists of:
Materials innovation institute M2i (Sibbe Hoekstra)
Universiteit Leiden/CML (Ren Kleijn)
HCSS (Rob de Wijk, Michel Rademaker)
TNO (Andr Diederen, Peter Werkhoven, Ton Bastein)