Second International Round Table on Materials Criticality

The second Round Table on Criticality will be held in Tokyo on 9 October 2018 at the biennial EcoBalance conference. It will present a nexus of ideas on how innovation can be promoted by thinking in life cycles, and discuss if and how criticality and circular economy concepts match.

In the morning, a variety of presentations will introduce criticality and life cycle concepts from different perspectives and countries such as Japan, Korea and China. The afternoon will be dedicated to the Round Table discussion on Criticality and Circular Economy. It will discuss how these concepts match and will further develop the first results on approaches on Criticality as elaborated at the first Round Table in Vancouver.

You can follow the round-table remotely using the following link or dialling in via your phone (+41 435 5015 61, access Code: 775-372-533). The round table will start at 6:30 CET. You can find the preliminary programme here.

This event is organised by the IRTC project which aims to establish an international Round Table on approaches towards assessing materials criticality, taking place in the form of half-day workshops at established international conferences. Results will be published in the form of three joint scientific papers and a Roadmap on Criticality for authorities. The project shall advance the research in criticality assessment, foster international exchange and education in the topic, identify common ground and differences, and raise awareness towards materials criticality, especially in industry. It shall also lay the cornerstone for a long-lasting international network. The project is coordinated by ESM Foundation, Switzerland. The proposal was submitted within the 2017 Call for Internationalization Projects at EIT Raw Materials and accepted for funding in 2018 and 2019.