The EU relies heavily on titanium imports, a critical metal used in aerospace, defense, and green technologies. A new European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) report highlights the risks of this dependence, exacerbated by global tensions and limited suppliers. The report analyzes the titanium supply chain and proposes strategies to increase circularity and reduce import reliance.
The EU’s titanium consumption is substantial and expected to grow. Currently, it imports significantly more titanium than it exports, primarily in the form of products and unwrought titanium. Civil aerospace accounts for the majority of this demand, supporting a large number of jobs and contributing significantly to the EU’s GDP. However, the EU faces geopolitical challenges due to its import dependence, especially with the war in Ukraine and the concentration of titanium production in a few countries like China, Japan, Russia, and Kazakhstan.
The JRC report suggests that increasing circularity, particularly by recycling titanium scrap from aircraft, could significantly reduce import needs and boost the EU’s titanium sector employment. The report recommends several policy actions:
- Reshoring titanium processing: Re-establishing domestic production capacity.
- Improving titanium recycling: Addressing barriers to large-scale recycling from decommissioned aircraft.
- Strengthening international partnerships: Diversifying supply sources through collaborations.
- Supporting Ukraine’s titanium industry: Integrating Ukraine into the EU’s titanium value chain post-conflict.
These recommendations align with EU priorities like decarbonization, reshoring, and critical raw materials security, and support existing and upcoming policies such as the Critical Raw Materials Act and the Net Zero Industry Act. The JRC report emphasizes the urgent need for the EU to enhance its strategic autonomy in the titanium supply chain through circularity, reshoring, partnerships, and support for Ukraine. Initiatives like the European Defence Agency’s work on titanium circularity demonstrate practical steps towards achieving these goals.
