INDUSTRY NEWS EMR JOINS CIRCULAR ECONOMY PROJECT CREEM TO REVOLUTIONISE RECYCLING OF RARE-EARTH MAGNETS FOR EVS


EMR, a leader in sustainable materials, has joined CirculaREEconomy (CREEM), a pioneering £11 million research and development consortium. Led by rare-earth recycling innovator


Ionic Technologies, the initiative brings together forward-thinking automotive manufacturers, as well as rare-earth metals and magnet manufacturers, to establish a scalable and sustainable method of recovering and reusing rare-earth magnets from end-of- life vehicles (ELV). Rare-earth magnets are essential components


in electric vehicles (EV) and can be found in powertrains, seat motors, speakers and many other systems. However, they are difficult to recover and recycle and potentially vulnerable to global supply chains. CREEM forms a key part of the UK’s Department of Business and Trade’s £2.5 billion DRIVE35 campaign. Announced in July, DRIVE35 is supporting projects that will help the transition to zero-emission vehicle manufacturing. Facilitated by the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC), it aims to transform this challenge into an opportunity. EMR is investing £730,000 (including match funding) to develop the collection, recovery and recycling technology that will enable rare-earth magnets to be recovered more efficiently, sustainably and


safely from EV motors and other assemblies. EMR will work alongside Ionic Technologies and other consortium partners including Ford Technologies, Bentley Motors, Bamford Bus Company (Wrightbus), Less Common Metals (LCM) and the British Geological Survey (BGS). Recycling rare-earth magnets can be


a slow, expensive and labour-intensive process. From a brand-new pilot line at EMR Birmingham, teams will explore ways to make the process of liberating the rare- earth magnets contained within EV motors more efficient. This will allow them to be safely and effectively recovered as part of a ‘long-loop circular supply chain’ – where materials re-enter the manufacturing cycle with a high level of purity and function. Furthermore, this project will also allow


EMR to safeguard the high-grade steel often used to build these motors. Roger Morton, managing director for


Technology and Innovation at EMR, said: “We’re really excited to reveal the next stage of EMR’s mission to create a circular economy for rare- earth magnets – crucial to the green transition. “CirculaREEconomy continues EMR’s


investment in the recycling of the Neodymium (NdFeB) magnets, which can be found in everything from electric vehicles and hi-fi


ESSENTRA COMPONENTS STRIKES GOLD WITH EcoVadis AWARD FOR SUSTAINABILITY


equipment to the largest offshore wind turbines, as reflected by the recently completed SCREAM and Re-Rewind projects. “A circular economy for these materials won’t


only safeguard the planet’s biodiversity and add resilience to vital supply chains, it will also allow our customers to achieve circularity, move closer to their net-zero targets and align with the ELV Regulations and the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act – which mandates a quarter of demand for this material must be met by recycling by 2030.”


uk.emrgroup.com


LAPP CABLE ACQUIRES CABLEFORCE ELECTRONICS


LAPP Group has acquired Cableforce Electronics Co, a circular connectors specialist based in Southern China.


In recognition of its achievements in its journey towards a more sustainable future, Essentra Components has been awarded a gold medal by EcoVadis. This rating places Essentra – a leading manufacturer of essential components and solutions –


in the top 2% overall of companies rated by EcoVadis for the manufacture of plastics products, and in the top 1% specifically related to performance in terms of the environment. The EcoVadis certification provides an assessment of a business’s sustainability credentials and awards a medal based on the percentile, with Essentra’s gold medal being within the top 5% of companies (95+ percentile). The firm’s 77 (0-100) rating is calculated across 21 defined sustainability criteria based on international Sustainable Development standards within four themes of Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement. Jennifer Spence, ESG director at Essentra, is delighted with the results and highlights the


firm’s continued commitment to sustainability: “This latest gold accreditation is a testament to our progress in our sustainability journey, and commitment to becoming a world leader as a responsible and trusted supplier of essential industrial components. “There is always more to be done, but this score underpins that we are heading in the right


direction and doing our best at the benefit of both our customers and the planet.” The news follows Essentra’s recent sustainability accomplishments, achieving an impressive A- for


its climate commitments, a B for ‘Water’ and B- rating for ‘Forests’ in its Climate Disclosure Project; as well as 20 of its sites reaching zero waste to landfill, more than two thirds (67%) of the sites in scope.


www.essentracomponents.com/en-gb 6 DESIGN SOLUTIONS JULY/AUGUST 2025


Commenting on the acquisition, Matthias Lapp said: “In the past ten years, Cableforce has built up an impressive market position, portfolio, and engineering competence in circular connectors. These unique capabilities make them a great addition to our industrial connectors offering – benefitting our customers worldwide. Through this merger, we will leverage Cableforce on a global scale – by making them a part of LAPP’s network and our team of more than 5.700 committed employees around the world.” With its LAPP China headquarters in Shanghai since 2003 and two production plants opened in 2012 and 2023, the German family- owned company has been active in China for more than two decades.


www.lapp.com


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