Critical Raw Materials - Chile EN
On this page you’ll find how the Netherlands and Chile collaborate on Critical Raw Materials (CRM). It highlights the strategic framework, Dutch expertise, and Chile’s role as a key partner thanks to its reserves of copper, lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements. You’ll also discover Dutch solutions for sustainable mining through better water management in the sector, and opportunities for cooperation between our two countries.
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The energy transition and consequent electrification are driving a global shift in demand from fossil fuels towards Critical Raw Materials. Copper, lithium, cobalt and rare earth elements (REEs) are essential for electric wiring, lithium‑ion batteries, and permanent magnets used in electric cars and wind turbine generators.
The Netherlands and the EU largely depend on imports of (processed) raw materials from third countries. For many of these materials, more than 70% or even 90% is mined or processed in a single country. The COVID‑19 pandemic in 2019, when China went into lockdown, and the war in Ukraine, when Europe was cut off from Russian natural gas, showed how disruptions in global supply chains can occur and how far‑reaching their effects can be.
In line with the Dutch National Raw Material Strategy and the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, the Dutch government aims to improve the security of supply of CRM and reduce strategic dependencies, while avoiding adverse effects on people and the environment.
Dutch Strategy on Critical Raw Materials
The Dutch strategy consists of five pillars:
Increased recycling, as well as smart design – using less Critical Raw Materials in products.
Sustainable mining & refining in the EU.
Geographical diversification of supply.
Improving sustainability of international supply chains.
Critical Raw Materials knowledge building & monitoring.
Various ministries (Economic Affairs, Infrastructure and Water Management, and Foreign Affairs) work on these themes. The department for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation is responsible for diversification and sustainability of international supply chains and so, our embassy works primarily on these pillars. To operationalize these policy areas, the aim is to extend and intensify international partnerships by positioning Dutch business, financing instruments and knowledge institutions in the international value chain—for example by supporting Research and Development (R&D) and innovation.
Collaboration with Chile on Critical Raw Materials
Chile has been identified by the EU and the Netherlands as a high‑potential country for collaboration on Critical Raw Materials, thanks to its large and well‑develop extractive industries and proven reserves of lithium and copper. Chile also has reserves of cobalt and rare earth elements, as well as trace elements hidden in its tailings.
Together with Chilean partners and the European Union, the Dutch embassy works on:
Promoting Dutch commercially available solutions for the Chilean mining sector.
Facilitating collaborations on research and innovation.
Setting up agendas of collaboration and mutual benefit between organizations.
Water and Mining
Dutch water knowledge and expertise are renowned worldwide. Water is also an essential resource in mining: it is used for cooling equipment, dust control, transport of material, and ore separation.
In Chile, as in other countries in the region, water scarcity is a growing problem—including for the mining sector. That is why the embassy is mapping Dutch companies, universities and applied research institutes with capabilities to lower the water footprint in mining.
In this way, the Netherlands can contribute to making global supply chains more resilient: raw materials will be mined more sustainably, with less impact on people and the environment, and will be less vulnerable to climate change or the loss of license to operate.
Working Together with the Netherlands on Critical Raw Materials
The embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Chile supports partnerships in the mining and raw materials sector. We connect Chilean stakeholders with Dutch companies, knowledge institutions, and government partners to co‑develop sustainable solutions.
Together, we can strengthen supply chains, modernize mining practices, and promote innovation.
