Dependence on strategic metals: what solutions for the economy?

Ignored for a long time, France's dependence on metals - which are for the most part imported - has come back to our companies' attention during successive crises, brought about by a geostrategic context that is driving tensions on certain markets: rare earth metals, cobalt and aluminium. Such crises look set to become much more common as global demand increases in step with population growth and rising living standards. And yet, many sectors of French industry rely heavily on some of these metals, not least tungsten, cobalt, antimony and certain rare earth metals.