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"How UNFC Is key to the EU’s Strategic Raw Materials Pipeline
SDGsUNFC and Sustainable Resource Management
Circular EconomySustainable DevelopmentSustainable Energy
12 February 2026
The European Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), which entered into force in May 2024, is a significant step towards securing a resilient and sustainable supply of Critical Raw Materials (CRMs). CRMA mandates the use of the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC) as a key instrument for its effective implementation.
UNFC serves as the classification tool for EU Member States to report on their national CRMs exploration results, new and existing projects for monitoring purposes, and closed extractive wastes as part of national circularity measures. Additionally, UNFC is required by promoters seeking recognition for their projects as Strategic, which entails special treatment. UNFC facilitates informed decision-making and policy interventions, thereby contributing to the successful achievement of the objectives of CRMA.
The first call for Strategic Projects selected a mature pipeline of extraction, processing, recycling, and substitution projects contributing to the security of supply for 14 of the 17 strategic raw materials in the EU. Only projects that include any of the 17 strategic raw materials on EU’s list of 34 critical raw materials are eligible to apply for status as Strategic Projects. Recognition brings tangible advantages: Strategic Projects are deemed to be of public interest, benefit from faster permitting, streamlined access to finance, and support to secure offtake agreements. To qualify, Projects must demonstrate a meaningful contribution to EU supply security, technical feasibility within a reasonable timeframe, and sustainable implementation with sufficient confidence. A second call for Strategic Projects closed on 15 January 2025, receiving around 160 applications, further demonstrating strong interest in the CRMA framework.
A key challenge remains. How can candidate projects communicate clearly and consistently their maturity status and potential to contribute meaningfully to the CRMA objectives, to diverse stakeholder groups? Financial institutions focus on bankability, governments on regulatory compliance, civil society on environmental and social impacts, and policymakers on timelines and strategic relevance.
UNFC offers a practical solution. UNFC has been selected as the classification tool for Strategic Projects under CRMA but not only. Its three-axis structure captures regulatory compliance, maturity, and sustainability: E (Environmental-Socio-Economic Viability), F (Technical Feasibility), and G (Degree of Confidence in product estimates). Together, these axes translate complex project information into a shared language and highlight strengths, gaps, and areas requiring action.
The following two recognized Strategic Projects provide practical examples of how UNFC communicates project status:
Talga Natural Graphite ONE, Sweden (Extraction Project – Battery Grade Graphite)
The Talga Natural Graphite ONE project is a greenfield extraction project in Sweden producing natural graphite concentrate suitable for lithium-ion battery applications. According to the project promoter, it could meet around 2% of EU demand for battery-grade natural graphite by 2030. According to EU studies on supply chain analysis and material demand and the indicated 2% delivery of battery-grade natural graphite by 2030, this means that this project is set to produce around 8,200* tonnes of graphite per year by 2030.
The Project was classified under UNFC as E1.2; F1.3; G2, corresponding to a Viable Project, Justified for Development.
- E axis (E1.2): This indicates that the project is progressing toward full environmental-socio-economic viability within a reasonable timeframe, accelerated by Strategic Project designation. In other words, activities are compliant with Swedish regulations and broadly aligned with environmental and social requirements.
- F axis (F1.3): Technical feasibility demonstrated through completed studies, with defined plans and approvals/contracts expected to support development.
- G axis (G2): Based on the project promoter's public reports3, Talga's mineral resource is estimated at approximately 36.9 million tonnes of graphite ore at an average grade of about 23% graphite, using a defined cut-off grade. These resource categories are reported in line with internationally recognized definitions, which under UNFC translates into a G2 classification. This means that the product is estimated at moderate levels of confidence. However, this confidence level can increase as the project progresses.
Overall, UNFC communicates that the project is advanced and viable, while remaining transparent on what still influences progress, especially final permitting.
Kobaloni Energy Zambia, Zambia (Processing Project – Cobalt)
The Kobaloni Energy Zambia project is a cobalt sulphate processing facility planned in Zambia, with the aim to become the first refinery of its kind on the African continent. Producing battery-grade cobalt sulphate for precursor cathode active material (pCAM), it would provide the EU with an alternate supplier. Publicly available information shows that the project is supported by a committed investment of approximately USD 100 million. The Project was classified under UNFC as E2; F2.1; G2, corresponding to a Potentially Viable Project, Development Pending.
- E axis (E2): The allocated capital signals strong environmental-socio-economic momentum and market confidence. At the same time, the resulting E2 classification transparently indicates that environmental, social, economic, and regulatory conditions are not yet fully in place, with permits, studies, or governance frameworks still under development.
- F axis (F2.1): Preliminary studies provide sufficient evidence of the potential for development, and that further data acquisition and/or studies may be required to confirm the feasibility of development. Additionally, the secured initial investment confirms that studies are ongoing to justify development.
- G axis (G2): Moderate confidence in security of supply, while acknowledging uncertainties linked to inputs or supply arrangements.
For this Project, UNFC acts as a diagnostic tool, showing technical readiness is relatively advanced, while environmental-socio-economic aspects and supply security require further measures and targeted support.
Across both cases, UNFC demonstrates its value as a common language that translates complex project information into structured, comparable knowledge. With UNFC, stakeholders can immediately understand and compare the maturity, the level of sustainability and ongoing activities of Strategic Projects, whether dealing with different commodities or located in different geographies, using a single, coherent and sustainability-oriented framework.
As CRMA implementation advances, initial UNFC classifications can also serve as a baseline for monitoring progress over time. Updating classifications as projects progress (or stall) helps detect delays, identify bottlenecks, and support targeted interventions aligned with CRMA enabling measures; strengthening confidence that Strategic Projects can deliver on their promise by 2030."
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"The
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (
ECE or
UNECE) is an
intergovernmental organization or a specialized body of the
United Nations. The UNECE is one of five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the
United Nations Economic and Social Council. It was established in 1947 in order to promote economic cooperation and integration among its
member states.
The commission is composed of 56 member states, most of which are based in Europe, as well as a few outside Europe. Its
transcontinental Eurasian or non-European member states include:
Armenia,
Azerbaijan,
Canada,
Cyprus,
Georgia,
Israel,
Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, the
Russian Federation,
Tajikistan,
Turkey,
Turkmenistan, the
United States and
Uzbekistan.
[1]"
en.wikipedia.org
LLM:
"...
Why UNFC is key here
The big challenge:
How can projects be evaluated uniformly across different countries, raw materials and stages of development?
This is where UNFC (United Nations Framework Classification for Resources) comes into play.
UNFC is:
- an international classification framework
- resource- and country-neutral
- three-dimensional
- development- and sustainability-oriented
It creates a common language for:
- Governments
- Investors
- Project developers
- Civil society
- EU authorities
Without such a system, comparisons would be politically vulnerable and technically inconsistent.
...
The three axes – and why they are strategically smart
UNFC is based on three dimensions:
Axis - Meaning - Strategic function
E - Environmental-Socio-Economic Viability - Sustainability & approval status
F - Technical Feasibility - Technical maturity
G - Geological Confidence - Security of the resource base
This is extremely relevant because:
- Banks primarily look at F & G
- Authorities look at E
- NGOs look at E
- Industry looks at F & schedule
- Geologists look at G
- UNFC systematically integrates these perspectives.
...
The article describes how the EU intends to use the CRMA to strengthen its strategic raw materials sovereignty – and how the UNFC system serves as a technical, sustainability-oriented classification and control instrument to make projects comparable, financeable, politically legitimate and strategically controllable."
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Right, let's get the dosh flowin'.
