On 19 January 2027, the 9th UIC Zero Waste Workshop will be held, in Paris and online, on the topic of “Critical raw materials and rail: bringing sectors together to build greater resilience”.
Critical raw materials are becoming a strategic issue for industry resilience. While the energy, wind power, batteries, automotive and aviation sectors have already started assessing their dependencies and developing responses, the specific needs of the railway sector have not yet been sufficiently addressed.
Rail relies on complex supply chains and on materials embedded in infrastructure, rolling stock, signalling systems and electrical equipment. Which critical raw materials matter most to rail? Where are the main dependencies? And how can circular economy approaches help in this respect?
Learning across sectors
The workshop will bring together expertise from within the rail sector and beyond, with the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) sharing the draft results of its study on circular economy in rail, with a specific focus on critical raw materials.
This insight will be complemented by presentations from Sciences Po Paris and other industries facing similar challenges. UIC therefore invites circular economy, critical raw materials, resource management, procurement, supply chain and sustainability experts from railway undertakings, infrastructure managers, the rail supply industry and other sectors to share their experience.
What can rail learn from sectors that may already be one step ahead?
In the afternoon, an interactive World Café will give participants the opportunity to discuss the three focus questions (stated above). The objective is to move from ideas to action and identify priorities and possible next steps for the sector.
Join the discussion
If you would like to become a speaker or if you work on circular economy, materials, resources or supply-chain resilience, your expertise can help ensure rail is part of the conversation on critical raw materials.
Register now and contribute to building a more circular and resilient railway sector!
19 January 2027 | 09:30–17:00
Paris (exact location tbc) + online
Register here: https://uic.org/events/9th-uic-zero-waste-railways-workshop-paris-19-january-2027-critical-raw-materials-and-rail
Want to become a speaker or need more information, contact circular at uic.org
