Critical materials from a product design perspective

• Adversarial positions around ‘pessimists’ versus ‘optimists’ have begun to merge.
• European member states lack policy, despite the EU taking a lead.
• Approaches towards materials in product design excludes critical materials.
• A definition that includes the key points raised in the literature is proposed.
• The definition includes substitution, circular and closed loop thinking.

Globally there is increasing attention towards a range of materials that have been termed critical materials. This paper will focus on a set of critical materials, mostly named as single elements, that are metals, at risk of supply constraints, have environmental implications, financially costly, price volatile, deemed economically important and are difficult to substitute as a result of their unique properties or for economic reasons. These metals are used in engineering, technology applications and product designs. A number of publications argue that product design has an important role to play in responding to critical material risks. This paper analyses and compares a selected range of 29 published definitions and descriptors of critical materials produced since the end of 1999 to June 2014. This review establishes that most definitions are developed by those outside the field of product design and the resulting definitions make it difficult for product designers, and the wider product development team, to engage in activity to address the critical materials challenge. There is a gap between the practice of product design and the current definitions. Through a structured analysis of this literature this paper develops a definition of critical materials that includes product design considerations, in order to make a first step in addressing the gap. The aim of the definition going forwards is to facilitate increased product design activity around the substitution of critical materials, including circular, closed loop, approaches, in order to contribute towards reducing critical materials supply risks.