Philippe Kehren, CEO of multinational Solvay: Reducing reliance on China’s rare earth metals

Jonathan Josephs speaks to Philippe Kehren, CEO of chemical
multinational company Solvay. His firm sits at the forefront of
Europe’s efforts to diversify its supply of rare earth metals.
These elements are essential to much of modern technology, from
mobile phones to medical equipment, car batteries and renewable
energy.


Currently their supply is heavily dependent on China, which mines
around 70% of all rare earth metals, and refines around 90%.
Solvay aims to play a significant role in reducing this
dependence, by increasing European capacity to mine and refine
these materials.


However, Mr Kehren says the European Union needs to play its part
by introducing incentives for customers to buy from European
suppliers rather than their cheaper Chinese competitors. The
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Presenter: Jonathan Josephs Producer: Lucy Sheppard Editor: Nick
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(Image: Philippe Kehren. Credit: Dirk Waem/Belga Mag/AFP via
Getty Images)