New Rare Earth Recycling Plant to Be Built in Canada

The U.S.-launched trade war has certainly upended the manufacturing sector in Canada in recent months, that much is obvious to everyone. Now for some good news: a startup, backed by by Amazon and Microsoft no less, plans to build a rare earth recycling plant and research centre in Canada.

Cyclic Materials announced yesterday that it will invest $25 million to develop facilities in Kingston, Ontario.

Cyclic Materials' methodology
Cyclic Materials' technology allows for the recovery of rare earth elements contained in disused products, particularly wind turbines and hard drives from data centres. The company already has a testing facility in Kingston.

Demand for rare earths, used in all sorts of products from smartphones to electric vehicles, is skyrocketing globally. China is the world's largest producer of rare earths and has used its dominant position in the supply chain to retaliate against U.S. tariffs by limiting exports of those elements. We recently reported on the looming rare earth crisis.

That situation has prompted buyers to seek alternative supply sources. For Cyclic Materials, this is a golden opportunity:

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