Digital technology and rare metals: the real issues behind our IT equipment

Understanding the role of rare metals in digital technology

There is nothing immaterial about digital technology. Behind every laptop, smartphone, server or router lies a mineral and energy reality. It is estimated that a single smartphone contains around fifty metals: copper, cobalt, lithium, rare earths, gold, silver and tin, but also gallium, germanium and tantalum.

IT equipment thus uses nearly 50 different metals, around twenty of which are considered critical because of their scarcity, strategic importance or geopolitical concentration. This growing dependence places digital technology at the heart of natural resource issues.

As the number of digital devices grows and their power increases, demand for strategic metals is soaring. Digital technology, presented as “dematerialized”, turns out to be a sector heavily dependent on raw materials.

Rapidly growing consumption and critical metals

Global demand for metals for digital technology is growing at a staggering pace. Ademe and other forecasting bodies estimate that consumption of certain metals could increase by 200% to 3000% by 2050.

Critical metals for IT equipment include:

• tin, copper and silver, essential for printed circuit boards;
• cobalt and lithium, essential for laptop and smartphone batteries;
• antimony, ruthenium and gold, used in solders and electronic components;
• rare earths (neodymium, dysprosium, praseodymium, etc.), used in hard drive and motor magnets.

On top of this criticality comes strong geopolitical dependence. China controls nearly 95% of global rare earth production, while cobalt mining is concentrated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, often in problematic social and environmental conditions. This concentration increases the risk of supply chain tensions and raises questions about Europe's digital sovereignty.

The hidden environmental impacts of our IT equipment

Extracting and refining rare metals has a considerable environmental cost. Producing a single kilo of rare earths requires several hundred liters of water and massive amounts of energy. Extraction processes also generate toxic mining waste that pollutes soil and groundwater for the long term.

These impacts feed into the carbon footprint of digital technology, particularly in companies' Scope 3, which covers the manufacturing of IT equipment. For example, producing a laptop represents around 300 kg CO₂e, a large part of which comes directly from the extraction and processing of metals.

In other words, most of the environmental impact of our equipment occurs before it is even used for the first time.

Recycling rare metals: a promise still far off

With demand rising, recycling might seem like an obvious answer. Yet the reality is quite different: today, less than 1% of rare earths are recycled worldwide.

Several obstacles explain this:

• complex alloys that make separating metals difficult;
• volumes scattered across billions of devices;
• costly, energy-intensive processes that hold back industrial deployment.

Even when metals are recovered from electronic waste, there is no guarantee they will be reused in new digital equipment. In its current state, recycling cannot therefore offset the exponential increase in demand.

Toward responsible digital practices: sufficiency and eco-design

Given these limits, one conclusion is clear: the solution lies not only in recycling but above all in digital sufficiency and extending the lifespan of equipment.

There are many levers:

• reuse and refurbishment: extending the life of existing computers and smartphones;
• repairability: favoring devices whose parts are accessible and replaceable;
• IT purchasing governance: including environmental criteria from the specifications stage;
• sufficient use: limiting unnecessary equipment renewal and avoiding the constant race for performance.

Regulators such as Arcep and Ademe regularly point out that reducing the impact of digital technology will depend above all on sufficiency and eco-design strategies.

How Colibris helps you act on these issues

At Colibris, we are convinced that responsible digital practices cannot simply be decreed: they are built step by step, with the right tools and a clear vision.

Our platform allows you to:

• measure the carbon footprint of your IT equipment and subscriptions, including Scope 3;
• identify sources of waste, whether overly frequent renewals or underused digital subscriptions;
• extend the lifespan of hardware by supporting your reuse and refurbished equipment choices;
• integrate digital sufficiency into your IT governance, with combined environmental and financial criteria.

By acting on rare metal consumption through responsible equipment management, Colibris helps companies reconcile digital performance and ecological transition.

Conclusion

Rare metals are at the heart of our digital equipment, but their extraction and scarcity raise major environmental, economic and geopolitical issues. Recycling will not be enough to meet growing demand: the real solution lies in sufficiency, eco-design and extending the lifespan of equipment.

Contact Colibris to turn your IT fleet into a lever for sufficiency and concretely reduce the hidden impact of your IT equipment.