ERI and ReElement Scale Rare-Earth Recycling

ERI has partnered with ReElement Technologies to recover rare earth elements (REEs) from end-of-life consumer electronics, aiming to rebuild a domestic supply chain for critical minerals.

ERI will route retired devices-smartwatches, wireless earbuds, portable speakers, chargers, magnetic charging cases and small hard drives-from its national network of facilities to ReElement’s refining operations. ReElement operates a qualifying refinery in Noblesville, Indiana, and is building a 400,000-square-foot Marion complex due to open in early 2026, with potential capacity to produce about 9,000 metric tons of magnet-grade rare earth oxides annually using recycled feedstock and mined ore.

The collaboration balances where material preparation should occur-at ERI’s collection and preprocessing sites or at ReElement’s refineries-to optimize cost and throughput. ReElement’s refining departs from solvent-heavy legacy methods, using an aqueous chromatography approach that moves dissolved material through resin-packed columns to separate individual or mixed rare earth elements with higher precision and lower environmental impact.

Leaders frame the effort as commercially sustainable and strategic: recovering neodymium and other REEs from common devices can reduce dependence on foreign refining, support technologies from EVs to data centers and defense systems, and feed domestic manufacturing while keeping valuable materials out of landfills.