AAP Consulting launches its CRM hub: understanding the system behind critical raw materials supply
- Alvaro Antoni
- Apr 4
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 5
Critical raw materials are at the centre of the energy transition, digitalisation, and defence. They are also at the centre of an intensifying geopolitical contest. China's escalating export controls, the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act, and the Trump Administration's shift toward direct federal equity investments have all accelerated in the past twelve months. Yet the policy conversation often remains fragmented: mining is discussed in isolation from processing, regulation from finance, geopolitics from project execution. AAP Consulting's new CRM hub is designed to address that gap.
A systems framework for critical raw materials
The CRM hub is a structured, publicly accessible resource that examines critical raw materials as an interconnected system rather than a static list of commodities. It analyses six core dimensions that shape supply outcomes: what CRM are and how criticality is assessed; the structure of value chains from exploration through recycling; the policy and regulatory frameworks that enable or constrain investment; the geopolitical dependencies that define strategic exposure; the environmental and social constraints that determine project viability; and the project finance considerations that act as a final filter on which projects advance. Each section draws on official policy documents, regulatory texts, and publicly available data, and builds on the others to show how the system operates as a whole.
The full resource is available on our CRM hub.
Why now
The past year has seen a structural reordering of how governments approach the materials that underpin strategic technologies. China's October 2025 export control package introduced categorical denials for defence-related end use, with implementation suspended until November 2026. The EU has designated 60 strategic projects under its Critical Raw Materials Act, while its own auditors have concluded that domestic processing capacity is in some areas shrinking rather than growing. The United States has launched Project Vault, a $12 billion strategic minerals stockpile, and taken equity stakes in domestic rare earth producers. These are not incremental adjustments. They reflect distinct policy architectures with different risk profiles, and neither is sufficient on its own. Understanding the system is no longer optional for anyone operating in this space.
Inside the critical raw materials hub
The hub is structured around six dimensions, each examined in depth on a dedicated page: how criticality is assessed and how designations vary across jurisdictions; the structure of value chains from exploration through recycling; the policy and regulatory frameworks that enable or constrain investment; the geopolitical dependencies that define strategic exposure; the environmental and social constraints that determine project viability; and the project finance considerations that act as a final filter on which projects advance. Each section draws on official policy documents, regulatory texts, and publicly available data, and builds on the others to show how the system operates as a whole.
The CRM hub is a living resource that will be updated as the policy and market landscape evolves. Over the coming weeks, we will publish a series of long-form articles deepening the analysis of each dimension, beginning with what "critical" actually means and why the concept keeps changing.
Organisations seeking to explore how the framework applies to specific jurisdictions, materials, or projects are invited to get in touch.
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