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Closing the Loop: How Circular Economy and Recycling Can Replace Deep-Sea Mining



The demand for heavy metals like lithium, copper and manganese is increasing exponentially due to greater consumer interest in electric vehicles (EVs), digital innovation and battery storage. This phenomenon has led many to source metals beyond land, setting their sights on the deep sea. 


Unfortunately, deep-sea mining poses several environmental implications. Instead, ramping up recycling efforts and building a circular economy could counter the need for new mineral exploration and extraction, alleviating stress on fragile marine ecosystems. 


Understanding Deep-Sea Mining Impacts


You may not realize that the smartphone you use daily is only operational because of the battery’s cobalt and the rare earth elements found in the screen. Many of these metals may even derive from the deep sea if terrestrial-based materials are insufficient.


Companies use various technologies to explore and extract metals and minerals from the seabed. For example, they may deploy underwater remotely-operated vehicles to seek ideal locations and collect samples. They then dredge the seafloor and use hydraulic pumps to vacuum materials to the surface. 


The deep seabed is over 200 meters below the ocean’s surface — almost 600 feet — and covers about two-thirds of the seafloor. Yet, because it’s still widely misunderstood, scientists fear these extraction activities could have dire consequences on the marine environment. 


For instance, sediment clouds may carry toxic metals long distances. Researchers expect mining for polymetallic sulfide to change the seafloor topography and geochemical properties, creating fine particulate matter that smothers nearby fauna and exposes marine biota to toxic metal concentrations.


Other ecological concerns of deep-sea mining include the following:




  • Noise pollution: Dragheads and riser operations used during dredging may cause undue noise pollution spanning roughly 500 kilometers from the site, or about 311 miles.


  • Food web disruptions: Deep-sea mining activities can cause species loss and deoxygenation, potentially harming fisheries and marine life beyond the extraction site.


One study found that 21% of animal life disappeared after removing polymetallic nodules in deep-sea, mineral-rich rocks. Small invertebrates like nematodes and copepods accounted for 49% of the loss, while larger invertebrates like worms and crustaceans accounted for 24%. Likewise, sea stars and sea cucumbers accounted for 26%. 


The animals feed by filtering, scavenging, or grazing on microorganisms or the nodules. Overall, the study demonstrated how mineral and metal removal disrupts the fundamental processes supporting deep-sea communities. 


Why Adopt a Circular Economy?


Boosting a circular economy for metals can improve waste management and alleviate deep-sea mining pressures on marine ecosystems. Embracing practices like repairs, remanufacturing, and product sharing significantly reduces the need for virgin materials. This especially applies to the electronics and automotive industries, which have already explored closed-loop recycling methods, disassembly-centric designs and utilizing remanufactured parts. 


Interestingly, used vehicle imports from North America and Europe accounted for 40% of Africa’s automotive market from 2015 to 2018. African automotive clusters maintain, repair, recover, and refurbish vehicle materials to prolong vehicle lifespans. For example, the Suame Magazine Automotive Center in Ghana and the Nnewi automotive cluster in Nigeria collectively employ over 30,000 people and recover 560,000 tons of automotive materials annually.


The Promise of Advanced Recycling Technologies


Advanced recycling technologies make recovering and reusing high-quality metals from electronics, batteries and other complex waste easier, limiting environmental impacts. These methods could include high-temperature separation and chemical or microbial removal. In fact, manufacturers could reduce carbon equivalent emissions by 58% to 73% when reducing and recycling ferrous metals. 


Copper — also a deep-sea mineral — is already a recycling champion. Manufacturers have continuously reused nearly two-thirds of the 690 million metric tons of copper produced over the last 100 years. About 8.7 million metric tons of copper are derived from scrap recycling annually. Extending these technologies to recover cobalt, manganese, and nickel will prove essential in replacing deep-sea mining. 


Challenges and Considerations


The world has learned many lessons from harmful deep-sea practices. For example, the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig catastrophe decimated marine biodiversity in the Gulf of Mexico, leading to a need for cleaner fuel alternatives. Nowadays, many homes use propane, which creates fewer pollutants and has a smaller carbon footprint than oil, coal, and petroleum.


However, adopting a circular business model comes with several challenges for companies handling metals including financial constraints, high initial investments, greater costs for materials collection and segregation, complicated management, and little information. Other considerations include a lack of regulations, supply chain complexities — including poor partnerships and conflicting interests — and consumer noninterest.


Closing the loop for essential minerals requires a holistic approach, such as:


  • Durable, long-lasting product designs that you can easily repair, extending their lifespan and limiting replacement needs

  • Simple disassembly for a more straightforward material separation

  • Minimal packaging with biodegradable, reusable and recyclable alternatives

  • Investments in advanced recycling technologies for metals and alloys that are difficult to break down and repurpose

  • A focus on high-quality recycled mineral production for new products 

  • Recycled scrap metal to reintroduce materials into production

  • End-of-life and closed-loop collection programs for remanufacturing or repurposing 

  • Adoption of shared ownership or leasing programs


Public education and awareness are just as critical when encouraging circularity and replacing deep-sea mining. Companies should disseminate information regarding the importance of recycling and how consumers can partner with them to reduce waste and consume responsibly.


Ultimately, government and industry policies and incentives will be most effective in adopting a circular design. This could comprise tax credits for remanufactured goods, requirements for recycled content, and reforms to existing international plans and policies. 


The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development also underscores the challenge of classifying hazardous waste under the Basel Convention, a global treaty limiting the movement of hazardous waste between countries. Updating the standards for waste management, reuse and repurposing is crucial for mitigating circularity's environmental and safety risks on a global scale.


What Can You Do to Promote Circularity?


Businesses should commit to sustainable, ethical solutions for increasing product life cycles and changing how the world produces and consumes goods. However, as a consumer, there are things you can also do to help promote a more circular economy.


Thoughtful waste reduction is the first step. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says Americans accumulated 292.4 million tons of municipal solid waste — 4.9 pounds per person daily — in 2018. Only 32.1% were recycled or composted.


Set up several receptacle bins for waste, recyclable items and compost materials, making it easier to separate and dispose of your trash properly. Reusing what you have or donating secondhand items will also help divert items from overflowing landfills and the environment, promoting circularity. Meanwhile, buying goods from companies with closed-loop recycling programs creates a place to send your used items for secondary purposes at the end of their life cycles.


Wise purchasing decisions further encourage sustainability by reducing your use of plastics, promoting reusability, and learning to live with less. Bring reusable bags with you to the grocery store, avoid plastic water bottles and straws, and source from sustainable and local sources. Avoiding businesses lacking sustainable or ethical commitments will place pressure on them to adopt new, environmentally sound practices.


Recycling Deep-Sea Minerals Makes the Economy Go Round


Recycling and circularity are essential for preserving the ocean and land. By closing the loop on crucial minerals, companies can begin to replace deep-sea mining, preventing harm to marine habitats and biodiversity. Of course, a circular economy’s success largely depends on consumer participation. You can do your part by purchasing, using, and disposing of goods more sustainably and circularly to initiate positive change. 



Sources


U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2021, December 15). Science & Tech Spotlight: Deep-Sea Mining. Www.gao.gov. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-105507


IUCN. (2022, July 7). Deep-sea mining. IUCN. https://iucn.org/resources/issues-brief/deep-sea-mining


Carreiro-Silva, M., Martins, I., Riou, V., Raimundo, J., Caetano, M., Bettencourt, R., Rakka, M., Cerqueira, T., Godinho, A., Morato, T., & Colaço, A. (2022). Mechanical and toxicological effects of deep-sea mining sediment plumes on a habitat-forming cold-water octocoral. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.915650


Tunnicliffe, V., Sánchez, L. E., Mudd, G. M., Amon, D. J., Levin, L. A., Lily, H., Ramirez-Llodra, E., & Cross, A. T. (2025). Metal mining on land versus the ocean in the context of the current Biodiversity Crisis. Npj Ocean Sustainability, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44183-025-00110-z


Sakellariadou, F., Gonzalez, F. J., Hein, J. R., Rincón-Tomás, B., Arvanitidis, N., & Kuhn, T. (2022). Seabed mining and blue growth: exploring the potential of marine mineral deposits as a sustainable source of rare earth elements (MaREEs) (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 94(3), 329–351. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2021-0325


Williams, R., Erbe, C., Duncan, A., Nielsen, K., Washburn, T., & Smith, C. (2022, July 7). Noise from deep-sea mining may span vast ocean areas: Potential harm is understudied and largely overlooked. Retrieved March 10, 2025, from https://oceansinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/07July22_abo2804_ArticleContent_v4.pdf


Stratmann, T., Soetaert, K., Kersken, D., & van Oevelen, D. (2021). Polymetallic nodules are essential for food-web integrity of a prospective deep-seabed mining area in Pacific abyssal plains. Scientific Reports, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-91703-4




International Copper Association. (2022, February 10). Copper Recycling - International Copper Association. Https://Internationalcopper.org/. https://internationalcopper.org/resource/copper-recycling/


Rogerson, A. (2021, May 18). Propane vs. Natural Gas | Which Is Best for You? | Foster. Foster Fuels Inc. https://fosterfuels.com/blog/propane-vs-natural-gas-which-is-best-for-your-home/


Kanda, W., Klofsten, M., Bienkowska, D., Henry, M., & Hjelm, O. (2024). Challenges of circular new ventures: An empirical analysis of 70 cases. Journal of Cleaner Production, 442, 141103.


Trade policies to promote the circular economy: A case study of lithium-ion batteries. (2025). OECD. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/trade-policies-to-promote-the-circular-economy_d75a7f46-en.html


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