The global strategic resource reserve system is undergoing rapid restructuring, and a resource security battle centered on critical minerals has quietly begun.

When Trump announced the launch of a $12 billion "Gold Reserve Plan" at the White House to procure and stockpile critical minerals such as rare earths, gallium, and cobalt for manufacturers, the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNIA) was also studying the inclusion of copper concentrates in the national reserves. The global strategic resource reserve system is undergoing rapid restructuring, and a resource security battle centered on critical minerals has quietly begun. In early February 2026, the world's two largest economies almost simultaneously announced strategic reserve plans for critical minerals. The Trump administration officially launched a $12 billion critical mineral reserve project named the "Gold Reserve Plan." This plan aims to establish a 60-day emergency mineral reserve, utilizing $10 billion in loans from the US Export-Import Bank and approximately $2 billion in private capital to procure and stockpile critical mineral resources such as rare earths, gallium, and cobalt. From the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act setting clear recycling rate targets to the US’s tax incentive policies, a global policy network covering legislation, subsidies, and standards is taking shape. For China, the recycling industry of rare and precious metals is not only a vital component of resource security but also a key link in achieving the "dual carbon" goals and ensuring supply chain autonomy and control.

Guotai Environmental Protection convened the 15th meeting of the 4th Board of Directors, reviewing and approving the "Proposal on Amending the Business Scope, Revising the , and Handling Industrial and Commercial Registration Changes." This adjustment not only represents a simple business expansion but also marks a key transformation of this traditional environmental protection enterprise into the field of new energy circular economy.

On February 24, Guotai Environmental Protection held its 15th meeting of the 4th Board of Directors, reviewing and approving the "Proposal on Amending the Business Scope, Revising the , and Handling Industrial and Commercial Registration Changes." This adjustment not only represents a simple business expansion but also marks a critical transformation of this traditional environmental protection enterprise into the field of new energy circular economy—adding businesses such as lithium-ion battery recycling, PV equipment leasing, and battery manufacturing, officially entering the rapidly growing closed-loop of the new energy industry chain. Guotai Environmental Protection's strategic adjustment is not accidental. In recent years, China's new energy vehicle industry has maintained rapid growth. Data shows that in 2025, China's NEV production and sales both achieved nearly 30% growth, with NEVs accounting for 47.9% of new vehicle sales. As early power batteries gradually enter their retirement phase, a massive backend market is accelerating its formation. Power battery recycling involves the collection, processing, and reuse of waste power batteries, aiming to promote resource circulation, protect the ecological environment, and drive long-term industry development. Currently, the standardized recycling rate for waste power batteries in China remains below 50%, with a large number of waste batteries flowing into informal channels such as "small workshops," posing environmental risks and causing the waste of strategic resources. Standardized recycling and utilization of retired power batteries are of great significance for reducing environmental pollution, ensuring the security of national critical metal resources, promoting industrial greening, and enhancing international competitiveness. In February 2025, the State Council Executive Meeting reviewed and passed the "Action Plan for Improving the NEV Power Battery Recycling and Utilization System," explicitly proposing to improve the standard system and achieve standardized, safe, and efficient recycling and utilization of power batteries. Shortly thereafter, six departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment jointly issued the "Interim Measures for the Recycling and Comprehensive Utilization of Waste Power Batteries from New Energy Vehicles," which will take effect on April 1, 2026. This upcoming regulation is regarded by the industry as a "watershed" for the sector. The "Management Measures" establish a "full life cycle" supervision system for power batteries, create a national traceability information platform for NEV power batteries, promote the monitoring of power battery flows and information traceability throughout their life cycle, and clarify the recycling responsibilities of power battery enterprises and NEV producers. This means that power battery recycling will shift from the past "guerrilla" operations to an era of "regular army" engagement. The introduction of the new regulation sets a clear "code of conduct" for the industry, aiming to resolve the structural contradiction between the "segmented" layout of the industry chain and the "full life cycle" management requirements, and to build a closed-loop chain of "production—use—recycling—regeneration."

Korea Mine Rehabilitation and Mineral Resources Corporation (KOMIR) announced on the 26th at a briefing session on policies and support programs for fostering the critical mineral recycling industry that it aims to achieve a 20% recycling rate for critical minerals by 2030. Under this goal, the agency plans to establish a comprehensive policy framework encompassing recycled raw material distribution, remanufacturing, reuse, and mineral resource recycling.

On June 13, at the 2025 SMM (13th) Minor Metal Industry Conference - Antimony Forum, hosted by Shandong Humon Smelting Co., Ltd. and SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd., Yi Xiaobo, Senior Advisor/Senior Engineer at the National Power and ESS Battery Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Center, shared insights on "The Fundamentals of Supply and Demand in the Battery Market and the Application and Development of Antimony Metal in Lead-Antimony Alloy Plates for Batteries.