Critical resources and food security

Securing the future of food starts with securing our resources

Europe’s food system depends on critical nutrients like phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium; yet we import most of them from unstable regions. It’s time to rethink how we source and recover these essential elements.

Feeding 10 billion people

By 2050, our planet’s population is expected to reach nearly 10 billion. Meeting the food needs of so many people will require a radical shift in how we produce and manage essential nutrients. Fertiliser nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen are crucial to food production – but in today’s system they are often mined or manufactured in 

unsustainable ways, then lost to waterways, causing severe pollution and algal blooms. Among the Planetary Boundaries defined by scientists, nutrient overload is the one where humanity is already furthest past the safe limit – meaning a very high risk of irreversible damage to Earth’s ecosystems.

Why critical resources matter

Nutrients like phosphorus are essential to every crop, every meal, and every ecosystem. But Europe has no domestic supply of many of these elements, making our food system vulnerable to geopolitical shocks and environmental degradation. A transformation in how we manage the resources that make food possible will require more than innovation in agriculture if we are going to feed 10 billion people by 2050. Circular recovery offers a way forward. By reclaiming nutrients from our waste streams, we can build a resilient, independent food system—starting with phosphorus.

Strengthening EU competitiveness

Innovation, decarbonisation, and reduced import dependency are key pillars in the EU’s new growth agenda. Circular phosphorus recovery delivers on all three – and could be unlocked through a simple change in outdated legislation. 

With EasyMining’s Ash2Phos technology, Europe can produce high-quality, recycled phosphorus from wastewater – keeping jobs, investments, and know-how within the EU. But current rules still prevent its use in animal feed, despite its proven purity and safety. 

Removing this barrier would create strong market incentives for scaling up recovery technologies, strengthen food security, and boost European competitiveness – while building a multi-billion-euro green industry based on resources we already have.

Phosphorus

The hidden link in every meal. Learn why.

Our call to policymakers

To secure Europe’s food supply, strengthen resilience, and reduce dependence on imports from authoritarian states, EU and national decision-makers must: 

  1. Update EU feed legislation to allow safe, recycled phosphorus from sewage sludge ash. 
  2. Treat recycled materials equally to virgin materials in law and in the market. 
  3. Make polluters pay – so hazardous substances are eliminated at source and don’t block circular innovation. 

With the right political decisions, Europe can close the phosphorus loop, protect our food supply, and create a green, competitive industry. 

By simply revising an outdated annex in its animal feed regulation the EU can create a green billion-euro industry, close the phosphorus loop and strengthen its independence and competitivity.

Join the Swedish initiative

Sweden has now formally proposed that the European Commission update the EU feed regulation to allow the use of recycled phosphorus. The proposal would remove one important legal barrier holding back Europe’s circular transition.

By supporting Sweden’s initiative, other Member States can help unlock a billion-euro green industry, strengthen Europe’s food security, and reduce dependency on imported raw materials. The change is small – but its impact would be huge.

“Sustainability and competitiveness must go hand in hand. Sweden has taken the first step – now it’s time for the rest of Europe to follow,” says Pär Larshans, Chief Sustainability Officer at Ragn-Sells Group.

Sign up for the circular phosphorus newsletter

The e-mail address provided to Ragn-Sells in this notification will only be processed in Ragn-Sells' computer systems and at the mailing distributor (Apsis) to the extent necessary to provide and administer newsletter mailings. You can unsubscribe yourself as a subscriber via a link at the bottom of the newsletter. The email address may also be processed for marketing purposes. Information on the processing of personal data is provided by kommunikation@ragnsells.com, who also receive requests for correction of personal data.

More information about data protection and how we handle personal data