M2i Global has released Episode 3 of The Minerals & Metals Initiative, a podcast hosted by M2i President and CEO Alberto Rosende. The series explores how the global critical minerals supply chain is transforming at a moment when resilience, innovation, and responsible policy leadership are more urgent than ever.
In this episode, Alberto speaks with Hugo Schumann, Founder and CEO of EverMetal Capital and CEO of Elemental USA, about the critical role of metals recycling in reshaping the world’s mineral supply chain. Together, they examine how a circular economy can help reduce U.S. dependence on imported materials, strengthen industrial capacity, and accelerate the nation’s path toward resource resilience and national security.
Schumann underscores the urgency: today, only 20–30% of U.S. metals are recycled, meaning up to 80% end up in landfills. His mission through EverMetal is to reverse that imbalance by acquiring and modernizing recycling companies across the country, and transforming a fragmented industry into a cohesive, high-efficiency platform that rivals foreign competitors in both capacity and sustainability.
Episode 3 Highlights:
- A broken loop: Why the U.S. recycles less than one-third of its metals and how that loss undermines national security.
- The roll-up revolution: How EverMetal Capital is consolidating and professionalizing recycling operations to build scale and innovation capacity.
- Circular economy infrastructure: The need for better consumer incentives, OEM take-back programs, and federal investment to capture lost materials.
- Fair pricing and resilience: Schumann’s call for baseline price guarantees, innovation hubs, and transatlantic cooperation to help U.S. recyclers compete with heavily subsidized foreign industries.
- Global perspective: Lessons from China’s recycling dominance, the EU’s price support strategies, and why cross-border collaboration matters.
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Episode 3: Critical Metals Recycling and the Circular Economy with Hugo Schumann
Available now wherever you get your podcasts.
If you missed Episode 2, listen to our discussion with Mahnaz Khan of Silverado Policy Accelerator on Quad+ alliances and policy-driven supply chain resilience. Listen here.