of Photonics Technologies: the European Perspective The Leverage Effect

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The Leverage Effect of Photonics Technologies: the European Perspective the market, especially because many of the economically available sources are in the hands of just a few countries. This might lead to a restructuring of the global photonics industry, with severe risks to European companies. Availability of rare earth materials Rare earth materials are a collection of 17 chemical elements that tend to occur in the same ore deposits and exhibit similar chemical properties. Although they are relatively plentiful in the Earth's crust, they are typically dispersed and therefore economically exploitable in a limited number of places. They are crucial to various photonics products (e.g. Ho, Sc, Sm, Er, Tm, Tb, Dy, Yb, Lu, for applications like lasers, sensors, lenses and lighting) because of their specific properties. The limited number of economically exploitable locations is increasingly leading to geopolitical considerations, as these locations in general are outside of Europe (e.g. Brazil, Australia, India, China). E.g. China has regulated the market, moving Chinese manufacturers up the supply chain. Future developments therefore can lead to a reduced position of European companies, as access to these materials can be problematic. Increasing demand for green products is the result of a long term public attention to environmental problems. A societal trend that emphasises the importance of being sustainable is becoming more common. This will include the reduction of energy use, but also recycling, reduced use of toxic materials and reduction of environmental impact in the manufacturing processes. These issues are also relevant to the photonics industry: 134 / 190 ■ The reduction of energy use provides an opportunity for the photonics industry, but also attention to the energy use within the photonic components manufacturing processes should be given. ■ Also, other environmental impact issues are relevant and should be addressed, like toxicity of the components and recycling of materials. As photonics enabled products show a short product life, attention is needed to reduction of environmental impact (cradle to grave).
The Leverage Effect of Photonics Technologies: the European Perspective ■ But even more important is the environmental impact from using photonics-enabled products as often these products introduce additional energy usage. Main messages of environmental drivers of change for the photonics industry: ● The grand challenge on Climate change will mostly provide opportunities for photonics with new products to reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses. This is strongly connected to the role photonics plays in the production of energy and water and environmental monitoring. Increased pressure on availability of fossil fuels and climate change will increase the opportunities. ● A major issue is the availability of rare earth materials. Being a key resource, scarcity of such materials will lead to fundamental issues within the industry. A policy is needed to anticipate this problem and is crucial for the survival of the industry. ● Attention should be given to reducing the environmental impact of both the production and use of photonics-enabled products, as well as to the disposal / recycling of such products at the end of their lifetime. Having a short life and additional energy consumption, this is needed to reduce possible environmental issues. 5.7 Political drivers Innovation and new product developments are being regarded as drivers for economic growth. Public innovation policy has strong influence on the capacities and strategies of industries towards research and innovation, being about 50% of all funding for innovation and research (public and private). The policy directly and indirectly influences decisions, for example research funding, taxation, education, laws and reg- 135 / 190
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