Rare metals: the hidden face of the energy and digital transition

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Rare metals: the hidden face of the energy and digital transition

Guillaume Pitron

Guillaume Pitron is a French journalist, specialist in the geopolitics of raw materials, author and director of documentaries.

Our digital actions, generally perceived as harmless for the environment because they are "dematerialized", actually generate obvious environmental impacts. The manufacturing of their digital supports requires the use of very tangible materials: about thirty so-called "rare" metals (cobalt, tungsten, indium, beryllium, neodymium...). There is therefore a strong "environmental footprint" to our digital strategies. In this conference, Guillaume Pitron highlights that this "materiality of the invisible" must be thought from the design of products until the end of their life, and be precisely evaluated by companies.

Guillaume Pitron is a journalist, author and director of documentaries for the main French channels. He published in 2018, "La guerre des métaux rares - la face cachée de la transition énergétique et numérique" (Editions LLL), winner of 9 awards including the Grand prix BFM-Business du livre d'économie 2018 and the Manpower-HEC Literary Award.

His documentary "La face cachée des énergies vertes" was broadcasted on Arte in November 2020. He is regularly invited to speak on France Inter and France Culture radio stations.

About Guillaume Pitron :
Guillaume Pitron is a French journalist, specialist in the geopolitics of raw materials, author and director of documentaries.