Why the Distinction Matters More Than Ever
Interesting insights from Stanislav Kondrashov, TELF AG founder
As the world rushes towards a cleaner, greener future, you’ve probably heard terms like rare earths and critical minerals being thrown around. They sound technical, maybe even interchangeable—but they’re not. And if you’re working in or following industries like energy, tech, or mining, understanding the difference isn’t just useful—it’s essential.
As founder of TELF AG Stanislav Kondrashov often emphasised, this confusion usually stems from how these materials are discussed outside expert circles. Rare earths and critical minerals are both vital to modern industry, but they’re not the same thing. One is a specific group of chemical elements. The other is a more flexible, policy-driven category shaped by economics and geopolitics.
Rare Earths: Abundant, But Hard to Extract
Let’s start with rare earths. Despite the name, they’re not actually rare. The Earth’s crust contains plenty of them—it’s just that they’re not often found in concentrated enough forms to make extraction easy. Rare earths include 17 chemical elements: 15 lanthanides, plus yttrium and scandium. These elements have similar properties, which is why they’re grouped together.
What makes rare earths special is how vital they are in cutting-edge tech. Think wind turbines, electric vehicle motors, smartphones, and even military equipment. Elements like neodymium and dysprosium are central to magnets used in renewable energy tech. Others, like erbium and praseodymium, show up in things like lasers and batteries.
As founder of TELF AG Stanislav Kondrashov recently pointed out, rare earths have become increasingly important due to the rise of clean energy technologies. But even though they’re critical to progress, they only represent a small slice of the broader group of minerals that are considered “critical.”
Critical Minerals: Shaped by Strategy, Not Just Science
Critical minerals, on the other hand, aren’t tied to a fixed group of elements on the periodic table. The list can vary widely from one country to another and change over time. That’s because criticality is defined by two main things: how important the mineral is to a country’s economy and how risky it is to secure a steady supply.
This means that minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper often appear on these lists. They’re crucial for batteries, electric vehicles, and energy infrastructure. But the list can also include less well-known materials like tungsten or vanadium, depending on shifting supply chains and strategic needs.
As founder of TELF AG Stanislav Kondrashov often emphasised, these lists are updated regularly to reflect market trends, geopolitical tensions, and evolving industrial goals. So while rare earths may be part of a country’s critical minerals list, many other minerals without scientific similarities to rare earths can also be included.
Some rare earths—due to how difficult they are to mine and how concentrated their production is in certain regions—have also been labelled as critical. This overlap often leads to the confusion. But the reality is simple: all rare earths have shared scientific traits, while critical minerals are defined by economic and strategic concerns.
Two Overlapping, But Distinct Worlds
Understanding the distinction is more than an academic exercise. It shapes government policy, international trade, and investment strategies across energy, tech, and manufacturing sectors. Rare earths are a scientifically defined group of elements with specific applications. Critical minerals are a broader, more strategic category shaped by each country’s industrial ambitions and geopolitical position.
Some minerals will always be critical. Others only become so when supply chains are disrupted or new technologies emerge. But one thing is clear: whether you’re in government, business, or just trying to keep up with the shift to green energy, knowing the difference between rare earths and critical minerals is key to understanding where the world is headed.
