EXCEED’s documentary, Europe’s Lithium Paradox offers a compelling exploration of lithium’s crucial role in Europe’s mission to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent. Simultaneously, the documentary seeks to de-escalate the increasingly polarised debate surrounding critical raw materials in Europe. Through a combination of investigative depth and bridge-building storytelling, Director‑author Peter Tom Jones invites both European civil‑society audiences and the mining & metals sector to confront—and collaboratively resolve—the contradictions at the heart of Europe’s green‑tech ambitions. He calls for breaking free from the lithium trenches and proposes a novel “public engagement” approach. The film argues that Europe cannot achieve climate neutrality without lithium, yet must do so while honouring local environmental, social and cultural values.

The film includes coverage of three mining case-studies, out of which two  are EXCEED’s (Barroso, Beauvoir), while also highlighting Metso’s LiOH refining process and Umicore’s battery recycling (smelter) process.

Since the release of Europe’s Lithium Paradox, EXCEED has elevated the conversation on lithium through its powerful documentary, engaging panel discussions, and targeted press outreach.

The documentary was quickly met with acclaim, earning an award shortly after its release at the Kiez Berlin Film Festival!

Launching of the documentary Europe’s Lithium Paradox

On the 12^th of May 2025, a day before the EIT Raw Material Summit 13-15 May 2025 in Brussels, the trailer of Europe’s Lithium Paradox was launched along with a Press release.

On the 14^th of May 2025, Journeyman Pictures—serving as the official distributor—launched the dedicated page for the 56-minute documentary, which is currently available exclusively through their platform.

Europe’s Lithium Paradox – EVENTS

(One month into the launching of the documentary)

Following the release of the film’s trailer, the documentary has been presented at a series of avant-première events in various locations, each accompanied by a panel discussion. These discussions are tailored to address a topic particularly relevant to the local context, guiding the focus of the debate.

Below is the fixed schedule for Europe’s Lithium Paradox tour in Europe and beyond, including completed avant-première events and upcoming ones in 2025. Those events also feature panel discussions on mining, refining and recycling of lithium in Europe:

• Past events:
  1. Delft (The Netherlands) on 22^nd May – hosted by KNGMG Royal Geological and Mining Society of the Netherlands.
  2. Antwerp (Belgium) on 27^th May – hosted by MATERINEX.
  3. Lisbon (Portugal) on 4^th June – hosted by ASSIMAGRA.
• Coming up events in 2025:
  1. Jequitinhonha Valley (Brazil) – on 9th July (a version with Brazilian subtitles is forthcoming) – hosted by Lithium Business.
  2. Berlin (Germany) on 10^th July – hosted by BDI – Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie.
  3. Freiberg (Germany) on 27^th August – hosted by RECOMINE at ReMining2025.
  4. Talinn (Estonia) on 16^th September – hosted by Geological Survey of Estonia at Social License to Operate conference.
  5. Orléans/Paris (France) in October – location & date yet to be decided.
  6. Leuven (Belgium) on 7^th October – by CHEMCAFE KU Leuven.
  7. Lisbon (Portugal) on 21^st October – by MINEX at MINEX conference.
  8. Hasselt (Belgium) on 22^nd October
  9. Utrecht (The Netherlands) on 25th November – hosted by Utrecht University at “Sustainability Dialogues”

Furthermore, several additional locations/dates are in the planning.

     1. Delft, The Netherlands

On the 22^nd of May, a (closed) sneak preview event of the documentary went very smoothly at the symposium Raw Materials in a Circular Economy that was held at TU Delft (KNGMG Royal Geological and Mining Society of the Netherlands). Following the screening, the film intended to build bridges between the mining industry and civil society, hence there was a refreshing debate on how to move towards “Responsible Mining 2.0”. A new model where local communities are genuine beneficiaries and where local development is key. Main takeaways:

1. Local interests have to be better represented in mining projects, from stakeholder to shareholder.
2. We have to start moving faster to gain strategic autonomy in Europe for our raw materials, within our social and democratic boundaries, but we have to start yesterday, “go slow to go fast”.
3. As a profession we have to increase our efforts to improve the general understanding of  the public of the necessity for raw materials for a prosperous and sustainable society by sharing our knowledge.

  2. Antwerp, Belgium

On the 27^th of May, the first official avant-première of Europe’s Lithium Paradox was held in Antwerp, as part of the invitation-only “What’s Next Materinex” event with an audience of more than 120 invited guests whom are active in the broad Flemish critical raw materials ecosystem.

The event programme featured:

1. A fireside chat with Dr. Ir. Peter Tom Jones (SIM² KU Leuven), during which he outlined his aim to use the documentary as a means of fostering dialogue between European civil society and the mining and metals production sector—seeking connection rather than confrontation.
2. The premiere screening of Europe’s Lithium Paradox.
3. A moderated panel discussion engaging stakeholders from across the value chain.

The full 14-min video of the fireside chat where EXCEED strategic manager, Peter Tom Jones, reaches out to all involved stakeholders to go beyond trench warfare tactics and co-create a Responsible Mining v2.0 paradigm where local communities become active shareholders instead of bystanders.

Following this event, five lessons were distilled by Yanaika Denoyelle (Ortelius) in an excellent blog post. The five key takeaways from that event were:

1. Locals must be stakeholders, not bystanders. Think mining co-ops.
2. No social support without climate literacy.
3. Cheap batteries (like LFP) are not so cheap to recycle.
4. Critical raw materials and energy cost issues must be tackled together.
5. Mining may be messy — but fossil fuels are far worse.

3. Lisbon, Portugal

On the 4th of June, the Portuguese avant-première, organised by ASSIMAGRA, took place in Lisbon (LNEC Conference Centre) with more than 130 participants. Given that three Portuguese lithium mining & refining projects were endorsed by the EU as “Strategic Projects” – Savannah Resources PLC, Lusorecursos and Lifthium Energy – Portugal is considered a key player.

The programme featured:

1. A fireside chat including the EU perspective (EXCEED project officer Susana Xará)
2. Screening of the documentary
3. A moderated panel debate about the future of lithium mining, refining and recycling in Portugal, featuring

The roundtable discussions at the event were open and constructive, tackling not only the technical and economic challenges of mining, but also its social and environmental implications—both within Europe and globally. The documentary was an invitation to critically reconsider our consumption habits and extraction practices, posing a vital question: can we create a circular economy that genuinely honours both people and the planet?

  Europe’s Lithium Paradox event hosted by ASSIMAGRA in Lisbon

Europe’s Lithium Paradox on TV channels across Europe

On the 20^th of June, “Europe’s Lithium Paradox” was featured on RTP on its programme “Bom Dia Portugal”. RTP is the Portuguese national TV station.

And the Finns can mark their calendars for October 27th, 2025, when Europe’s Lithium Paradox will hit television screens nationwide as it airs on YLE, Finland’s state broadcaster!!

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• Presenter: Dr. Ir. Peter Tom Jones (SIM2 KU Leuven)
• Director: Stijn van Baarle
• Producer: STORYRUNNER
• Funding: Horizon Europe LITHOS, Horizon Europe EXCEED, SIM2 KU Leuven & KU Leuven Crowdfunding
• Distributor: Journeyman Pictures
• Awards: Award winner at the Kiez Berlin Film Festival
• Nominated for My Name is Climate Film Festival.