Carester

Carester is a French company specialising in the processing and recycling of rare earth elements. Founded in 2019 by Frédéric Carencotte and headquartered in Lyon, it positions itself as a reference partner for the rare-earth sector, combining technical consulting services with the construction of its own industrial production facility. Its mission is to support mining companies and established producers in developing and optimising rare-earth production processes, while building Caremag, a rare-earth oxide plant in France, with the ambition of becoming a key European player in rare-earth oxide production. Carester's service offering spans the full project lifecycle, from concept studies and process definition to start-up support. It advises mining companies on process development and optimisation, including cost evaluation (capital and operating expenditure), sizing of industrial units, and operational optimisation for established producers. A distinctive area of expertise is the removal of natural radioactivity from rare-earth ores. Carester has developed innovative processes to eliminate radioelements, particularly actinium-227, a decay product of uranium-235 that is especially radiotoxic; removing it is a matter of both product quality and industrial hygiene. The company is also developing Caremag, its own rare-earth oxide production plant located at Lacq in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Caremag is designed to produce pure rare-earth oxides from two main feedstocks: permanent magnets to be recycled and mining concentrates containing heavy rare earths. Described as a pioneer of long-loop recycling, the plant accepts all types of magnets and produces pure rare-earth oxides, enabling full circularity so that new magnets made from these materials retain their original quality. The plant is designed to meet high environmental and digital standards, with innovations to lower CO2 emissions, minimise water consumption, produce no liquid effluent, recycle CO2 on site, and valorise co-products. Caremag aims to serve Europe's growing demand for rare-earth permanent magnets, notably in wind energy and automotive sectors, and to progressively shift towards a predominantly recycling-based model with the ultimate goal of carbon neutrality. According to French Wikipedia, construction of the Lacq plant began in 2025, with start-up planned for late 2026. The facility is designed to recycle two thousand tonnes of magnets per year and process five thousand tonnes of mining concentrates. Production is intended to separate and purify six hundred tonnes of dysprosium and terbium oxides — roughly 15% of world production — as well as eight hundred tonnes of neodymium and praseodymium oxides. The project is financed in part by the French government to the tune of 106 million euros, in a context where France imports about 99.7% of its critical metals needs, and by the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) to the tune of 110 million euros through the joint venture Japan France Rare Earths, so that Japan can reduce its rare-earth dependence on China.

Carester was founded in 2019 by Frédéric Carencotte. The company established its headquarters in Lyon, France, and built its business around rare-earth chemistry and process engineering. From the outset, Carester positioned itself as a specialist partner for the rare-earth sector, offering consulting and engineering services to mining companies and established producers. Its expertise covers process definition, cost evaluation, industrial unit sizing, start-up support, and the removal of natural radioactivity from rare-earth ores — including the elimination of actinium-227, a particularly radiotoxic radionuclide. In parallel with its services business, Carester developed the Caremag project, its own rare-earth oxide production plant. The plant is located at Lacq in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques and is designed to produce pure rare-earth oxides from two main sources: permanent magnets to be recycled and mining concentrates containing heavy rare earths. Caremag is presented as a pioneer of long-loop recycling: it accepts all types of magnets and produces pure rare-earth oxides, enabling full circularity so that new magnets made from these materials retain their original quality. The plant is designed to meet high environmental and digital standards, with innovations to lower CO2 emissions, minimise water consumption, produce no liquid effluent, recycle CO2 on site, and valorise co-products. According to French Wikipedia, construction of the Lacq plant began in 2025, with start-up planned for late 2026. The facility is designed to recycle two thousand tonnes of magnets per year and process five thousand tonnes of mining concentrates. Production is intended to separate and purify six hundred tonnes of dysprosium and terbium oxides — roughly 15% of world production — as well as eight hundred tonnes of neodymium and praseodymium oxides. The project is financed in part by the French government to the tune of 106 million euros, in a context where France imports about 99.7% of its critical metals needs, and by the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) to the tune of 110 million euros through the joint venture Japan France Rare Earths, so that Japan can reduce its rare-earth dependence on China. Caremag aims to serve Europe's growing demand for rare-earth permanent magnets, notably in wind energy and automotive sectors, and to progressively shift towards a predominantly recycling-based model with the ultimate goal of carbon neutrality.

• 2026

  Start-up of the Caremag plant planned for late 2026.

• 2025

  Construction begins at Lacq for the Caremag rare-earth oxide plant.

• 2019

  Carester founded by Frédéric Carencotte.

Reference partner for rare-earth processing, combining consulting expertise with Europe's first industrial rare-earth oxide production unit based on long-loop recycling.

• Rare-earth process definition and optimisation services

  Consulting and engineering for mining companies and producers, from concept studies to start-up support.

• Radioactivity removal processes

  Innovative processes to eliminate radioelements, particularly actinium-227, from rare-earth ores.

• Caremag rare-earth oxide plant

  Under-construction plant at Lacq producing pure rare-earth oxides from recycled magnets and mining concentrates.

1. 1Carester - Votre partenaire de référence pour le traitement des terres rarescarester.fr
2. 2Notre usine - Carestercarester.fr
3. 3Nos services - Carestercarester.fr
4. 4Caresterfr.wikipedia.org
5. 5Caresterwikidata.org