Marie Perrin, a French-American chemist at ETH Zürich, has developed a cleaner method for recovering europium from discarded fluorescent lamps, addressing the environmental impact of rare earth element extraction. Her innovative process minimizes toxic waste and allows for the reuse of chemicals. Perrin, inspired by her scientist parents, co-founded the startup REEcover to promote sustainability in rare earth recovery, and is now expanding her efforts to include other waste sources.