IOM3 signs joint letter calling for a UK Materials Strategy
IOM3 has partnered with The Geological Society, Royal Academy of Engineering and Royal Society of Chemistry to call on government to establish a UK Materials Strategy.
The joint letter to ministers calls for a cross-government, cross-sector, strategic approach to the sustainable use and management of materials in the UK. A version of this letter is included in today's Times newspaper.
The letter highlights that the UK’s population consumes around 15.3 tonnes of materials per person per year, which is more than 20% more than the global average. Not only does this mean the UK is contributing disproportionately to the problem of unsustainable materials use, but also:
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The economic value that these materials have is lost from the UK economy if they end up in landfill, incineration or are exported abroad, with some estimates suggesting that at present as little as 7.5% of materials are circled back into the UK economy.
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Materials are vital to meet the UK’s net zero commitments as well as across a range of other sectors including healthcare, defence and electronics, and there is significant global demand for these materials. Unresolved imbalances between supply and demand pose risks to UK economic growth and national energy security.
As outlined in the priorities IOM3 set out for UK government earlier this year, a strategic approach to materials that covers the full life cycle is essential to maximise the benefit to the UK. It must serve all the different government departments and shift away from the from the current approach which assumes that materials challenges will be largely overcome by the end use sectors, to a more holistic view of our future needs.
Crucial steps will be to develop a national mechanism to map and track stocks and flows of materials, improve design practices and policy frameworks that keep materials in circulation at their highest value for as long as possible, and set an overall goal of reducing UK resource consumption.
IOM3 CEO Dr Colin Church FIMMM CEnv CRWM MCIWM said, ‘A proper focus and strategic approach to materials, minerals and mining is vital to the UK’s economic, social and environmental development. This includes competitiveness, national security and reaching net-zero. It’s encouraging to see momentum building on this important agenda and good to work with partners to further raise awareness and scale impact. IOM3 looks forward to continuing engagement with relevant government teams and key stakeholders on this priority issue.’
