Following the publication of the UK 2024 Criticality Assessment and updated list of critical minerals, Professor Joan Cordiner FREng FRSE FIChemE, Chair of the National Engineering Policy Centre Working Group on Materials and Net Zero, said:
“The growing list of minerals deemed critical to our economy, national security and net zero transition shows just how urgent it is that the UK finds a way to manage our rising demand for them. Too often the focus is on securing more supply of these minerals, without considering how we can use alternatives, use them more efficiently in the first place, and reuse and recycle them. Given the high environmental and social cost of critical materials, the government must develop a strategy to monitor and reduce our demand for critical minerals, which have wide-ranging applications from batteries to steel alloys. The alternative would simply leave the UK’s Industrial Strategy, its Net Zero Strategy and delivery of future infrastructure more vulnerable to chance and unnecessary risk.”
The new Criticality Assessment also follows the National Engineering Policy Centre's recent report on Critical Materials, which includes further recommendations for how to cut the UK's critical material footprint.
Notes for editors
- The National Engineering Policy Centre brings engineering thinking to the heart of policymaking, creating positive impacts for society. We are a partnership of 42 professional engineering organisations that cover the breadth and depth of our profession, led by the Royal Academy of Engineering. Together we provide insights, advice, and practical policy recommendations on complex national and global challenges.