A UK government committee has warned that the UK is now dangerously dependent on China for critical minerals.
The report confirming the reliance, authired by the Business, innovation, Science and trade sub committee on Economic Security, arms and export controls, relates to the inquiry on critical minerals.
They warn that China’s newfound appetitefor export controls has highlighted how quickly this dependency has become a dangerous vulnerability – especially as the dependency can’t be reversed quickly or easily.
David Gudgeon, Head of External Affairs at Reconomy, the international circular economy specialist, commented: “While the report rightly argues that maximising recycling must be a part of the solution and the Government’s critical minerals strategy is also providing £400m to ramp up domestic production and recycling, even greater focus should be placed on accelerating circularity. Too many valuable materials are still being disposed of or exported abroad rather than recoveredand circulated back into use in the UK. For instance, the report noted that 80 per cent of metal waste was exported rather than recycled at home.
“Specifically, the UK needs to see much greater investment in domestic recycling infrastructure to ensure valuable materials can be recycled domestically. At present, the UK has seen a lot of capacity come out of the market due to high energy costs and competition from cheaper virgin plastics. Additionally, we urge the Government to publish the Circular Economy Growth Plan for England, which was originally expected in Autumn 2025, and set out a clear roadmap for strengthening domestic markets for recycled materials.”
The report claims that the government’s current strategy is ‘at best opaque’, asking for more visibility and backing, as they say they cannot provide Parliament with any confidence that a sufficiently robust plan is in place.
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