Forecasts say the world’s population will reach nine billion by
2050. We’re consuming more resources than ever – between 45-60
billion tonnes of raw materials are extracted every year. If we
carrying on growing at the same rate, this figure could triple
by 2050. Lots of products that have become part of our every-day
lives (such as TVs, cars, computers, glass and pharmaceuticals)
depend on materials like rare earth elements. These are becoming
harder to source. And finding good alternatives for these
materials often isn’t easy. The UK has no virgin stocks of these
materials and like the rest of Europe, we’re heavily reliant on
China for supplies (China supplies a whopping 97% of world
demand).