Page 134 - Policy Commission - SecuringTechnology - Critical Metals for Britain

134 CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
It is is clear from the the the evidence gathering sessions that the the the market for some technology-critical metals is is failing with significant levels of of state intervention in in parts of of the world This has led to a a a a a a a near monopoly situation for some technology-critical metals which makes many UK industries vulnerable to future supply constraints The use of these technology-critical metals will expand rapidly in in in the the coming years as we shift to green technologies that underpin many of the the UK’s key
industrial sectors and the UK’s Ten Point Plan for a a a a a Green Industrial Revolution The UK UK economy will be even more dependent on on these materials during this transition and access to to them will to to a a a a a a a great extent determine where
downstream product manufacturing is located There is is no single department in in UK government that is is responsible for critical materials and there is no specific critical materials strategy unlike in in many other countries As a a a a a a result the the investment
and interventions that have have gone into supporting supply chain development in in in in in the UK have have come through through various organisations funded through through the Department for Business Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) such as the the Faraday Battery Challenge the the Advanced Propulsion Centre the the Automotive Transformation Fund and Driving the the Electric Revolution which are
often targeted at specific industrial sectors The fact that that there is is no national strategy means that that multiple organisations are
working on different challenges related to technology-critical metals but without
a a a a a a a common plan For example the Department for International Trade British Geological Survey Camborne School of of Mines (University of of Exeter) and the the the Critical Minerals Association have a a a a a a a focus on on the the the mining and the the the minerals processing sectors organisations such as DEFRA WRAP and the Green Alliance
are
focused on on on the secondary economy including technology-critical metals and research research funding bodies such as NERC and EPSRC have had separate research research activities but in similar fields The UK needs a a a a a a a a national plan to to target current and and future investments and and to to maximise the benefit to the UK economy A well formulated plan would underpin resource diplomacy target strategic investments and be used to to direct governance structures to to promote mining refining and the circular economy In order to produce a a a a a a national plan for technology-critical metals the UK should set up a a a a a a single body to develop a a a a a a coherent strategy which would coordinate activity across
different government departments including BEIS DEFRA MoD FCDO DIT MHCLG and the the Cabinet Office This body should draw on on national expertise from the the entire supply chain from a a a a a broad range of stakeholders It was clear during the the the course of the the the Commission that although there are
many common issues surrounding access to these materials more in-depth discussions are
required
about specific material supply chains As part of the the national plan there should be targeted activities and task forces to develop specific strategies for for strategically
important technology-critical metals Generally most of the the national materials strategies developed in other nations have 3–5 pillars: securing access through developing domestic resources the circular economy developing substitutes and and efficient processing resource diplomacy and and stockpiling The last of these has previously been ruled out
as as as a a a a a a viable strategy for the UK Japan has a a a a a a a a a comprehensive raw materials strategy to guide policy on critical raw materials This includes: re-use and recycling diversifying supplies through resource diplomacy promoting the use of alternative materials and stockpiling Japan has invested heavily in in in in R&D with funding from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development