The Royal Mint and Excir Reformation Metals recognised at G7 summit as ‘model for international collaboration’
The Royal Mint’s innovative precious metals recovery partnership with Excir (Canada) has been recognised by the Government of Canada at the G7 Summit as an example of cross-country collaboration, advancing global critical minerals resilience.
Since 2022, The Royal Mint has partnered with Excir to scale up the company’s world-first technology at its purpose-built Reformation Metals facility in south Wales, UK. The process extracts valuable metals such as gold, silver, and platinum from end-of-life electronics such as mobile phones, TVs and laptops, supporting both nations’ ambitions for a circular economy.
The project – which received CAD $500,000 (approximately £295,000) in funding through the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) in collaboration with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – was featured among 25 international initiatives announced by Canada to strengthen critical-minerals supply chains across nine allied nations.
This funding will support the partners’ joint project, alongside WEEE Scotland, to expand the range of metals that can be sustainably recovered from electronic waste.
Recognition of this partnership at Canada’s G7 announcement highlights growing international importance on responsible metal recovery and the strength of UK-Canada scientific collaboration in securing the materials essential for clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and digital technologies.
Sean Millard, Chief Growth Officer of The Royal Mint, said: “It’s an honour to see this innovative partnership between The Royal Mint, Excir, and WEEE Scotland recognised on the global stage.
“It demonstrates how international working can accelerate innovation, with sustainability at the forefront.
“Together we’re proving that critical minerals can be sourced not only responsibly, but renewably.”
Aaron Logan, CEO of Excir, added: “This G7 recognition validates what we've proven through The Royal Mint partnership; that sustainable metal recovery is both an environmental imperative and competitive advantage.
“Together, we've demonstrated our technology at commercial scale, demonstrating that execution builds industry leadership between countries.
“This spotlight by the G7 shows that what we've built isn't just an innovation partnership, it's the foundation for how allied nations will secure critical materials through circular technology.”
