CPI & IfM: A UK-India Partnership for Mineral Circularity

A significant new UK-India partnership brings together CPI, the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) at the University of Cambridge and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay to advance critical mineral innovation and sustainability across industries.

The initiative aims to address the life cycle of essential minerals, from extraction to recycling, to boost modern technology and foster sustainability.

The collaboration includes creating an "observatory" to monitor the supply chain and material flows of critical minerals essential for high-tech industries and clean energy, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and copper.

These minerals are integral to national security, industrial resilience and environmental sustainability, especially as industries shift towards net-zero targets.

The UK Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, recently visited India to announce the partnership, which aligns with the ambitions outlined in the India-UK Roadmap 2030.

This initiative will expand the scope of current UK-India collaborations in advanced technologies, particularly within the energy, manufacturing and materials sectors.

As part of the broader UK-India Technology Security Initiative, the programme is designed to strengthen supply chains and promote stability within both nations.

Building supply chain resilience

As critical minerals underpin the operation of green technologies like wind turbines, lithium-ion batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, a stable and sustainable supply is crucial for energy independence.

However, securing access to these resources and ensuring they can be responsibly mined, refined and recycled is a complex challenge.

To address this, the observatory will leverage industrial data from both nations to support resilient supply chains, improve knowledge of materials and recycling and identify shortages and risks.

The goal is to enable data-driven decision-making that can spot bottlenecks, uncover recycling opportunities and pinpoint vulnerabilities that may hinder mineral supply.

Through this data-sharing network, the observatory will also recommend ways to optimise supply chains in both countries and, in time, could expand its scope to test advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to enhance supply chain reliability.

Professor Tim Minshall, Head of IfM, highlights the urgency of this work: “Given the global challenges related to critical minerals affecting all nations, this programme is extremely important and timely.

"This observatory will play a key role in ensuring that technological innovation can be achieved in a way that is resilient, secure and sustainable.

"We are delighted that this programme is being taken forward as an international partnership, reflecting the fact that addressing critical mineral challenges requires an international approach.”

CPI’s role in developing sustainable technologies

As a central partner in the collaboration, CPI will focus on the industrial challenges associated with critical minerals, launching an Innovation Sprint programme to discover eco-friendly extraction and purification processes.

This approach will see CPI support new manufacturing technologies that aim to reduce environmental impacts and make critical mineral processing greener. By driving innovations to transform these processes, CPI intends to reduce carbon footprints across industries and help transition towards a circular economy.

“Partnerships such as these are going to provide the blueprint for how we solve some of the biggest industrial challenges," explains Dr Arun Harish, Chief Strategy Officer at CPI. 

"By working closely with colleagues in India, we can find opportunities that benefit both nations’ energy security and crucially provide some much-needed answers on how we can move sustainably away from fossil fuels.

"This work will encourage investment in key sectors and eventually help provide economic opportunity for people in the UK and India as we work together to develop the industries of the future.”

The impact of the partnership extends beyond technological advancement. Through mutual investment in research, the initiative aims to enhance knowledge and infrastructure within the critical minerals sector.

It encourages the growth of industries focused on sustainable and efficient mineral use, stimulating economic development and collaboration in both the UK and India.

“The UK-India partnership marks a noteworthy milestone in driving the innovation and sustainability for critical minerals," notes Mrutyunjay Suar, Chairman of BCKIC.

"Both countries aligning their strengths will not only address immediate challenges but also set the platform for long-term collaboration.

"CPI plays a vital role by leading one of these initiatives and catalysing the synergy between industry leaders, academia and research institutes, which is crucial in developing tangible technologies that can add immense value to the critical mineral sector.”

A sustainable path towards net zero

This collaboration also highlights the importance of elemental stewardship, safeguarding access to critical materials while promoting sustainable development.

Professor Paul Anderson, Co-Director of the BCSECM, also shares his insights into the global implications: “Key technologies that underpin the transition to ‘Net Zero’ such as wind turbines, lithium-ion batteries and hydrogen fuel cells are dependent on secure access to critical materials, but the required mineral resources, processing capability and expertise in recycling to ensure this are rarely found in one region alone.

"This landmark UK-India collaboration will promote improved elemental stewardship in both countries and help secure access to the critical materials that will make net zero a reality.”

As the initiative progresses, CPI and its partners look to create long-lasting impacts in sustainable manufacturing, economic resilience and environmental stewardship.

Their shared goal is to drive the transition to a low-carbon future through innovative, collaborative solutions in critical mineral technology.

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