The Royal Mint Reformation Metals Partners with the Ministry of Defence

The partnership supports the secure disposal of surplus defence equipment while enabling the recovery and reuse of valuable materials through a circular economy approach. (Pictured, Mark Loveridge, The Royal Mint, and Jennifer Willis, the Deputy Head of the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Defence Equipment Sales Authority (DESA.)

Secure recovery of defence electronics 

The Royal Mint Reformation Metals has partnered with the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Equipment Sales Authority (DESA) to provide a secure and sustainable route for redundant electronic defence equipment. 

Through the partnership, tonnes of retired and surplus non-saleable defence assets will be processed at The Royal Mint’s Reformation Metals facility in South Wales each year, where valuable metals can be recovered from circuit boards and returned to the UK economy. 

Circular recovery for precious metals

Electronic waste remains one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world, with an estimated 7% of the world’s gold contained within discarded electronics (World Energy Council). 

The Royal Mint uses patented technology developed by Canadian clean-tech company Excir to recover gold from circuit boards at ambient temperatures. The recovered gold is then crafted into jewellery by 886 by the Royal Mint. The process helps reduce the environmental impact of electronic waste and supports a more circular approach to precious metals. 

In addition to gold, the facility can recover other valuable materials contained within circuit boards, including silver and copper. These materials can then be purchased by The Royal Mint, to help fulfil its ambition of using sustainably sourced precious metals in its products or returned for reuse by MOD. This reuse of materials helps to maximise value from electronic waste while reducing reliance on newly sourced resources. 

Supporting sustainability and resource resilience 

The partnership reflects shared commitments to sustainability, security and responsible resource recovery. 

Minister for State for Defence, The Earl of Minto, said: “It is fantastic to see this new, innovative technology being used to recycle old defence equipment. Finding new ways to reduce the costs of disposing of our waste whilst minimising our impact on the environment is a valuable area of work.” 

Sean Millard, Chief Growth Officer for The Royal Mint Reformation Metals, said: “At The Royal Mint, sustainability remains front and centre in the decisions we make and the partnerships we form. We’re pleased to announce a partnership with DESA, who will provide a regular source of materials to our Reformation Metals Plant.” 

Richard Whalley, Head DESA, said “DESA is constantly searching for new ways to improve our recycling portfolio by reuse, resale or, as in this case, by recovery of valuable metals which will return to the UK economy.” 

“This innovative partnership with The Royal Mint, successfully delivered by our Innovation Team, is a key enabler for MOD’s continuing sustainability and circular economy journey. It is DESA’s pleasure to work with The Royal Mint to convert redundant non-saleable defence assets into a valuable resource, whilst also reducing disposal costs, minimising environmental impacts and securing the UK’s access to this new source of critical minerals.”  

The Royal Mint’s Reformation Metals facility works with feedstock suppliers across the UK, processing printed circuit boards from electronic devices that contain gold and other valuable recyclable materials. The facility recovers precious metals at scale, helping to retain more value from electronic waste within the UK. 

Discover how your organisation can securely retire IT and electronic assets while recovering more value from printed circuit boards. To learn more about our precious metals recovery solutions, book a call with our team.