_By Jake Thomas, Resource Recycling_
The U.K. is facing a looming "raw material crunch" that could put manufacturers in a serious bind, according to a coalition of environmental and industry groups. Specifically, many are worried about shortages of rare earth metals used in many electronics.
A joint letter from the Material Security Working Group sent to the government warns that if the U.K. doesn't develop a stronger strategy to keep valuable raw materials circulating within the economy there will be significant consequences for the kingdom's manufacturing and high-tech businesses. The group claims that increasing global demand for raw materials and the degradation of ecosystems are already putting new strains on manufacturers, and the situation is likely to get worse. According to the groups, a greater number of essential materials are likely to be increasingly costly.
A recent survey by the manufacturers' group EEF found that 80 percent of senior manufacturing executives considered limited access to raw materials to be a business risk and detriment to growth. One in three said it was their top risk.
Additionally, the MSWG is recommending new restrictions on putting recyclable materials in landfills or waste-to-energy plants. Currently, the value of materials the U.K. buries or burns is estimated to be at least 650 million GBP (over $1 billion) annually, according to Friends of the Earth.
The coalition is calling for a new Office of Resource Management and hopes that the government makes its Resource Security Action Plan more ambitious.
A spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs told the [_Guardian_][1]:
> "The resource security action plan we published this year sets our plans – including a new circular economy task force led by the Green Alliance to encourage better ways of keeping materials in supply chains, a competition to come up with new methods of re-using or recycling precious materials, and further work by WRAP (Waste and Resource Action Programme) to better understand the flow of critical materials in the economy. We are working with businesses to strengthen our approach to protecting our economy against materials supply risks, and welcome the EEF's contribution."
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[1]: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/aug/20/rare-earth-metals-resources-landfill-waste?newsfeed=true
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