Sustainability · Environment

We are committed to developing innovative solutions in the precious metals industry to support a circular economy, lower our carbon footprint, and drive responsible sourcing practices.

Our Impact: Sustainable Development Goals

We aim to positively impact the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Our Local Energy Centre

In July 2023, The Royal Mint formally launched its local energy centre (LEC), which helps power its 38-acre manufacturing site in Llantrisant, and is part of its continued commitment to sustainability. 

After unveiling our daffodil-themed wind-turbine in 2018, we’ve now welcomed a new solar farm, an additional wind-turbine, a combined heat and power plant, and battery storage facility, to form The Royal Mint’s Local Energy Centre. 

The LEC generates renewable and lower carbon electricity which is used to help power the whole of The Royal Mint’s site, including its manufacturing areas. 

From Printed Circuit Boards to Gold Jewellery

This year, we have unveiled a pioneering 3,700 square metre facility at our site in south Wales, which uses world-first patented chemistry from Canadian clean tech company Excir to extract gold from printed circuit boards (PCBs) found in everyday items, such as TVs, laptops and mobile phones, in minutes. The factory, capable of processing up to 4,000 tonnes of PCBs from e-waste every year provides a new, more sustainable way to recover gold and reduces our reliance on mining. Recovered gold is already being used in the luxury jewellery collection, 886 by The Royal Mint.

From X-ray film to silver coins

In October 2023, The Royal Mint unveiled its first UK coin to be produced from a blend of silver recovered from medical and industrial x-ray films. The Limited Edition half-ounce silver proof coin formed part of a wider range of commemorative coins produced to celebrate His Majesty King Charles III’s 75th birthday. The silver, recovered and processed in the UK, was used to create refined silver blank disks, and The Royal Mint’s team of craftspeople then combined traditional minting techniques with modern coin making technology to strike an intrinsic design onto each coin.

Silver recovered from medical X-rays was already being used in 886 by The Royal Mint luxury jewellery pieces, however this marked the first release of an official UK coin produced from this unique source of silver. 

Packaging for the future

Packaging is often an intrinsic part of our product offering - providing a means for our customers to display, appreciate, and protect their purchase or gift. We are also working to improve the sustainability of our packaging solutions, based on the principles of decarbonisation, modularity and standardisation, and materials innovation. This year, The Royal Mint launched a partnership with the University of Hull to research and trial more sustainable alternatives to acrylic capsules. Used to both display and protect coins these capsules are one of our most commonly used packaging items, and as is common in the industry, are currently made form petroleum-based plastic. Initial funding for this project was provided by The Royal Mint, with additional funding secured by The University of Hull from The Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF). This is just one of several initiative’s The Royal Mint is undertaking to improve the sustainability of its product and transit packaging, while remaining committed to meeting and enhancing the customer experience.