The platinum group metals (PGMs) surround and enhance our modern lives. They are woven into the fabric of society, delivering enormous benefits in an almost endless list of applications. Yet despite their immense benefits , most people remain unaware of their presence and just how deeply we rely on them.
PGMs lie at the heart of many critical industries - enabling better health, advancing climate action, and powering the technologies that support a cleaner, healthier and more connected world.
What makes PGMs so unique and irreplaceable?
PGMs bring powerful, unmatched properties – exceptional catalytic activity, durability, circularity and mineral efficiency - qualities so vital that, in most cases, no alternatives exist.
These metals endure where many other materials fail, reliably performing under extreme heat, corrosion, and pressure in the most demanding environments. Remarkably, only small amounts are needed to deliver exceptional performance - and thanks to their high value, PGMs are already recycled at scale in a global system that keeps them continually in use.
While often recognised for their crucial role in catalytic converters and the hydrogen economy, the true significance of PGMs extends far beyond. In applications where reliability, performance, and efficiency matter most, PGMs play a critical and irreplaceable role.
PGMs are widely used throughout the modern industrial economy and in clean energy
PGMs today and into the future
Imagine a world without PGMs and you’ll quickly see how essential they are to modern life. Without them, our vehicles would pollute more, and battery electric vehicles wouldn’t exist. The semiconductors and electronic circuits behind your mobile phone, laptop, and internet connection also depend on PGMs - without them, they wouldn’t function.
Countless chemicals, fertilisers and fuels simply couldn’t be produced, and many lifesaving treatments we rely on would not exist.
Looking to the future, PGMs are essential enablers of the net zero transition, powering a range of sustainable technologies - including clean hydrogen production, fuel cells, and low-carbon industrial processes - even producing materials such as fibreglass for wind turbine blades would not be possible without these powerful metals.
From powering data centres and enabling modern aviation to life-saving medicines and diagnostics, PGMs are at the core of critical technologies. The impact of PGMs is all around us, if we know where to look.
PGMs play a critical role in our everyday lives
Platinum group metals : Catalysing the production of life-saving medicine
From cancer treatments to therapies for pain and autoimmune diseases, the production of many modern medicines relies on complex chemical processes - often involving small molecule drugs. That’s where PGM catalysts come in. They enable the efficient and controllable chemical reactions needed to manufacture many of these small molecule drugs. PGMs can then be recycled, ensuring a sustainable process. PGMs have helped make many life-saving medicines. With their unique catalytic properties, they will continue to enhance and save lives for generations to come.
Discover how PGMs are used in aerospace applications
The platinum group metals (PGMs) enhance our modern lives in ways that most of us are unaware of. They are used to make our day to day activities safer and more efficient helping to develop advances in technology that support a cleaner, safer and healthier world.
Click on the video below to discover how PGMs help to keep you safe during travel.
Platinum group metals : Playing a critical role in todays digital world
Discover more - Understand the materials shaping our world
