NEW research has revealed that every person in the UK relies on around 5.8 tonnes of mineral products every year.
The findings are contained in the new Profile of the UK Mineral Products Industry – 2025 Edition, published by the Mineral Products Association (MPA).
Mineral products are essential for the delivery of homes, buildings and infrastructure, and critical inputs to other industries including steel, glass, ceramics, paper, chemicals and food production.
In total, the industry supplied 397 million tonnes of mineral products in 2023, generating £6.7 billion in direct gross value added (GVA) and supporting further £253 billion of UK economic activity through its downstream supply chain. The sector also supported 89,000 jobs directly and helped to sustain an estimated 3.4 million jobs in other industries.
“Mineral products are the foundation of the UK economy,” said Aurelie Delannoy, director of economic affairs at the MPA. “Every home, road, hospital, factory – and even every wind turbine and solar panel – starts with these materials. As the UK transitions to a more sustainable, resilient and prosperous future, ensuring the long-term supply of these minerals is critical.”
The report warns that the availability of essential minerals is too often assumed rather than planned, highlighting the continuing decline in permitted reserves of construction aggregates. The MPA said this trend poses risks to future supply and, in turn, to the delivery of infrastructure, housing and net zero goals.
Also highlighted is the industry’s contribution to sustainability, including:
- 63% reduction in CO₂ emissions from UK cement and concrete production since 1990.
- 31% of construction aggregates now sourced from recycled or secondary materials – among the highest rates in Europe.
- 50 years of high-quality quarry restoration, creating over 8,000 hectares of new priority habitats and supporting nature recovery.
Delannoy added, “The minerals underpinning our sector are abundant in the ground, but they need planning, permitting and managing, and should never be taken for granted. Our industry continues to invest in decarbonisation and resource recovery, and has been delivering Biodiversity Net Gain for decades before it became national policy. To be able to sustain the UK’s future growth depends on securing a long-term supply of domestically-sourced essential materials.”
