Johnson Matthey (JM), Sibanye-Stillwater and Valterra Platinum have launched a new multi-year collaboration aimed at developing innovative technologies enabled by platinum group metals (PGMs), as the partners seek to broaden the industrial applications of the metals beyond their dominant use in automotive catalysts.
The programme brings together leading PGM producers with Johnson Matthey’s research and development capabilities to accelerate the journey of new PGM-based products from the research laboratory to commercialisation. The initiative is designed to unlock new sources of industrial demand while supporting solutions to global challenges such as decarbonisation, emissions reduction and resource efficiency.
PGMs – which include platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium and ruthenium – are valued for their exceptional performance, durability and recyclability. Currently, around 60% of global PGM supply is consumed in catalytic converters used to reduce harmful emissions from internal combustion engine vehicles. However, with long-term shifts underway in the automotive sector, the industry has been increasingly focused on diversifying demand.
The new collaboration, described as a multi-million-pound investment, aims to explore and scale technologies that capitalise on the unique properties of PGMs, while leveraging what the partners describe as robust and circular supply chains.
“PGMs are critical to the modern economy, so it’s important we are innovative and ambitious in our efforts to find new applications for these incredible metals,” said Liz Rowsell, chief technology officer at Johnson Matthey. “By coming together, we’re able to create a unique ecosystem to explore opportunities where PGMs could provide even more benefits and progress the technologies that best support the PGM industry and the global economy.”
According to the partners, the programme will initially focus on a range of sectors where PGMs are expected to play an increasingly important role. These include clean hydrogen technologies, enhanced detection and reduction of emissions across both stationary and mobile sources, new electronic materials, and the development of high-performance alloys and other advanced materials.
The collaboration is also expected to grow, with the partners indicating that additional organisations may join in the coming months to further strengthen the research, development and commercialisation pipeline.
Sibanye-Stillwater chief executive Richard Stewart said the initiative was a strategic step towards securing long-term demand for PGMs. “We are pleased to be partnering with JM and Valterra on this critical market development initiative,” he said. “We believe that this collaboration should successfully develop alternative industrial applications for PGMs, securing and diversifying future demand. The focus will be on the entire basket of PGMs and developing a better supply and demand balance for the basket of metals.”
Valterra Platinum chief executive Craig Miller said the collaboration aligned with the company’s focus on sustainability and market development. “PGMs have extraordinary potential, and through this collaboration with JM and Sibanye-Stillwater, we can accelerate innovation that will better our world,” he said. “This reflects our ongoing commitment to creating a sustainable pipeline of PGM-enabled technologies that will define the next era of demand.”
Johnson Matthey, which has more than 200 years of experience in advanced metals chemistry, supplies technologies used by leading energy, chemicals and automotive companies to decarbonise processes and reduce harmful emissions. Sibanye-Stillwater and Valterra Platinum are among the world’s largest producers of PGMs, with operations spanning multiple continents and growing exposure to recycling and circular economy activities.
The partners say the programme represents a concerted effort to position PGMs at the centre of next-generation industrial technologies, at a time when innovation, sustainability and resilient supply chains are becoming increasingly critical to global economic growth.
