Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the development of zero emission technology for the metals recycling sector.

The Government has allocated £30 million for research funding through UK Research and Innovation for a four-year programme, launched in January 2021, to establish five circular economy research centres and a central hub. One of the five centres, The Interdisciplinary Centre for Circular Metal, aims to help the UK become the first country to fully recycle and reuse its metals.

Other Government funding, made available through the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, includes:

• The creation of the £289 million Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) and the £34 million Scottish IETF to support industrial sites, including metal recycling facilities, to decarbonise and become more energy efficient. We have recently promoted this funding opportunity with the British Metals Recycling Association.
• Provision of up to £66 million as part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, to help key foundation industries, such as steel, develop innovative technology to reduce energy and resource use.
• Funding of long-term work at the Materials Processing Institute in Teesside to help the UK steel and metals sector improve efficiencies, reduce emissions, and boost competitiveness.