New joint report warns skills shortages threaten circular economy progress
2nd October 2025
A new report by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) and the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) warns that skills shortages threaten to hold back the transition to a circular economy.
IChemE, IOM3 and the RSC have published a new report highlighting the urgent skills gaps and challenges facing the UK to develop the workforce required to deliver a successful circular economy, as well as setting out steps to address those challenges.
The report draws on insights from across industry, academia, education and training providers and policymakers, and calls for recognition of the fundamental role chemical and materials science and engineering play in realising the opportunities offered by greater circularity, including securing growth and building supply chain resilience.
The UK consumes 15.3 tonnes of materials per person each year – roughly double what is considered sustainable – with over 90% of those materials lost to the economy at the end-of-life. Transitioning away from this linear approach to materials consumption to a circular economy is a pressing imperative, but this can only be achieved with the right jobs and skills.
Worryingly, the report found shortages in chemical process engineering, research and development, and metallurgical processes and techniques – all of which were identified as key sectors for a successful circular economy. In addition, important job roles such as chemical engineer, materials engineer, and environmental engineer/consultant are experiencing significant shortages.
The report highlights the need for long-term policy certainty and stability to support industry investment and individual career choices. It also calls for better awareness of job opportunities, stronger support for the skills pipeline by tackling barriers to education and increasing workforce diversity, an effective approach to regulation, planning and permitting, and greater alignment between government strategies.
“We are facing a serious skills gap when it comes to the circular economy. Industry is seeing deep challenges in sourcing these skills from local, UK-wide, and international markets,” said Duncan Lugton, Head of Policy and Impact at IChemE.
“The scale of this challenge means that we need to be drawing on all the possible sources of talent to make sure we have the workforce needed for the circular economy and addressing the barriers getting in the way of these.
“For instance, Higher Education provides a critical supply of new talent, but this is threatened by financial pressures.” Lugton added: “Reskilling has a crucial role to play in providing the circular economy workforce but is currently being held back by a lack of awareness on transferable skills, pay disparities, and a lack of accessibility of some circular economy jobs. The report makes practical recommendations for how government, industry, education and training providers, professional bodies and the wider community can work together to address these challenges”
Jobs and skills for a circular economy: a cross-sector perspective from the chemical and materials science and engineering communities is based on insights from two online workshops with 47 expert stakeholders across industry, academia, education and training providers and policymakers, and a survey with 54 participants.
The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3)
The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) is a professional engineering, environmental and scientific institution, a registered charity and governed by a Royal Charter. IOM3 supports professionals in materials, minerals, mining and associated technical disciplines to be champions of the transition to a low-carbon, resilient and resource efficient society. With around 13,000 members, IOM3 brings together expertise across the full materials cycle.
The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is the UK’s professional body for the chemical sciences, with over 60,000 members in over 100 countries and a knowledge business that spans the globe. Its members include those working in large multinational companies, small to medium enterprises, researchers, students in universities, teachers and regulators. The RSC works at the heart of the chemical sciences community to create a future that is more open, more green, and more equal.
What is chemical engineering?
Chemical, biochemical and process engineering is the application of science, mathematics and economics in the process of turning raw materials into everyday, and more specialist, products. Professional chemical engineers design, construct and manage process operations all over the world. Energy, pharmaceuticals, food and drink, synthetic fibres and clean drinking water are just some of the industry sectors and products where chemical engineering plays a central role.
IChemE
The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) advances chemical engineering's contribution for the benefit of society. We facilitate the development of chemical engineering professionals and provide connections to a powerful network of around 32,000 members in more than 100 countries.
We support our members in applying their expertise and experience to make an influential contribution to solving major global challenges, and are the only organisation permitted to award Chartered Chemical Engineer status and Professional Process Safety Engineer registration.