The six platinum group metals (PGMs) platinum, palladium, iridium, rhodium, ruthenium and osmium are not everyday names; in fact, apart from platinum, many people will never have heard of them before.

This website shows just how crucial they are to our daily lives. From fountain pens to aircraft turbines, from anti-cancer drugs to mobile phones, from catalytic converters for automobiles to ceramic glazes, PGMs play a vital role at the heart of everyday living. One in four of the goods manufactured today either contain PGMs or had PGMs play a key role in their manufacture.

PGMs will also be central to our future choices in the fields of power generation, transportation, healthcare and a host of other areas. Found together in nature and similar in their chemical properties, PGMs are located next to each other in the periodic table.

While all PGM's are rare, they are uniquely durable and can be used extremely efficiently - meaning that a very little goes a very long way. When recycled, over 96% of PGMs are recovered through highly-efficient recycling techniques. Their recyclability means that they have a uniquely long lifecycle, allowing them to contribute significantly to the protection of the environment by reducing any negative impact which is normally associated with metal waste disposal.

To discover more about the mining and production of PGMs, the applications in which they are used and the way in which they are improving lives every day, explore this site further. But first, to learn more about the individual metals themselves, visit the dedicated sections on platinum, palladium, iridium, rhodium, ruthenium and osmium.