Products and Services

Cookson’s products and services can significantly reduce the environmental impact of our customers’ operations. We believe that by continuing to develop innovative products and services we can create leading market positions in profitable businesses which promote sustainability. We therefore maintain R&D spending at a high level and monitor this as a Group level KPI.

For example, our Ceramics division’s steel flow control, linings and foundry products reduce the levels of energy usage and material wastage in the production of steel and foundry castings, markets where we are the world’s leading supplier of consumable ceramics used to handle molten metal. Similarly, our Electronics division is a market leader in the supply of lead -free and halogen -free materials used in the production of electronic equipment.

In the renewable energy field, the Ceramics division is the leading supplier of crucibles used in the production of multi crystalline photovoltaic wafers used to make solar cells and the Electronics division has introduced new products for improved solar cell connectivity.

In recent years we have developed significant metal recycling operations in both our Precious Metals and Electronics divisions. Here we recover and refine our own and customers’ scrap solder and precious metals/jewellery products to produce high purity silver, gold, tin and lead products which can be reintroduced into the supply chain. This has involved building new recycling facilities in the US and China and expanding recycling capacity in Europe. In both Precious Metals and Electronics markets there is an increasing focus on the traceability of these metals to ensure they are obtained from environmentally and ethically sound sources. For example the “Green Gold” and “Conflict Metals” programmes. We work closely with our customers and suppliers in support of these initiatives.