The quality of life we enjoy today is very much dependent on the availability of natural non-renewable resources, formed by geological processes throughout the millions of years of our Earth's history.

Minerals are ingredients in almost all of the products we use, from computers to plastics, from toothpaste to knives and plates. Based on the current consumption, it is estimated that a person in a modern society uses more than one million pounds of rocks and minerals in a lifetime. To be truly sustainable, non-renewable resources must be replenished at the rate of consumption through recycling.