Sky Medical Technology Ltd, the UK-based parent company of Firstkind Ltd and manufacturer of the innovative geko® device, has announced a landmark partnership with The Royal Mint to recycle end-of-life electronic components, furthering its commitment to sustainability and supporting the UK’s circular economy.
As part of the collaboration, Sky Medical Technology supplies redundant printed circuit boards (PCBs) from its geko and firefly® device production lines—containing traces of gold, silver, copper and other valuable metals—to The Royal Mint’s pioneering South Wales facility. Using its patented, world-first ambient-temperature chemistry, developed by partner Excir, The Royal Mint safely extracts gold from the PCBs. The reclaimed gold is then transformed into The Royal Mint’s exclusive 886 jewellery range.
The initiative represents a significant milestone in Sky Medical Technology’s end-of-life product management and supports its ambition to achieve net zero by 2045. It also shines a spotlight on Wales as a hub for innovation and sustainability: the geko and firefly devices are themselves assembled at Gwalia Healthcare in Wales, making this partnership an important Welsh success story.
Bernard Ross, CEO and Founder of Sky Medical Technology, said:
“At Sky, innovation is always at the heart of what we do – not just in how our medical devices improve patient outcomes, but also in how we manage our environmental impact. Partnering with The Royal Mint allows us to give new life to valuable resources and demonstrates how industry collaboration can accelerate progress towards net zero. We are proud that this work highlights Welsh ingenuity on the global stage.”
Laura Coward, Business Development Manager at The Royal Mint, added:
“Our partnership with Sky Medical Technology showcases how forward-thinking businesses can play a vital role in supporting the UK’s transition to a circular economy. Using our patented chemistry, we are able to safely recover gold from circuit boards and make them into high-end gold jewellery”
This collaboration underlines the power of UK-based partnerships to deliver not only technological innovation but also meaningful progress towards sustainability and resource recovery.
