Clean Air hero

Cleaner air, healthier people

For almost 50 years, Johnson Matthey has used its expertise in PGM chemistry and catalysis to make a product that has helped save countless lives: the catalytic converter.

Uncover Sabrina's story and how she's making a difference to lives

Sabrina Elix

Industrialisation Lead

“JM is a real pioneer in the autocatalyst market... and as new, tougher air regulations come into effect, we’re already working hard to innovate again. It’s pretty exciting.”

Inspiring science, enhancing life

4.2 million lives

Cleaning the air since 1974

The very first commercial autocatalyst rolled off our production lines nearly 50 years ago!

Are still cut short every year by conditions directly caused by outdoor air pollution

I’m part of JM’s process development team, which takes the work we do in our labs and scales it up for full production. It’s my job to help make our manufacturing plants more efficient. Just recently, I helped build and commission a production line for a brand-new catalyst. JM is a real pioneer in the autocatalyst market: we actually created the world’s first commercial autocatalyst at our plant in Royston, UK, almost 50 years ago. It’s amazing to think about how many people have worked on, and improved, this technology over the years. And as new, even tougher air regulations come into effect, we’re already working hard to innovate again. It’s pretty exciting.

Uncover Sabrina's story and how she's making a difference to lives

What makes working for JM so special is that the focus isn’t just on trying to get as many parts out of a manufacturing plant as possible. It’s all about finding ways to work together to create something that’s going to bring benefit to the world. That’s really rewarding. Every day I feel like the work I do is actually making a difference.

Sabrina Elix

Industrialisation Lead

Decarbonising air travel

Hear from Amelia Cook, Senior Engineer

Read more case studies and see how our people are contributing

But today, despite significant improvements in air quality, around 4.2 million lives are still cut short every year by conditions like lung cancer and stroke directly caused by outdoor air pollution. So we need to continue helping to clean internal combustion engine vehicles while road transport evolves to include a growing share of zero-emission vehicles, such as battery electric and fuel cell electric vehicles. That’s why we’re developing the next generationof catalytic converters to help our customers prepare for the toughest ever regulations, coming first in places like Europe and the USA. We cracked the code for cleaner air back in 1974. Almost 50 years later, we’re still hard at work using our expertise to help the world breathe more easily.

Back in the 1970s, cities like Los Angeles and Tokyo were shrouded in a haze of harmful pollution known as smog. Research showed this smog was largely caused by an atmospheric reaction between nitrogen oxides (NOx) and hydrocarbons, mostly from car exhausts. To combat the problem, authorities around the world began introducing new air quality legislation. That’s where we came in. Thanks to our unique heritage, we understood better than anyone the chemical properties of PGMs and their potential to address vehicle emissions. Five decades later, one in every three new cars on the roads use our catalytic converters. In the process, we created the world’s first circular economy by recycling and reusing the PGMs inside those catalysts.

1 in 3

new cars on the roads contain a catalytic converter made by JM

Unlocking the potential of hydrogen

Accelerating zero emissions transport

Hear from Emily Nesling, R&D Scientist

Read more case studies and see how our people are contributing

A catalytic converter lies between a car's engine and exhaust pipe. it contains catalysts to remove pollutants from the car's engine, by converting them into harmless emissions. Catalytic converters help to clean the air we breathe, protecting us from health problems and our environment from smog, acid rain and pollution.

Hear from Will McDonnell, Research Scientist, and Mark McKenna, Process Technology Manager

Read more case studies and see how our people are contributing

Unlocking the potential of hydrogen

Hear from Will McDonnell, Research Scientist, and Mark McKenna, Process Technology Manager