What UK - Anglo American does

Anglo American's UK Crop Nutrients business is developing the Woodsmith Project, a deep polyhalite mine beneath the North York Moors National Park in North Yorkshire. Two mine shafts extend more than 1,600 metres below surface to access what the company describes as the world's largest known polyhalite deposit. Ore is transported via a 37-kilometre underground tunnel to a materials handling facility and port on Teesside, where it is granulated via simple crushing with no chemical processing, yielding an almost 1:1 ore-to-product ratio and producing POLY4, a low-carbon multi-nutrient fertiliser containing potassium, sulphur, magnesium and calcium.

POLY4 is positioned as a premium, organically certified fertiliser for both conventional and organic farming. Its performance is supported by a decade-long global agronomy programme comprising 921 replicated field trials across 47 crops in 33 countries, independently validated by ADAS and published in the Agronomy Journal of the American Society of Agronomy, demonstrating a consistent 3-5% yield uplift versus standard NPK programmes. Complementary research partnerships with the IAEA/FAO (soil salinisation) and Biome Makers (BeCrop soil microbiome analysis) reinforce the scientific positioning.

The business operates a B2B export model: bulk POLY4 is shipped from the Teesside port to global agricultural markets, sold via a dedicated commercial team with agronomist-led technical support and partnerships with distributors and farming networks. Per-tonne pricing is not publicly disclosed. The project is currently under construction, with the bulk of revenue expected to come from international rather than UK markets once commercial production begins. The Woodsmith Project was acquired by Anglo American plc in March 2020; construction began in 2017 under previous ownership, and the project remains in pre-commercial development with a workforce of approximately 2,000 (1,400 local).

Name

UK - Anglo American

Legal name

Anglo American plc

Website

https://uk.angloamerican.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Anglo American's UK Crop Nutrients business is developing the Woodsmith Project, a polyhalite mine in North Yorkshire producing POLY4, a low-carbon multi-nutrient fertiliser (K, S, Mg, Ca) for export to global commercial and organic farming operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fertiliser Mining and Manufacturing

NAICS

Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531), Phosphatic Fertilizer Manufacturing (325312)

SIC

Mining & Quarrying Of Nonmetallic Minerals (No Fuels) (1400)

akta.pro primary industry

Secondary Nutrient Fertilizers (Sulfur, Calcium, Magnesium) (AFABABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Soil Amendments & Conditioners (Lime/Gypsum/Humates) (IMAEAEAH), Phosphate Rock Mining (IMAKAGAA), Phosphate Fertilizers (MAP/DAP/TSP) (IMAEAEAB)

Keywords

• Polyhalite fertiliser production
• Multi-nutrient crop fertilisers
• Mining and mineral processing
• Sustainable agriculture inputs
• Bulk fertiliser exports

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. POLY4 Fertilisers Export and Sales: Anglo American's Crop Nutrients business generates revenue through the production and sale of POLY4 polyhalite fertiliser from the Woodsmith Mine. The majority of production is exported to overseas markets. POLY4 is sold as a premium multi-nutrient fertiliser for both conventional and organic farming, with a low carbon footprint and proven yield improvements of 3-5%. Revenue model is product sales — one-time transactions for bulk fertiliser shipments to global agricultural markets, complemented by direct commercial relationships with distributors and farming cooperatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Anglo American's UK Crop Nutrients business extracts polyhalite ore from the Woodsmith Mine in North Yorkshire and processes it into POLY4, a low-carbon, multi-nutrient granulated fertiliser containing potassium, sulphur, magnesium, and calcium. The majority of production is exported from the Teesside port facility to global agricultural markets, with technical agronomic support provided to commercial farming customers.

Product overview

Anglo American's UK Crop Nutrients business operates as a mining and agricultural products company focused on sustainable crop nutrition. The core product portfolio centres on POLY4, a multi-nutrient granulated fertiliser made from polyhalite—a naturally occurring mineral extracted from the Woodsmith Mine in North Yorkshire. The Woodsmith Mine project includes underground mining infrastructure and a 37-kilometre mineral transportation tunnel to Teesside for processing and export. POLY4 is sold as a low-carbon, organic-certified fertiliser for conventional and organic farming, targeting global agricultural markets with documented yield improvements of 3-5%.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• POLY4: Flagship multi-nutrient granulated fertiliser product made from naturally occurring polyhalite mineral, containing potassium, sulphur, magnesium and calcium. Suitable for conventional and organic farming with 3-5% yield improvement demonstrated globally.
• Woodsmith Project
• Thriving Communities
• Achieve
• Great Days
• Turning Tides

Products and services

• POLY4 Multi-Nutrient Fertiliser

Quantifiable outcome

• 3-5% median yield uplift globally compared to standard NPK and NPKS fertilisation programmes (921 trials, 47 crops, 33 countries)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Biome MakerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 March 2025Soil trials collaboration using Biome Makers' BeCrop proprietary microbiome analysis tools and global soil database to verify how POLY4 influences soil microbiome composition and functionality. Trials conducted on tomatoes and wheat in Spain confirmed POLY4 preserves native soil microbiome biodiversity and boosts microbial nutrient mobilisation of potassium, calcium, and chlorine, improving plant nutrient uptake and development.
• IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 November 2024Five-year research partnership between Anglo American and the IAEA (in collaboration with the FAO) to research polyhalite's effectiveness on mitigating soil salinisation and enhancing crop productivity in a changing climate. The project uses isotopic techniques to assess how polyhalite could help reduce high salt levels in soil — a major factor in soil degradation globally affecting 932 million hectares of land. Anglo American will produce polyhalite from the Woodsmith Mine for use in the research.
• ADAScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerADAS, a leading independent UK research institution, independently validated the yield meta-analysis of polyhalite's performance across diverse soil, crop, and environmental conditions — the peer-reviewed study published in the Agronomy Journal of the American Society of Agronomy.
• North York Moors National Park AuthoritycoreOthersRegulatory partnership and working relationship with the National Park Authority for the Woodsmith Project located within the North York Moors National Park. Anglo American works with the Authority on planning, environmental compliance, and sustainable mining practices. Includes Section 106 agreements totalling £170 million over the lifetime of the planning permission.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Sirius Minerals: Sirius Minerals was the original developer of the Woodsmith Project before its acquisition by Anglo American in March 2020. While no longer operating as an independent company, it remains the closest historical analogue and reference point for the Woodsmith/POLY4 business model.

Broad incumbents

• CF Industries Holdings: CF Industries is the largest North American producer of nitrogen fertilizers and a growing player in low-carbon ammonia. While primarily nitrogen-focused, it competes with POLY4 for share of farmer fertilizer spend and increasingly in low-carbon crop nutrition.
• Nutrien Ltd: Nutrien is the world's largest crop inputs and services provider, offering potash, nitrogen, phosphate and specialty fertilizers. As a broad incumbent with global distribution, it competes with POLY4 in the overall fertilizer market and represents the dominant scale player Anglo American must position against.
• Mosaic Company: Mosaic is one of the world's largest producers of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients. It competes with POLY4 across the multi-nutrient fertilizer market, particularly in row crops and broad-acre farming applications.
• Yara International: Yara is a Norwegian global fertilizer major with a strong specialty fertilizer portfolio focused on crop nutrition and sustainable agriculture. It competes with POLY4 in the premium, sustainability-positioned fertilizer segment targeting yield improvement and nutrient use efficiency.
• OCI Global: OCI Global is a leading nitrogen, methanol and low-carbon fertilizer producer with global distribution. It competes with POLY4 in the broader crop nutrient market and overlaps in the sustainability/low-carbon positioning for agricultural buyers.
• BHP Group: BHP is a global mining major that developed the Jansen potash project in Saskatchewan as a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar entry into the potash fertilizer market. It is highly comparable as a diversified miner making a major capital-intensive move into the fertilizer end-market.

Direct peers

• K+S AG: K+S is a German-based potash and salt miner producing SOP (sulphate of potash) and MOP, competing directly with POLY4 in the potassium-based multi-nutrient fertilizer market for agricultural applications globally.
• ICL Group: Israel Chemicals (ICL) is a global specialty fertilizer and mineral products company that produces polyhalite directly from the Sefarad project in Spain, making it the closest direct competitor to Anglo American's POLY4 in the polyhalite-based multi-nutrient fertilizer category.

Emerging players

• Compass Minerals: Compass Minerals produces specialty plant nutrition products including sulphate of potash (SOP) and offers adjacent soil-health and water-treatment minerals. It competes with POLY4 in the chloride-free, specialty potassium segment targeting high-value and chloride-sensitive crops.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AngloAmericanUK
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/angloamerican
• Facebookfacebook.com/angloamerican
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/anglo-american-uk
• Instagraminstagram.com/angloamericanplc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UK - Anglo American