The use of geosynthetics, man-made materials used to improve the properties of soils and rock, is swiftly growing in the mining industry. It is estimated that miners use about 40% of the geosynthetics currently being manufactured and the demand is set to increase.

As InfoMine kicks off Monday the first international conference on the topic, MINING.com and Visual Capitalist have produced this infographic that shows you just how important these materials have become.