25 May 2021
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3 min read
New research hub based at the University of Exeter aims to co-ordinate national research efforts to advance the development of circular economy business models
Some of the UK's leading academics and researchers are to spearhead national efforts to create a 'circular economy' through the launch this week of a major new Circular Economy Hub.
Led by the University of Exeter, the National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Hub is being funded by £3.5m from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and forms part of the wider National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research (NICER) programme, a £30m UKRI investment comprising 34 universities and 200 industry partners all working towards the creation of a circular economy in the UK.
The hub will work alongside five research centres, which were launched last November to advance different components of the circular economy and explore how reusing waste materials in the textile, construction, chemicals, and metal industries could deliver massive environmental benefits and a boost to the economy. The hub will provide national leadership to support the exchange of knowledge across the five centres and co-ordinate with the UK's wider research and innovation landscape.
Advocates of circular economies argue that delivering on the goals of the Paris Agreement will require a drastic shift in the way economies produce and consume materials. According to ONS data, each person in the UK uses around 14 tonnes of materials every year: the equivalent to 12 family cars. Analysis from Stockholm Environment Institute found three planets' worth of resources would be needed to support this level of consumption the world over.
Professor Charnley, one of the heads of the hub from the University of Exeter Business School, said the initiative will help position the UK as "thought-leaders" in this growing field.
"As a country, we need to radically change how we use resources and by bringing together and harnessing expertise from academia, business and government we can enable that transformation," she added.
A week-long virtual event this week is set to launch the programme, with various workshops and speakers including Gideon Henderson, chief scientific adviser at DEFRA. Talks will include addressing what a future circular economy would actually look like, how to influence UK policy, and how best to engage the public with circular economy innovations.
"The UK economy consumes over one billion tonnes of materials every year, or around 17 tonnes per person, contributing to carbon emissions, a huge amount of unnecessary waste and environmental damage," said Professor Hopkinson, one of the other hub leads. "This is set to continue to grow unless we take radical action to shift the current linear economy towards a circular economy. This programme will show how this can be done at speed and scale."
The hub will also develop the UK's first circular economy observatory, which aims to improve the quality of circular economy-related data and support for the UK's road map towards a more circular and net zero emission economy.
The launch was welcomed by UK Science Minister, Amanda Solloway, who said: "Building a circular economy that reduces waste and reuses products and materials will help us clean up our environment while enabling businesses to grow. This new national hub, spearheaded by the University of Exeter, will bring together some of our most talented researchers to work directly with industry, from construction to textiles, on their efforts to reuse waste and help boost the economy as we build back greener."
