The UK's transition to a circular economy requires a whole systems approach, according to a new series of reports.
The Insight Reports find that while progress is being made across sectors in advancing CE practices in the UK, the pace of the transition towards increased circularity needs to increase - especially if net zero targets are to be met.
They are the thematic insights of the four-year NICER (National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research) programme, the UK's largest circular economy programme, which was funded through a £30 million UKRI investment.
In a circular economy, fewer resources are used and there is less waste, as materials and products are kept in circulation at their highest value for as long as possible.
The reports draw together insight from interdisciplinary research across key circular economy topics including technology innovations; material flow analysis; small and medium-sized enterprises; business and finance perspectives; human behaviour; life cycle assessment; and roadmaps and whole system transitions.
They make the following findings and recommendations:
Technology Innovations Insight Report: Stresses the importance of products being designed with circularity in mind and lists current initiatives and strategies including Multisensory Virtual Reality, Electromyography (EMG) bracelets and the The Circular Shirt Builder (CSB), a physical apparel configurator designed to engage consumers in the co-creation of modular shirts.
Business and Finance Perspectives Report: Urges businesses to integrate CE principles into business strategies and culture, to ensure economic benefits for all partners and foster a shared understanding of the big picture and enable proactive management.
Material Flow Analysis Report: Summarises nine key insights on the principles and benefits of analysing material flow in the circular transition, which include recommending that the universal classification of materials and activities can improve data transparency, sharing and utility.
Roadmaps and Whole Systems Transitions Report: The report on developing roadmaps for a circular economy includes recommendations on the understanding and use of data, as well as collaboration across stakeholder groups. It also stresses that success in road mapping depends on buy-in from government and stakeholders, as well funding to keep roadmaps up to date.
Small and Medium Enterprises and the Circular Economy Report: Includes the recommendation that SMEs experiment with circular business models, as well as adopt a whole-systems approach to circularity that moves beyond superficial measures, such as the use of recycled materials or components.
Human Behaviour and the Circular Economy Report: Includes insight on the psychological and systemic factors that influence human behaviours when interacting with a circular product, and the importance of these considerations to circular design.
Life Cycle Assessment and the Circular Economy report: This report on assessing the life cycle of products and materials provides guidelines on scope, methodology, data and communication. Among its insights it urges that stakeholders adopt a life cycle perspective and understand the material flows for more reliable analysis.
In a statement, the Co-Directors of NICER's coordinating CE-Hub, Professors Peter Hopkinson and Fiona Charnley from the University of Exeter, said: "The NICER Insight Reports give evidence of proof-of-value to policy-makers, consumers and businesses, providing many examples of circular innovations and activities that will help them gain an understanding of the solutions that enable circular resource flows, while driving knowledge exchange and ensuring research is embedded with stakeholders.
"While there's still much work to do, especially to scale up a circular economy, the Insight Reports show that the progress we've made has been phenomenal."
The reports are a collaborative output, drawing together the work and findings of five Circular Economy Research Centres, each focused on a specialty material flow, and the programme's coordinating CE-Hub.
They are the National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research Hub (CE-Hub) at the University of Exeter; the Textiles Circularity Centre (TCC) at the Royal College of Art; the Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centre for Mineral-based Construction Materials (ICEC-MCM) at University College London; the National Interdisciplinary Centre for the Circular Chemical Economy (CircularChem) led by Surrey University; the Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centre for Technology Metals (Met4Tech) led by the University of Exeter; and the Interdisciplinary Centre for Circular Metals (CircularMetal), led by Brunel University London.
