Third Round of Funded Circular Economy Feasibility Studies Announced!

Following a competitive process, we are pleased to announce that two innovative projects have been selected for funding via the CE-Hub third and final call for feasibility studies. The projects were selected for their unique and impactful approaches to developing circularity. The funded projects are: 

• Circular Fitout Lab: Using purchasing power to drive change in fitout and retrofit projects 

Research Team: Dr Ryan Nolan (PI), Gudrun Cartwright, Peter Ramsey. Led by the University of Exeter with collaborators BITC. This project aims to address a variety of barriers – organisational, behavioural, economic – that impede the incorporation of circular economy principles and practices in the construction sector. More specifically, we will focus on key actors commissioning fitout and retrofit projects, which pose a considerable challenge for reducing resource consumption and waste generation in the built environment. In 2024, we will be running a Circular Fitout Lab to produce a Joint Statement of Demand – we hope you will join us! The Lab is designed to enable those commissioning fitout projects for offices and retail units to work together, share solutions, and accelerate change at a pace and scale to cut carbon emissions and reduce pressure on nature. Through knowledge exchange we hope to influence behaviour change and shift mindsets, nudging organisational practices towards better utilisation of circular solutions to achieve lower embodied emissions in line with net-zero targets. 

• Crafting the IDEALL Circular Carbon Economy Roadmap – An Inclusive, Diverse, and Equal Circular Carbon Economy for ALL 

Research Team: Oliver Fisher (PI), Thomas Roberts, Peter Craigon, Melis Duyar, Alex Young, Lipsa Nag. Led by the University of Surrey and University of Nottingham. 

Carbon is crucial for fuels and consumer products, but the UK’s chemical sector is the second largest emitter due to fossil-based carbon reliance. The Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) presents an opportunity to reduce carbon emissions by recycling carbon resources in a closed loop system. However, there’s a risk of CCE transition being exclusionary and reinforcing inequalities without considering all societal needs. This project aims to co-develop a roadmap with industry and policy stakeholders that integrates Equality, Diversity and Inclusion considerations into CCE transformation initiatives, ensuring a fair and inclusive future economy. 

These projects have been funded as part of the third round of the CE Hub’s £500,000 CE-Hub Feasibility Study Fund. More information on these projects, including summary videos will be released soon. To find out more about the projects funded in our first and second round in 2021/22, click here. To keep up to date with further updates and announcements relating to the CE-Hub Feasibility Fund, sign up to our quarterly eNewsletter using the form at the bottom of this page. 

Image credit: Skye Studios on Unsplash