Expert Q&A : How different sectors are embracing the circular economy

The concept of the circular economy - which aims to minimise waste and make more efficient use of resources by designing products to be reused, repaired, recycled and remanufactured - is now reshaping most areas of industry and transforming the way that products are designed and made. 

But whilst the sustainability and efficiency benefits of a circular approach straddle every area of industry, the practicalities and challenges of deployment vary from sector to sector. 

The Engineer asked a cross-sector group of experts from some of the UK’s leading engineering organisations how they’re facing up to the circularity challenge.

In this article we hear from Rolls-Royce Plc about its Revert Programme (a company-wide initiative aimed at recovering, recycling and reusing waste materials). We learn about the Warwick University-led CENTS (Circular Economy Network+ in Transportation Systems) programme, an EPSRC-funded research network for the sustainable transport community. We talk to the consultancy Buro Happold about innovative strategies for material reuse in the construction sector, and we see how industrial supplier Schneider Electric is using its technology to help its customers implement circular systems.