Circular4.0: Data Driven Intelligence for a Circular Economy
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
Department Name: Business and Management
Abstract
Circular approaches to design, manufacture and services are proposed as one of the most significant opportunities to radically re-think how we use and re-use finite resources. Pairing the digital revolution with the principles of a Circular Economy (CE) has the potential to radically transform the industrial landscape and its relationship to materials and finite resources, thus unlocking additional value for the manufacturing sector. Despite meaningful success by a handful of manufacturers to move towards more sustainable practices through the use of data-driven intelligence, it is unclear which CE strategy is the most valuable for a business and at what time in a products lifecycle it should be implemented. As such, this research aims to identify how data from products in use can inform intelligent decisions surrounding the implementation of Circular Economy strategies so as to accelerate the implementation of circular approaches to resource use within UK manufacturing.
Multiple research efforts and best practice examples have shown that a transition towards a Circular Economy can bring about lasting benefits from a more innovative, resilient and productive economy. This is particularly prevalent for manufacturing as it offers one of the biggest potentials for economic and environmental impact of any sector. It is estimated that materials savings alone in the European Union could amount to USD 630 billion. Digital technology is rapidly becoming a key enabler for unlocking the value from Circular Economy strategies with an estimated 10 billion physical objects with embedded information technology already in existence today and a predicted 50 billion in use by 2020. For the manufacturing sector, the ability to monitor and manage objects in the physical world electronically through data-driven decision-making changes the way that value is created. The capture and analysis of data streams between manufacturing, product and user is already enabling organisations to decouple manufacturing growth from resource consumption through new service offerings, providing customers with added value such as financial savings and safety improvement, and enabling organisations to shift their business model from selling to leasing. This shift in ownership, enabled through access to the right data, brings about a need for manufacturers to design products that last and to integrate processes such as remanufacturing to enable materials and resources to be cycled as many times as possible resulting in significant environmental savings, job creation and up-skilling associated with the development of new processes. Through harnessing digital technological advances to inform decisions on Circular Economy strategies, this research has the opportunity to radically transform UK manufacturing and enable the sector to capture significant value from a Circular Economy that is currently being lost.
The originality of this research lies in using data-driven intelligence to optimise the selection of CE strategies for products and the timings of intervention in the product lifecycle. This challenging three year project will bring together an internationally renowned team of experts in Circular Innovation, Manufacturing Informatics and Information Theory from Cranfield University and University of Sheffield drawing on leading-edge strengths of the host institutions and international connections with research communities, companies, business intermediaries and governance at national and international scales. The research team will partner with key players across the manufacturing sector, capable of initiating system level change, to develop novel methods for acquiring and integrating new data streams, uncovering exciting opportunities for new value creation within manufacturing organisations and enabling informed circular interventions surrounding the manufacture and use of products.
Multiple research efforts and best practice examples have shown that a transition towards a Circular Economy can bring about lasting benefits from a more innovative, resilient and productive economy. This is particularly prevalent for manufacturing as it offers one of the biggest potentials for economic and environmental impact of any sector. It is estimated that materials savings alone in the European Union could amount to USD 630 billion. Digital technology is rapidly becoming a key enabler for unlocking the value from Circular Economy strategies with an estimated 10 billion physical objects with embedded information technology already in existence today and a predicted 50 billion in use by 2020. For the manufacturing sector, the ability to monitor and manage objects in the physical world electronically through data-driven decision-making changes the way that value is created. The capture and analysis of data streams between manufacturing, product and user is already enabling organisations to decouple manufacturing growth from resource consumption through new service offerings, providing customers with added value such as financial savings and safety improvement, and enabling organisations to shift their business model from selling to leasing. This shift in ownership, enabled through access to the right data, brings about a need for manufacturers to design products that last and to integrate processes such as remanufacturing to enable materials and resources to be cycled as many times as possible resulting in significant environmental savings, job creation and up-skilling associated with the development of new processes. Through harnessing digital technological advances to inform decisions on Circular Economy strategies, this research has the opportunity to radically transform UK manufacturing and enable the sector to capture significant value from a Circular Economy that is currently being lost.
The originality of this research lies in using data-driven intelligence to optimise the selection of CE strategies for products and the timings of intervention in the product lifecycle. This challenging three year project will bring together an internationally renowned team of experts in Circular Innovation, Manufacturing Informatics and Information Theory from Cranfield University and University of Sheffield drawing on leading-edge strengths of the host institutions and international connections with research communities, companies, business intermediaries and governance at national and international scales. The research team will partner with key players across the manufacturing sector, capable of initiating system level change, to develop novel methods for acquiring and integrating new data streams, uncovering exciting opportunities for new value creation within manufacturing organisations and enabling informed circular interventions surrounding the manufacture and use of products.
Planned Impact
The research project Circular 4.0 aims to identify how data from products in use can inform intelligent decisions surrounding the implementation of Circular Economy (CE) strategies so as to accelerate the implementation of circular approaches to resource use within UK manufacturing. The impact generated in terms of new knowledge, novel methodologies, use case demonstration, new collaborations and future research opportunities will be the measures of success of the research over the three-year programme and its legacy beyond. A broad community of national and international academics, experts, user groups, government, policy makers and industrial organisations, within and beyond the manufacture of engineering products, will directly benefit from the new scientific knowledge and theoretical advancement created through activities, research findings and multi-media outputs of the research over the three-year duration.
Research at the interfaces of the CE, Manufacturing Informatics and Information Theory within the context of the UK manufacturing sector presents significant economic, social, environmental and technological opportunities to be realised over the next 2, 5 and 10 years. Transitioning towards a CE is estimated to be worth $4.5 trillion to our global economy with UK businesses predicted to benefit by up to £23 billion per year through low cost or no cost improvements in the efficient use of resources. New knowledge, tools and methodologies developed through this research will enable organisations to capture data throughout the lifecycle of their products and make informed decisions on the most appropriate CE strategy for their products. The identification and combination of new data streams will enable UK manufacturers to realise new methods of value creation and implement new business models such as service provision and remanufacturing that are decoupled from resource use and fluctuating costs of raw materials.
The growth in global big data technology and services is predicted to reach USD 16.9 billion with the number of big data staff specialists set to increase by 240% over the next five years in the UK alone. The research challenges to be investigated will contribute to understanding of the skills and training required for interpreting data and using novel data combinations to transform industries ensuring that the UK can take full advantage of opportunities for job creation within the fields of CE, Manufacturing Informatics and Information Theory.
The research has the potential to re-define resource use within UK manufacturing by changing the economics and organisation of manufacturing organisations. This can be achieved by providing Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and their supply chains with new competitive advantage through data-driven insights into their products for implementing CE strategies, such as increasing utilisation, product life extension and end-of-current-life. Furthermore, organisations will have the ability to re-capture and re-deploy valuable materials and resources, therefore reducing the cost of raw materials and increasing the profit margin for their products and services. A revolutionised understanding of the interactions between products, users and manufacturers will inform opportunities for new services and circular business models through which the organisation will retain ownership of assets, significantly reducing the amount of materials that are currently downgraded or end up as landfill. The key beneficiaries of this research will be manufacturers and their supply and distribution partners, end users, policy makers, government and national and international academics across the fields of circular innovation, manufacturing, digital technology and information theory.
Research at the interfaces of the CE, Manufacturing Informatics and Information Theory within the context of the UK manufacturing sector presents significant economic, social, environmental and technological opportunities to be realised over the next 2, 5 and 10 years. Transitioning towards a CE is estimated to be worth $4.5 trillion to our global economy with UK businesses predicted to benefit by up to £23 billion per year through low cost or no cost improvements in the efficient use of resources. New knowledge, tools and methodologies developed through this research will enable organisations to capture data throughout the lifecycle of their products and make informed decisions on the most appropriate CE strategy for their products. The identification and combination of new data streams will enable UK manufacturers to realise new methods of value creation and implement new business models such as service provision and remanufacturing that are decoupled from resource use and fluctuating costs of raw materials.
The growth in global big data technology and services is predicted to reach USD 16.9 billion with the number of big data staff specialists set to increase by 240% over the next five years in the UK alone. The research challenges to be investigated will contribute to understanding of the skills and training required for interpreting data and using novel data combinations to transform industries ensuring that the UK can take full advantage of opportunities for job creation within the fields of CE, Manufacturing Informatics and Information Theory.
The research has the potential to re-define resource use within UK manufacturing by changing the economics and organisation of manufacturing organisations. This can be achieved by providing Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and their supply chains with new competitive advantage through data-driven insights into their products for implementing CE strategies, such as increasing utilisation, product life extension and end-of-current-life. Furthermore, organisations will have the ability to re-capture and re-deploy valuable materials and resources, therefore reducing the cost of raw materials and increasing the profit margin for their products and services. A revolutionised understanding of the interactions between products, users and manufacturers will inform opportunities for new services and circular business models through which the organisation will retain ownership of assets, significantly reducing the amount of materials that are currently downgraded or end up as landfill. The key beneficiaries of this research will be manufacturers and their supply and distribution partners, end users, policy makers, government and national and international academics across the fields of circular innovation, manufacturing, digital technology and information theory.
Organisations
- UNIVERSITY OF EXETER (Lead Research Organisation)
- Rochester Institute of Technology (Collaboration)
- Universidade de São Paulo (Collaboration)
- PSS (Collaboration)
- University of Texas at Dallas (Collaboration)
- Airbus Group (Collaboration)
- TECHBUYER LIMITED (Collaboration)
- Rolls Royce Group Plc (Collaboration)
Publications
Okorie O
(2021)
Circular business models in high value manufacturing: Five industry cases to bridge theory and practice
in Business Strategy and the Environment
Okorie O
(2022)
Removing barriers to Blockchain use in circular food supply chains: Practitioner views on achieving operational effectiveness
in Cleaner Logistics and Supply Chain
Turner C
(2022)
Circular production and maintenance of automotive parts: An Internet of Things (IoT) data framework and practice review
in Computers in Industry
Okorie, O.
(2023)
Resources, Conservation and Recycling
in Digital transformation and the circular economy: Creating a competitive advantage from the transition towards Net Zero Manufacturing
Okorie O
(2020)
Manufacturing in the Time of COVID-19: An Assessment of Barriers and Enablers
in IEEE Engineering Management Review
Sun K
(2021)
Data-driven modeling and monitoring of fuel cell performance
in International Journal of Hydrogen Energy
Okorie O
(2020)
Towards a simulation-based understanding of smart remanufacturing operations: a comparative analysis
in Journal of Remanufacturing
Okorie O
(2023)
Digital transformation and the circular economy: Creating a competitive advantage from the transition towards Net Zero Manufacturing
in Resources, Conservation and Recycling
Strang KD
(2023)
How effective is business education in the workplace: structural equation model of soft and hard skill competencies.
in SN business & economics
Charnley F
(2022)
Can Digital Technologies Increase Consumer Acceptance of Circular Business Models? The Case of Second Hand Fashion
in Sustainability
Charnley F
(2019)
Simulation to Enable a Data-Driven Circular Economy
in Sustainability
Turner C
(2019)
Sustainable Production in a Circular Economy: A Business Model for Re-Distributed Manufacturing
in Sustainability
Okorie O
(2021)
A triple bottom line examination of product cannibalisation and remanufacturing: A review and research agenda
in Sustainable Production and Consumption
Oliver Fisher
(2023)
Digital World 2050
Description | Research undertaken as part of this award has demonstrated that the analysis of data acquired from a product in use (smart products) can lead to efficiencies in remanufacture and influence decision making at the end of a product's useful life. More specifically it has been identified that within the context of remanufacturing, having a better certainty of product quality, through the use of data, can significantly reduce the time taken to remanufacture a part. The award has resulted in an increase in awareness and understanding of how digital technology can enable the implementation of circular economy strategies across a range of industrial sectors. |
Exploitation Route | Manufacturers across the high value manufacturing sector are able to take the concepts, findings and algorithms generated as part of this research and apply them to end-of-life decision making. This will help them to retain economic value from their products, components and parts whilst contributing towards a more circular industrial system. Findings from the research can inform future research challenges and priorities for future funding. Findings and practices from the research have been implemented within other industrial sectors e.g. healthcare and further funding has been applied for - currently in review. |
Sectors | Aerospace Defence and Marine Construction Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Electronics Healthcare Manufacturing including Industrial Biotechology Transport |
URL | http://www.exeter.ac.uk/circular-4/ |
Description | The findings of the research are being used by industrial organisations to influence end-of-life decision making and to retain further economic value from parts that would have otherwise been disposed of or recycled as opposed to being remanufactured. |
First Year Of Impact | 2019 |
Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine |
Description | Remanufacturing Expert Panel |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
Description | Connected Everything II: Accelerating Digital Manufacturing Research Collaboration and Innovation |
Amount | £1,415,659 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/S036113/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 12/2019 |
End | 08/2024 |
Description | Future Fibres Networking Grant |
Amount | £1,659,888 (GBP) |
Funding ID | NE/Y003985/1 |
Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 06/2023 |
End | 07/2025 |
Description | Innovation Launchpad Network |
Amount | £4,880,915 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/W037009/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2022 |
End | 04/2026 |
Description | Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship |
Amount | £625,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | RF2122-21-139 |
Organisation | Royal Academy of Engineering |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 02/2023 |
End | 02/2028 |
Description | The Circular Economy Innovation Centre for Wales |
Amount | £2,255,758 (GBP) |
Organisation | European Commission |
Department | European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) |
Sector | Public |
Country | Belgium |
Start | 11/2020 |
End | 08/2023 |
Description | UKRI National Circular Economy Hub (CE-HUB) |
Amount | £147,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/T030887/1 |
Organisation | United Kingdom Research and Innovation |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 02/2020 |
End | 12/2020 |
Description | UKRI National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Hub |
Amount | £3,334,881 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/T030887/1 |
Organisation | United Kingdom Research and Innovation |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2021 |
End | 10/2024 |
Description | UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): International Academic Collaboration for Transformational Industry and its Social and Environmental Impacts |
Amount | £1,500 (GBP) |
Organisation | British Council |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 07/2019 |
End | 08/2019 |
Title | Research Repository |
Description | 1. A Python 3 notebook for Exploratory Data Analysis for the RR sample data set. 2. A Python 3 notebook with the implementation of the algorithm for obtaining an estimation of the quantity of repaired parts along the RR sample data set. |
Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | 1. A Python 3 notebook for Exploratory Data Analysis for the RR sample data set. 2. A Python 3 notebook with the implementation of the algorithm for obtaining an estimation of the quantity of repaired parts along the RR sample data set. |
Title | Circular Manufacturing in the Digital Age |
Description | This research database consists of qualitative information obtained from the Industry Engagement Workshop Event participants. These data are grouped into two research questions, viz; (1) Opportunities for Circular Manufacturing in the Digital Age -Long Term, Medium Term and Short Term (2) Challenges for Circular Manufacturing in the Digital Age- Long Term, Medium Term and Short Term. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2019 |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | The research data is being used as primary data for a high impact factor journal being published by research team. Submission for the Special Issue expected in 2020. |
Description | Airbus C4.0 |
Organisation | Airbus Group |
Country | France |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Team meetings, site visits, presentation development, system process maps. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to staff and site visits for the work mentioned above. |
Impact | Presentations and process maps. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Research Collaboration in Remanufacturing with Rochester Institute of Technology, New York. |
Organisation | Rochester Institute of Technology |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | A member of the research team, Dr Okechukwu Okorie spent 8 weeks at the Golisano Institute for Sustainability, RIT, New York as a Visiting Academic Research Fellow in Remanufacturing working with the team in two specific areas of Cannibalization and energy costs for cleaning in remanufacturing. |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners provided an office space, US-based remanufacturers for data collection and continued research support. This research will involve a testing for remanufacturing models developed and partners will provide a remanufacturing test-bed facility for this research. |
Impact | Publication output is expected at the end of 2020. |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | Research Collaboration with the University of Sao Paulo |
Organisation | Universidade de São Paulo |
Country | Brazil |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Applied for a travel grant (International Mobility Funding) within the University of Exeter Business School and was successful. This travel grant will support 1 month's worth of research with the Production Engineering Department at the University of Sao Paulo for Dr Okechukwu Okorie as Visiting Research Academic. This collaboration is expected to explore research areas investigating digitisation in refurbishment using an identified case study. |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners (University of Sao Paulo) to provide Industrial Partners to work with, working office, residential support and postdoctoral fellows/ PhD students to support on project. |
Impact | Project is expected to have ouputs in the form of research papers. Collaboration is mult-disciplinary. Disciplines involved include Production Engineering, Circular Design, Sustainability Research. |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | Research Collaboration with the University of Sao Paulo |
Organisation | University of Texas at Dallas |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Contributions made to this collaboration include a research visit to the University of Texas in Dallas and seminar on Circular 4.0 |
Collaborator Contribution | Currently collaborating with UTD on a paper examining remanufacturing cannibalisation. Long term plans include working on ABS 4/4* journal papers. |
Impact | Paper outputs expected in 2020. |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | Research Partnership with PSS Steering and Hydraulics |
Organisation | PSS |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Research Partnership with PSS Steering and Hydraulics, a Third Party Remanufacturing company based in Norfolk, Norwich. Contributions to this partnership includes scheduled site visits to the company for data collection; publication of |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners provided a desk workspace, remanufacturing stakeholders and operators for data collection and validation of data/ built framework(s). Partners have consistently being open to new opportunities as well as discussion/ review of existing research. |
Impact | 1. Journal Article: A Systems Dynamics Enabled Real-Time Efficiency for Fuel Cell Data-Driven Remanufacturing 2. Journal Article: Simulation to enable a data-driven Circular Economy |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | Research Partnership with Techbuyer |
Organisation | Techbuyer Limited |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Research visit to Techbuyer, an IT Servers Refurbishment. |
Collaborator Contribution | Partner provided and offered respondents for primary data collection. This response has been included as part of a cross-case analysis journal which is expected to be submitted and published in 2020. Partner has provided a key access to persons involved in sustainability research at Techbuyer. Partner has also provided relevant images of refurbishment process which has gone into a book chapter. |
Impact | Outputs expected in 2020 include two published articles- journal article and a book chapter. |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | Rolls Royce C4.0 |
Organisation | Rolls Royce Group Plc |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | The academic team have worked with the Rolls Royce team on a defined project to support the assessment of used stock (engine parts) in their warehouse for further uses and product life extension. This has involved multiple site visits, meetings and algorithm development. |
Collaborator Contribution | Rolls royce have provided the academic team with access to staff, site visits and data for the purposes of the project outlined above. |
Impact | New algorithms to support the valuation of used parts and publications. |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | Rolls Royce C4.0 |
Organisation | Rolls Royce Group Plc |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | The academic team have worked with the Rolls Royce team on a defined project to support the assessment of used stock (engine parts) in their warehouse for further uses and product life extension. This has involved multiple site visits, meetings and algorithm development. |
Collaborator Contribution | Rolls royce have provided the academic team with access to staff, site visits and data for the purposes of the project outlined above. |
Impact | New algorithms to support the valuation of used parts and publications. |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | 2050 Fridge of the Future |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | 2050 Fridge of the Future |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | All-Party Parliamentary Manufacturing Group/ All-Party Sustainable Resource Group Reman Roundtable |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | APPMG/APPSRG- All-Party Parliamentary Manufacturing Group/ All-Party Sustainable Resource Group Reman Round table discussion focused on understanding the remanufacturing challenges faced by people/officials in public procurement and finding a way to resolve these challenges. This was Chaired by the MP Ruth Cadbury. Expected report will be similar to the Policy Connect reports on Circular Economy and Remanufacturing (https://www.policyconnect.org.uk/apsrg/sites/site_apsrg/files/apsrg_-_remanufacturing_report.pdf). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Article in The Engineer |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Fiona Charnley was interviewed by a Journalist for an article in The Engineer regarding the research being undertaken in the Circular 4.0 project. The article resulted in new industrial contacts and collaborations. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.theengineer.co.uk/exeter-aeroengines-circular/ |
Description | COP 26 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | COP 26 Talk/presentation on CE |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Connected Everything - Resilience Roundtable |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Connected Everything - Resilience Roundtable |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Cornwall Chamber of Commerce G7 Event |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A presentation and masterclass delivered as part of the global summit G7, the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce conference to inform a wide international audience of circular economy related research including the use of digital technology. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.cornwallchamber.co.uk/sustainable-growth-conference |
Description | Disruptive Innovation Festival |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Fiona was interviewed for the Disruptive Innovation Festival which was broadcast online and has received over 16,000 views from around the world |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mtia7dEsdUw |
Description | Engineering a Circular Economy Webinar |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Expert panel member for the Engineering a Circular Economy Webinar organised by The Engineer Magazine and Fraser-Nash Consultancy |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Financial Times Article |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Fiona Charnley was interviewed by a Journalist about the Circular 4.0 project which resulted in the research being highlighted in the Financial Times article 'From Smarter Machines to Greener Products'. This has resulted in increased awareness of how digital technology can accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable and circular future. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.ft.com/content/d9074342-0797-11ea-a958-5e9b7282cbd1 |
Description | Fridge of the Future 2050 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Presentation at the 'Fridge of the Future 2050' event coordinated by BEIS Office of Product Safety and Standards - attended by multiple white goods manufacturers. Resulted in a white paper. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.amdea.org.uk/2050-fridge-of-the-future-conference-report/#:~:text=The%20aim%20of%20the%2... |
Description | ISPIM Keynote Panel |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Circular economy panel at the annual ISPIM Conference in Slovenia |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Industry Engagement Workshop |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | This industry engagement workshop is part of a three year long EPSRC funded research project 'Circular 4.0: Data-Driven Intelligence for a Circular Economy' which aims to investigate how data, acquired through the latest advances in digital technologies, such as those catalysed by the Internet of Things (IoT), can shape decisions about the manufacture and utilisation of engineering products to accelerate the implementation of more circular approaches in the fourth Industrial Revolution (I4.0). This workshop was focused on learning from the digital interventions in the various industries represented and how that has specifically contributed to enabling circular economy approaches as well as circular business model adoption and creation. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | http://sites.exeter.ac.uk/circular-4/category/activities/ |
Description | Industry Sustainability Live |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Circular economy workshop delivered at the Industry Sustainability Live event in Manchester to over 100 industrial practitioners from across sectors. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://sustainability-live.com/agenda-sep-2023/ |
Description | Meet new Principal Investigator from Rolls Royce and his team and how to align the problem with the CE project |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | The RR team met with the University of Exeter and the University of Sheffield team to understand how they could collaborate in a particular study case related to the management of sparse engine parts. The C4.0 team gave the introduction of the meeting as a good opportunity to review where we are, what the RR team has done, and try to align the C4.0 objectives to the ones of RR. It was also a reminder about the commercial agreement for including it in the discussion of the workshop. After the introduction of the member's teams, the RR team presented their problems. One is to have a data analysis tool to decide how to re-use the stock that they have (parts that are stored in their main warehouse). The objective is to understand how to best use this material. The first question is where this material is coming from. The idea is to look for the opportunity to reverse the business and repair parts for reusing them. The next part of the workshop was related to the more detailed description of the possible problems related to the exit routes of sparse parts in the warehouse. To build a tool that supports the decision of what is the best exit route to promote a circular economy structure is the objective of this study case. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Parliamentary Presentation: Smart remanufacturing as an enabler for a net-zero manufacturing future |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | This was a visit and presentation at the UK House of Parliament for the Evidence Week organised by "Sense about Science". Below is the executive summary of my presentation: Executive Summary ? It has been hard to set achievable goals for manufacturing emissions, but policy makers are faced with needing to do this. ? Manufacturing emissions are 45% of global greenhouse gas emissions and the UK will not reach the target of net zero by 2050 without addressing them. ? While energy services emissions are relatively straightforward to decarbonise by electrification and the use of renewable energy sources, manufacturing emissions are more complex to manage. ? A regenerative approach needs to replace linear take-make-waste, but to do this requires a programme to digitally visualise and map the complex processes so that research and policy questions can be tested. ? When enabled with digital technologies, computer simulation results show that remanufacturing circular approach display higher remanufacturing efficiency, better forecast of remanufacturing and production processes leading to reduced remanufacturing costs. Members I engaged with were keen on my work and keen in pushing legislation for remanufacturing at parliament. They reminded me about the "right to repair" legislation and there were expectations that remanufacturing legislation will be pushed through. The event led to the initiation of communication between the University of Exeter and Parliament (Members I spoke to) on remanufacturing. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.exeter.ac.uk/media/universityofexeter/research/policy/briefs/O_Okorie_Remanufacturing_Po... |
Description | Presentation at the Business and Law Conference (2022) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | The theme of the conference was Business, Innovation and Society. The conference is aimed at Yr 10 (GCSE) and Yr 12 (A-level) students from target Widening Participation schools & colleges in the South West of England. The conference is also open to Y12 students on the Exeter Scholars Fair Access programme. The target demographic in the creation of our WP programmes are students who attend state schools or who meet Widening Participation criteria, such as living in a low-income neighbourhood, receiving free school meals or having caring responsibilities. I presented about the Circular Economy and its impact in achieving Net Zero for Climate Change. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Presentation of waste flow study case and possible ways of solving the problem |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | The Airbus team presented the problem of how to measure waste flow to reduce leakage throughout the process of using paint and sealant. The objective is to identify opportunities to retain resources at the highest value and for the reuse of resources. The next part of the workshop was to understand the possible approaches for solving this problem. The first approach is to develop a quantitative analytic method for waste material flow by using existing data. The second approach is to actively measure waste generation and transport in a factory via smart sensors and IoT instrumentation. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Remanufacturing Conference Keynote: Brazil |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A keynote presentation on the Brazilian Remanufacturing Conference on Remanufacturing and the Circular Economy |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Round Table Event: Digitisation and Net Zero |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | A roundtable discussion with 15 expert practitioners and academics to identify the challenges and opportunities associated with the use of digital technologies to enable the transition towards a net zero future. Outcomes of the discussion are to be published in a report: Digital Manufacturing 2050 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Shell Lubricants |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Presentation to members of the Shell Lubricants graduate scheme to introduce them to the circular economy and the NICER Programme / CE-Hub and other CE research, tools and case studies |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | St. George's Conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | St. George's Conference |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Workshop with Airbus |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | A workshop with Airbus teams in the UK Broughton and France to present the project, identify challenges and develop a use case definition. This resulted in the agreement of a project and collaboration agreement. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Workshop with Rolls Royce Civil Team |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | A workshop with Rolls Royce Civil Team to present the project, identify challenges and develop a use case definition. This led to an agreement with Rolls Royce, a project definition and collaboration agreement. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |