UKRI Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centre For Mineral-based Construction Materials
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
Department Name: Civil Environmental and Geomatic Eng
Abstract
177 million tonnes of virgin aggregates, 15 million tonnes of cement and 2 billion bricks were used to build houses, civic and commercial buildings, roads and railways, etc, in the UK in 2016. Meanwhile, 64 million tonnes of waste arose from construction and demolition. Materials from construction and demolition are mainly managed by down-cycling with loss of the value imparted to them by energy-intensive and polluting manufacturing processes; for example, high value concrete is broken down into low value aggregate. Environmental damage is associated with the whole linear life cycles of mineral-based construction materials, and includes scarring of the landscape and habitat destruction when minerals are extracted from the earth; depletion of mineral and energy resources; and water use and emission of greenhouse gases and other pollutants to air, land and water, during extraction, processing, use and demolition. It is important to take action now, to return materials to the resource loop in a Circular Economy, and reduce the amount of extraction from the earth, as the amount we build increases each year. For example, the UK plans spend £600 billion to build infrastructure in the next decade.
The UKRI National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research Centre for Mineral-based Construction Materials therefore aims to do more with less mineral-based construction materials, to reduce costs to industry, reduce waste and pollution, and benefit the natural environment that we depend on. There is potential for mineral-based construction materials to be reused and recycled at higher value, for example, by refurbishing rather than demolishing, or by building using reusable modules that can be taken apart rather than demolished, so all the energy that went into making them isn't wasted. It may also be possible to substitute minerals from natural sources by other types of mineral wastes, such as the 76 million tonnes of waste arising from excavation and quarrying, 14 million tonnes of mineral wastes that come from other industries, or 4 billion tonnes of historical mining wastes. We can also be more frugal in our use of mineral-based construction materials, by designing materials, products and structures to use less primary raw materials, last longer, and be suitable for repurposing rather than demolition, and using new manufacturing techniques.
First, our research will try to better understand how mineral-based construction materials flow through the economy, over all the stages of their life cycle, including extraction, processing, manufacture, and end-of-life. The Centre will work to support the National Materials Database planned by the Office of National Statistics, which will capture how, where and when materials are used and waste arises, so that we have the information to improve this system. We will also study how any changes we might make to practices around minerals use would affect the environment and the economy, such as greenhouse gas emissions, costs to businesses, or jobs. Second, we will work on technical improvements that we can make in design of mineral-based products and structures, and in all the life-cycle stages of mineral-based construction materials. Third, we will look at how changes in current business models and practices could support use of less mineral-based construction materials, such as how they might be able to move more quickly to new technologies, or how they might use digital technologies to keep track of materials. We will explore how the government can support these changes, and how we can provide education so that everyone working in this system understands what they need to do.
In the first 4 years of our Centre, 15 postdoctoral researchers will gain research experience working in the universities for 2y and will then work with an industrial collaborator for a year, to implement the results of their research. More than 20 PhD and 30 MSc students will also be trained in the Centre.
The UKRI National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research Centre for Mineral-based Construction Materials therefore aims to do more with less mineral-based construction materials, to reduce costs to industry, reduce waste and pollution, and benefit the natural environment that we depend on. There is potential for mineral-based construction materials to be reused and recycled at higher value, for example, by refurbishing rather than demolishing, or by building using reusable modules that can be taken apart rather than demolished, so all the energy that went into making them isn't wasted. It may also be possible to substitute minerals from natural sources by other types of mineral wastes, such as the 76 million tonnes of waste arising from excavation and quarrying, 14 million tonnes of mineral wastes that come from other industries, or 4 billion tonnes of historical mining wastes. We can also be more frugal in our use of mineral-based construction materials, by designing materials, products and structures to use less primary raw materials, last longer, and be suitable for repurposing rather than demolition, and using new manufacturing techniques.
First, our research will try to better understand how mineral-based construction materials flow through the economy, over all the stages of their life cycle, including extraction, processing, manufacture, and end-of-life. The Centre will work to support the National Materials Database planned by the Office of National Statistics, which will capture how, where and when materials are used and waste arises, so that we have the information to improve this system. We will also study how any changes we might make to practices around minerals use would affect the environment and the economy, such as greenhouse gas emissions, costs to businesses, or jobs. Second, we will work on technical improvements that we can make in design of mineral-based products and structures, and in all the life-cycle stages of mineral-based construction materials. Third, we will look at how changes in current business models and practices could support use of less mineral-based construction materials, such as how they might be able to move more quickly to new technologies, or how they might use digital technologies to keep track of materials. We will explore how the government can support these changes, and how we can provide education so that everyone working in this system understands what they need to do.
In the first 4 years of our Centre, 15 postdoctoral researchers will gain research experience working in the universities for 2y and will then work with an industrial collaborator for a year, to implement the results of their research. More than 20 PhD and 30 MSc students will also be trained in the Centre.
Organisations
- UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON (Lead Research Organisation)
- OFFICE FOR NATIONAL STATISTICS (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Ferrovial (Collaboration)
- ASR (Collaboration)
- ENVIRONMENT AGENCY (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- NETWORK RAIL LTD (Collaboration)
- HIGHWAYS ENGLAND (Collaboration)
- 540 World (Collaboration)
- EUROPEAN METAL RECYCLING LIMITED (Collaboration)
- University College London (Collaboration)
- Mineral Products Association (MPA) (Collaboration)
- University of Exeter (Collaboration)
- HLM Architects (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Mace (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Loughborough University (Collaboration)
- Enfield Council (Collaboration)
- Granta Design (Collaboration)
- Skanska UK Ltd (Collaboration)
- UK Green Building Council (Collaboration)
- Data & Analytics Facility for National Infrastructure (DAFNI) (Collaboration)
- British Glass (Project Partner)
- Cambridge CSIC (Project Partner)
- Great Ormond Street Hospital (Project Partner)
- DB Group (Project Partner)
- Granta Design Ltd (Project Partner)
- University of Surrey (Project Partner)
- AECOM Limited (UK) (Project Partner)
- Story Contracting Ltd (Project Partner)
- Arup (Project Partner)
- UK Coll for Res in Infra & Cities UKCRIC (Project Partner)
- BRE Scotland (Project Partner)
- University of Otago (Project Partner)
- LafargeHolcim (Project Partner)
- High Speed Two HS2 Limited (Project Partner)
- Brick Development Association (Project Partner)
- Vienna University of Technology (Project Partner)
- GCP Applied Technologies (Project Partner)
- Costain (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- National Highways (Project Partner)
- BURO HAPPOLD LIMITED (Project Partner)
- Hunan University (Project Partner)
- University of Naples Federico II (Project Partner)
- Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Project Partner)
- UK QUALITY ASH ASSOCIATION (Project Partner)
- Yale University (Project Partner)
- Hoskins Circular (Project Partner)
- CIRIA (Project Partner)
- Northumberland County Council (Project Partner)
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Project Partner)
- The Chartered Institute of Building (Project Partner)
- University of Cambridge (Project Partner)
- Askew Soil & Land Ltd (Project Partner)
- Brunel University London (Project Partner)
- Network Rail Limited (Project Partner)
- NFDC (Nat Fed Demolition Contractors) (Project Partner)
- Shire Mineral & Machinery Suppliers (Project Partner)
- Construction Products Association (Project Partner)
- LafargeHolcim Group (UK) (Aggregate Ind) (Project Partner)
- FORTIS IBA (Project Partner)
- Expedition Engineering Ltd (Project Partner)
- Bywaters (Project Partner)
- Etex Building Performance Limited (Project Partner)
- British Standards Institution BSI (Project Partner)
- Specwall-Alliance Ltd (Project Partner)
- CL:AIRE (Project Partner)
- Mineral Products Association (Project Partner)
- 540 World LLP (Project Partner)
Publications
Liu Z
(2022)
Blockchain Enhanced Construction Waste Information Management: A Conceptual Framework
in Sustainability
Marsh A
(2022)
Circular Economy strategies for concrete: implementation and integration
in Journal of Cleaner Production
Snellings R
(2022)
Paper of RILEM TC 282-CCL: mineralogical characterization methods for clay resources intended for use as supplementary cementitious material
in Materials and Structures
Villagrán-Zaccardi Y
(2022)
Complete re-utilization of waste concretes-Valorisation pathways and research needs
in Resources, Conservation and Recycling
Liu Z
(2022)
Blockchain Enhanced Construction Waste Information Management: A Conceptual Framework
in Sustainability
Peys A
(2022)
Sustainable iron-rich cements: Raw material sources and binder types
in Cement and Concrete Research
Panagiotidou V
(2022)
3D extrusion of multi-biomaterial lattices using an environmentally informed workflow
in Frontiers of Architectural Research
Liu Z
(2022)
Building Information Modeling (BIM) Driven Carbon Emission Reduction Research: A 14-Year Bibliometric Analysis.
in International journal of environmental research and public health
| Title | Calcareous Arabesque |
| Description | CALCAREOUS ARABESQUE - a sustainable wall made from the sugar refining process The robotically extruded structure explores how calcium carbonate and bagasse waste, by-products of the sugar-refining process at Tate & Lyle, can be transformed and scaled-up into an architectural wall prototype. The material and geometric features are highly ornamental, offering important thermal and acoustic properties for indoor spaces. The complex surface was produced with the use of self-generative computational designs and digital fabrication, which suggest future outdoor use as 'scaffolds for inhabitation' where in future ridges and crevices can be occupied by plants and wildlife. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Impact | The wall was exhibited at the London Design Museum as part of an exhibition entitled "Waste Age" |
| URL | https://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/waste-age-what-can-design-do |
| Title | ELM installation at the Bioscope, St Andrews Botanic Garden |
| Description | The Bioscope is a building folly set in the St Andrews Botanic Garden, and the locus for experimentation with new living materials - biohybrid panels grown from microoganisms. The Bioscope was conceived as a shelter, with a vision of creating an ornamental structure that punctuates the garden while merging with the existing glade. Dappled sunlight from the neighbouring trees and shadow play of the interlocking components invites observation and contemplation. The interior perspective permits us to momentarily inhabit this unique place of the garden, allowing a different perspective on the surrounding biodiversity through the macrostructure of the walls. Evolving over the seasons, the Bioscope is a living lab for testing two novel bio-integrated materials that have been developed by Bio-ID doctral students Ella Hetherington and Prantar Tamuli respectively: a woven melanin-violacein composite and an engineered living material (ELM). It is a prototype for a future habitat in which digitally-design timber constructions with grown materials become a new medium for architecture. It offers a new responsive material palette that absorbs carbon while supporting exchange with our surroundings. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | The scale up of the cyanobacterial ELM panels represents a progression on the process developed for the patent application by affiliated student Prantar Tamuli. This has enabled further material tests to be perfomed e.g. insulation and fire resistance. |
| URL | https://www.standrewsbotanic.org/ |
| Title | Nature film: the sandcastle economy |
| Description | Centre Co-I Jacqui Glass is one of the guests on this Nature film discussing how t make the construction industry circular. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Impact | The film has had 12K views to date on YouTube. |
| URL | https://youtu.be/7MgOEvA1aFk |
| Title | Virtuous Circles and Accidental Walled Gardens': View ICEC-MCM's collaboration with Artist Naresh Kaushal and |
| Description | The piece is a portrait of the circular economy as understood by the lived experiences of those on its front line. Members of The Loop & BLOQS tell us what the circular economy is to them, why it is important, what the challenges they face are - and what it has the potential to be. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | A multichannel film installation shown as part of ICEC-MCM's 2024 celebration event. |
| URL | https://www.camerawala.org/projects#/virtuous-circles-accidental-walled-gardens/ |
| Description | This award is mainly funding an interlinked group of more than 22 multidisciplinary postdoctoral researchers (PDRs) working on 17 projects, advised by 25 multi-disciplinary co-investigators, leading to a wide variety of impacts, e.g.: - PDR1Ai developed a computer model to analyse resource flows over their whole life cycles from extraction to end-of-use, and estimate missing data using Bayesian statistics. This new Bayesian Material Flow Analysis (BaMFA) model can help understand the quality of data collected by government and industry about resource use, and make data collection more efficient. BaMFA was used to model a key resource flow for advanced UK infrastructure, the UK construction aggregate system. - UK cement plants hope to increase the energy from waste biomass from around 18% in 2020 to 70% by 2050, to reduce their carbon emissions. PDR1Aii conducted material flow analysis for biomass waste used as an alternative fuel in cement kilns to identify the potential to improve resource efficient allocation of this resource. - PDR1Bi and PDR1Bii developed case studies on UK glass and timber recovery to support development of an indicator for the Use Potential of mineral waste, which will provide an information link between waste generators and prospective users of the wastes they produce, and can be used to support development of waste management policy. - More than half of the soil from construction and demolition projects in England finds its way into landfill, with a loss of functional value of £1.42 billion each year. PDR1C worked with the Environment Agency to recommend the introduction of a Soil Reuse and Storage System, with "hotels" for soils on their way to reuse and "hospitals" for soils needing treatment - Environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) by PDR1D showed that the use of cleaner fuels can decrease carbon emissions of cement, concrete, and a reinforced concrete building by up to 35%, 37%, and 29%, respectively. - PDR1E developed and tested the first Regional Computational General Equilibrium Model of the UK economy to examine the macro economic impacts of circular economy measures adopted by the UK construction industry. - Lightweight exterior infill wall panels for multistorey buildings were designed by PDR2A, with specially adapted connectors to enable their deconstruction and reuse in a new building, and shown to reduce CO2 emissions and virgin material extraction - PDR 2Bi and PDR2Bii examined different aspects of low carbon cements: development of clinker-free cements from UK mineral sources, and fate of toxic elements when mineral wastes are co-processed as raw materials in the cement kiln. - PDR2C developed a Probabilistic Multi-criteria Decision-Making System for end-of-life construction products, to enable robust performance evaluation and decision-making under uncertainty for stakeholders in the supply chain for modern methods of construction. The multi-level grading and classification system provides practical industry guidance for the reuse, upcycle, or recycling of construction products. A case study highlighted the potential durability and reusability of Sprayed Ultra High-Performance Concrete , panels. - PDR2D showed that the performance of concrete made with recycled concrete aggregate recovered from demolition waste can be improved by using alternative binder systems, highlighting a promising approach to develop concretes that are predominantly waste-based, and recyclable. - PDR2E developed a framework for value recovery and optimisation from the construction and demolition waste value chain, following a systems thinking perspective, which revealed that use of recycled concrete aggregate in new concrete may increase embodied CO2. - Construction and demolition in the UK currently generates more than 1.3Mt of plasterboard waste each year. Working with St Gobain, as representives of the industry, PDR3A has co-created a Circular Economy Business Model for plasterboard, to enable productive recovery of this valuable material. - PDR3B studied eco-design principles for design of infrastructure. - PDR3C developed a framework for effective digital platforms to accelerate secondary construction material exchange. - PDR3D, working in collaboration with Network Rail, developed a tool for integration of sustainability and circular economy principles into accounting practice. - PDR3E worked with the Environment Agency to explore the potential future inclusion of Circular Economy principles in revised Best Available Techniques (BAT) conclusions, which are used in environmental permitting of industrial facilities, such as cement plants. Six Policy Briefs have been prepared to consolidate ICEC-MCM research findings to discuss how implementation of a Circular Economy can reduce key UK construction industry concerns, including enabling Strategic Supply of materials, Zero Waste (including recovery of valuable Soil and identification of Waste Use Potential) and Net Zero Carbon Emissions; and supporting Biodiversity Net Gain. ICEC researchers have recommended policy interventions to: monitor resource use by the construction industry, including through digital technologies, to enable interventions to increase resource efficiency; implementation of circular procurement practices; use of eco-design strategies and modern methods of construction (MMC) to reduce material demand and waste; mandating pre-development audits to minimise loss of valuable materials through demolition, and pre-demolition audits to enable material recovery To support government objectives for Biodiversity of Net Gain (supporting natural habitats and animal life), the ICEC-MCM recommends less disruptive construction practices, including refurbishment over demolition, and design for deconstruction and reuse, avoiding increases in land use and soil degradation. |
| Exploitation Route | In general, the PDR findings are each being taken forward through an industrial placement. The BaMFA (1A) has been discussed with ONS and DEFRA and could support MFA as part of the Integrated Data Service, also for targeted collection of the most informative data with the least effort, and discussion of this possibility will continue. Three PDRs worked on this project; one undertook a placement with ONS to demonstrate BaMFA and is continuing a research career at his host university; another has undertaken a UCL Policy Placement to work on MFA for biomass ash with DEFRA and the UNECE, and DESNZ are also supporting a UCL Policy Placement in relation to use of the BaMFA model for cement and concrete for the third. BaMFA can also be used by organisations such as the Mineral Products Organisation, to better understand their resource use, or even individual businesses. PDR1C collaborated with the Environment Agency on cascading of soil, with publication of recommendations for establishment of soil banks; she is now completing a 1y placement with DEFRA. The LCA and regional macroeconomic models (1D and 1E) can be used to assess the environmental and social/economic impacts of circular economy interventions. There were two PDRs for this project; one has been appointed to UCL academic staf, and the other is undertaking a placement with DEFRA and the UNECE. The infill panel (2A) has been developed in collaboration with an architect and Etex (who could supply the mineral component of the panel), and could be commercialised by a steel fabrication or off-site manufacturer of module buildings; the PDR has moved to a permanent academic post at Brunel University, where he can further develop these ideas, also with training of students at all levels. There were two PDRs for project 2B on low carbon cement and both are continuing to develop this research in posts at their host universities. The decision-making system for end-of-life concrete (2E) could be used by demolition contractors or developers. PDR3A will be working in a placement with St Gobain to implement the business model developed in his academic research. The eco-design principles and transport infrastructure case studies of their applicability (3B) were taken forward in a placement of the PDR with National Highways. The accounting/investment tool (3D) was applied in a placement with Network Rail. Both of these tools would be useful to other businesses seeking to understand the sustainability of infrastructure, or making investment decisions. Finally, the understanding of policy and regulatory support for a Circular Economy in the UK (3E) has been developed in close dialogue with the Environment Agency, and can be used to inform further regulatory development in the devolved nations. One of the two PDRs for this project is now a member of academic staff at University of Surrey, and the other has undertaken a placement with DEFRA and the UNECE. |
| Sectors | Construction Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Environment Financial Services and Management Consultancy Government Democracy and Justice |
| URL | https://www.ucl.ac.uk/circular-economy-centre-for-construction-minerals |
| Description | One of the ICEC-MCM goals was for the outcomes from each of the 17 postdoctoral projects to be taken forward to the non-academic world through an industrial placement. Twelve placements have been undertaken (with DEFRA (2), DESNZ, the Environment Agency (2), National Highways, Network Rail, ONS, St Gobain, and the UNECE (3). Six of our PDRs have obtained permanent positions at excellent academic institutions, where they will also continue their research to help achieve the transition to a Circular Economy. Impacts are also occuring through publication of academic and non-academic publications (e.g., six policy briefs), and an art installation for public engagement. Significantly, the NICER research being done by Julia Stegemann (PI of the ICEC-MCM) has been linked to her participation in the United Nations Anthropogenic Resources Working Group and the Horizon Europe FutuRaM project, in the foundation of the Defra and UN-backed International Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Resource Management for a Circular Economy (ICE-SRM(CE), which will support implementation of the United Nations Resource Management System, for achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Further details are provided in the section on "Key Findings" |
| First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
| Sector | Construction,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Economic Policy & public services |
| Description | Consultation Response: Draft Northern Ireland Circular Economy Strategy |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://consultations.nidirect.gov.uk/dfe/draft-circular-economy-public-consultation/ |
| Description | DESNZ and DEFRA project - Unlocking Resource Efficiency Phase 1 - Cement and Concrete Report |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6564cae8888c06000dfa7dc2/unlocking-resource-efficienc... |
| Description | Defra Environmental targets |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://consult.defra.gov.uk/natural-environment-policy/consultation-on-environmental-targets/ |
| Description | Defra Introduction to Mandatory Digital Waste Tracking |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://consult.defra.gov.uk/environmental-quality/waste-tracking/ |
| Description | Defra environmental targets |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://consult.defra.gov.uk/natural-environment-policy/consultation-on-environmental-targets/ |
| Description | Developing planning guidance for soils on construction sites |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
| Impact | A template local soils policy has been drafted and will be launched in London in May this year. Interim impacts include significant awareness raising in local authorities. |
| Description | Environment Audit Committee's inquiry on environment sustainability and housing growth |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| URL | https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/133144/pdf/ |
| Description | Evidence in Scottish parliament on Scotland's Circular Economy Bill by Feja Lesniewska |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Futures Forum on Circular Construction |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Description | Government Spending Review - Fiscal incentives for the Circular Economy |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Government Spending Review on 10 September 2024 |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Hackathon Circularity Metrics for buildings |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
| Description | ICE Low Carbon Concrete Routemap |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| URL | https://www.ice.org.uk/ICEDevelopmentWebPortal/media/Documents/News/ICE%20News/LCCG_Publication_DRAF... |
| Description | LEVEL 3 INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH PROJECT CIVE3750 PROJECT 2021/2022 |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or Improved professional practice |
| URL | http://webprod3.leeds.ac.uk/catalogue/dynmodules.asp?Y=202122&M=CIVE-3750 |
| Description | LEVEL 3 INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH PROJECT CIVE3750 PROJECT 2022/2023 |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
| URL | https://webprod3.leeds.ac.uk/catalogue/dynmodules.asp?Y=202223&F=P&M=CIVE-3750 |
| Description | Leading the Soils in Construction Taskforce |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or Improved professional practice |
| Impact | Reductions in the amount of soil going to landfill Reductions in the degradation of soil onsite leading to flooding and pollution Reductions in the the loss of carbon from construction sites Protection of belowground biodiversity |
| Description | Member of the EU/CEN committee TC473 |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | Standardization in the field of Circular Economy to develop horizontal standards that address European specific prerequisites, legislation, and policy. The standards aim to provide guidance, recommendations, requirements, methodologies and tools to implement, support and measure transition towards a Circular Economy at an organizational level. |
| Description | Member of the ISOTC 323 Committee |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | Standardization in the field of Circular Economy to develop frameworks, guidance, supporting tools and requirements for the implementation of activities of all involved organizations, to maximize the contribution to Sustainable Development. |
| Description | Member of the Scientific Committee for the DESNZ Industrial Symbiosis project |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | This project explores the potential role of industrial symbiosis in reducing emissions from industry and how DESNZ could facilitate it. |
| Description | Member of the scientific Committee of the UN-WBCSD Global Circularity Protocol |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | The UN Global Circularity Protocol (GCP) is a voluntary framework that aims to address key accountability and policy gaps currently impeding the scaling of circularity globally. The GCP will be the go-to framework for companies to assess, measure, set science-based targets, report, and disclose progress on resource efficiency and circularity information in a consistent manner and enabling comparison. The GCP will also support policymakers and regulators by providing a comprehensive policy framework for circularity to create a level playing field for the business community. |
| Description | Participation in consultation on Construction Waste Target |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| URL | https://green-alliance.org.uk/publication/circular-construction-building-for-a-greener-uk-economy/ |
| Description | Policy Brief - Landfill Tax, Construction and Demolition Waste and the Circular Economy |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Impact | As a result of this brief policymakers have decided not to do this in 2024 but to wait a couple more years to take a system-wide approach and to put in place other systemic enablers to avoid any perverse outcomes. |
| Description | Postbriefing: Reducing the whole life carbon impact of buildings |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://post.parliament.uk/research-briefings/post-pb-0044/ |
| Description | Qualitative UK Roadmap for a Circular Economy for Construction Minerals |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Response to "The Government's Support for Biomass" Consultation |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Response to BEIS call for evidence on a market for low emissions industrial products |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/towards-a-market-for-low-emissions-industrial-products-c... |
| Description | Response to Scottish Government's Draft Bioenergy Policy Statement |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://consult.gov.scot/energy-and-climate-change-directorate/draft-bioenergy-policy-statement-cons... |
| Description | Review of Defra Code of Practice for the Sustainable Use of Soil on Construction Sites. |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Roundtable on a trial critical minerals markets information system (CriMMIS) |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | My participation in this event has impacted government policy thinking, specifically playing a role in shaping a white paper on the Critical Minerals Markets Information System (CriMMIS) |
| URL | https://www.wiltonpark.org.uk/app/uploads/2023/10/WP3087-Report.pdf |
| Description | Roundtable on a trial critical minerals markets information system (CriMMIS) - Wilton Park |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | My participation in this event has impacted government policy thinking, specifically playing a role in shaping a white paper on the Critical Minerals Markets Information System (CriMMIS) |
| URL | https://www.wiltonpark.org.uk/app/uploads/2023/10/WP3087-Report.pdf |
| Description | UK Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST) on Planning for Net Zero. |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | Informing Parliamentary views on improving environmental sustainability through planning policy reforms which include Circular Economy considerations. |
| URL | https://post.parliament.uk/research-briefings/post-pn-0736/ |
| Description | UKGBC Whole Life Carbon |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
| Impact | Publication of the UKGBC report 'Insights on how circular economy principles can impact carbon and value' has helped raise awareness on how circular economy principles can result in carbon savings and create both financial and non-financial value'. |
| URL | https://ukgbc.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/23174556/Whole-Life-Carbon-Circu... |
| Description | Unpacking the Circular Economy: Sustainable Resources in the New Government |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
| Impact | Improve policy related to the sustainable use of resources |
| Description | Waste Prevention Programme: Construction Chapter |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Welsh Parliament Consultation on Environmental Governance, Principles and Biodiversity Targets Bill |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Written Evidence to Environmental Audit Committee |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1147/sustainability-of-the-built-environment/publications/writ... |
| Description | Applying Bayesian Material Flow Analysis Methodology |
| Amount | £75,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | PU-23-0013 |
| Organisation | Office for National Statistics |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2022 |
| End | 12/2022 |
| Description | Applying Bayesian Material Flow Analysis methodology - A novel systems approach to manage and analyse sensitive data and transparency |
| Amount | £90,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Office for National Statistics |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2022 |
| End | 12/2022 |
| Description | C-DICE Travel Grant (https://www.cdice.ac.uk/news/c-dice-travel-grant-fund/) |
| Amount | £150 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Loughborough University |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2022 |
| End | 12/2022 |
| Description | Diamond - Delivering the next generation of open integrated assessment models for net zero |
| Amount | £4,997,715 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 10057173 |
| Organisation | Innovate UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 12/2022 |
| End | 11/2026 |
| Description | Dixon Scholarship |
| Amount | £19,500 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Imperial College London |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2022 |
| End | 09/2025 |
| Description | Engineered UK clays for production of low-carbon cements |
| Amount | £857,130 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/W021811/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2022 |
| End | 06/2026 |
| Description | Funding for 3 month post doctoral placement (for Dr. Angeliki Kourmouli) at Environment Agency |
| Amount | £12,336 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Environment Agency |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2023 |
| End | 06/2023 |
| Description | Futures Forum workshop on Circular Economy for Construction |
| Amount | £13,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2023 |
| End | 08/2023 |
| Description | Horizon Europe |
| Amount | € 12,673,885 (EUR) |
| Funding ID | 101058522 |
| Organisation | European Commission |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | Belgium |
| Start | 05/2022 |
| End | 05/2026 |
| Description | Impact Accelerator Award |
| Amount | £14,619 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2023 |
| End | 10/2024 |
| Description | International PhD studentship - Sustainability assessment of novel low carbon concrete technologies |
| Amount | £110,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Leeds |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2022 |
| End | 04/2026 |
| Description | National Highways PhD studenship fees |
| Amount | £81,982 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Highways England |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2022 |
| End | 10/2025 |
| Description | National Highways postdoc researche placement for 1 year |
| Amount | £51,500 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Highways England |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2023 |
| End | 04/2024 |
| Description | Network Rail - Funding for 1 year post doctoral placement (for Dr. Longxiang Zhao) in industry |
| Amount | £58,204 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Network Rail Ltd |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2023 |
| End | 08/2024 |
| Description | REPLACEMENT OF SAND AS A CRITICAL MINERAL FOR CONSTRUCTION |
| Amount | £232,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Sika Ltd |
| Sector | Private |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2022 |
| End | 09/2030 |
| Description | Research Fellowship (Circular Economy) |
| Amount | £27,912 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Department For Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (DEFRA) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2024 |
| End | 03/2025 |
| Description | SCS Railways/ ARUP - Re-purposed Excavated Arisings Loop - London Clay transformation into construction resources |
| Amount | £15,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2022 |
| End | 10/2022 |
| Description | Secondment BEIS |
| Amount | £6,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2021 |
| End | 12/2021 |
| Description | Secondment Environment Agency |
| Amount | £14,500 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 12/2021 |
| End | 03/2022 |
| Description | TRANSIENCE - TRANSItioning towards an Efficient, carbon-Neutral Circular European industry |
| Amount | € 6,503,797 (EUR) |
| Funding ID | UKRI Reference Number: 10103793 (Competition: 1389: Horizon Europe Guarantee Extension) |
| Organisation | Innovate UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2024 |
| End | 12/2027 |
| Description | Turkey Ministry of National Education - international PhD scholarship |
| Amount | ₺2,876,514 (TRY) |
| Organisation | Government of Turkey |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | Turkey |
| Start | 09/2022 |
| End | 09/2025 |
| Description | UCL Policy Placement on Assessment of alignment of UK policy on the circular economy of timber in the UK with the United Nations Resource Management System |
| Amount | £20,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2024 |
| End | 03/2025 |
| Description | UCL Policy Placement on Evidence for Policy Through Material Flow Analysis of Glass and Packaging |
| Amount | £19,997 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2025 |
| End | 08/2025 |
| Description | UCL Policy Placement on Life Cycle Assessment of Impacts from Cement & Concrete Production in England |
| Amount | £15,319 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2025 |
| End | 06/2025 |
| Description | UCL Policy Placement on Sustainable management of biomass in alignment with the principles of the United Nations Resource Management System |
| Amount | £25,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 12/2024 |
| End | 03/2025 |
| Description | UCL Public Policy: Policy Dialogue award 2022-23 (for a workshop on net zero and circular economy) |
| Amount | £4,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2023 |
| End | 07/2023 |
| Title | ICEC-MCM PDRA3D CE Accounting-Sustainability Hybrid Tool |
| Description | The ICEC-MCM PDRA3D CE Accounting-Sustainability Hybrid Tool is an innovative decision-support tool designed to facilitate circular economy (CE) adoption in construction projects. At its core, the tool integrates CE strategies to guide businesses in identifying circularity opportunities, measuring their impact, and driving continuous improvement. It follows a four-step process:1) Diagnostic Assessment - Identifies business strengths and gaps for circularity. 2) Opportunity Scoping - Evaluates potential circularity opportunities and impacts. 3) Impact Measurement - Assesses financial and non-financial impacts of CE adoption across project life cycles. This step is the key novelty of the tool which proposes a band-new capital investment appraisal tool, offering customizable templates that allow users to assess varying levels of circularity (gold, silver, bronze), and align performance measures with CE principles at each project stage. 4) Decision Review - Supports iterative learning and optimization of CE strategies. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Under the supervision and guidance of my 3D Co-Is: Professor Suzana Grubnic and Professor Andrew Vivian, I have tested, and validated the tool at Network Rail via one year placement, to help embed CE principles into Network Rail's decision-making. The tool has significantly impacted Network Rail, helping identify CE strengths and gaps, develop the CE case study, and enhance collaboration between CE, finance and project teams. It contributes to new CE initiatives, training integration, and improved data sharing. The tool's Step 3 validation provided financial and non-financial insights, informing material choices, cost reductions, and sustainability decisions for its 'Flow' bridge Mark 2. |
| Title | Importance value determination of indicators for sustainability and circularity assessment for Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) at product level |
| Description | This method includes two step: 1) questionnaire, and 2) Data analysis. The questionnaire is developed to determine the importance value of 12 indicators which are extracted from the LEED, BREEAM and literatures. The importance value would compose a framework that coupled sustainability and circularity to evaluate the circularity level of Modern Methods of Construction at product level considering the sustainability requirements simultaneously. The questionnaire has been spread out to different stakeholders and researchers based in UK. The survey started from December 6th, 2022 and ended in Jan 15th 2023. The corresponding importance level would be sorted according to different groups of stakeholders. And the matrix provides the ranking of these indicators in different stakeholder groups. The weights of these indicators would be calculated based on the results and would be utilized in developing the coupled assessment framework. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | 1. The determination of the importance value for the indicators has been classified according to different group of users, which means more universal and acceptable. 2. The calculation of the weights considers the consensus level of different stakeholders. This would reduce the subjective effect of the stakeholders on some specific indicators. 3. The assessment for circularity of MMC product is comprehensive by embedded into the sustainability framework and build connections between circularity and sustainability. |
| Title | Road-map for multi-level "R" mode of end-of-life MMC components |
| Description | The road-map presents the mapping of the dynamic workflow of end-of-life MMC components. This workflow is classified according to the conditions of the end-of-life MMC components.The road-map includes the measures to take to encourage the reusability of the end-of-life components, the detailed classification system for the quality and reliability of the products. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | This road-map would encourage the potential reusability of the building components at product level and would increase the number of the circular cycles. |
| Title | Novel Bayesian Material Flow Analysis model |
| Description | Developed a novel Bayesian model for Material Flow Analysis. The proposed model utilises a mass based framework that produces predictions and uncertainty quantification for all flow and change in stock variables in a well defined system, including systems with simultaneous presence of stocks and disaggregation of processes. The model also provides model and convergence checks. |
| Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Advances state of the art in Material Flow Analysis methodology. The methodology was applied on a case study funded by the Office of National Statistics, investigating the material flow cycle of construction aggregates in England. |
| URL | https://github.com/jwang727/BayesianMFAcode |
| Title | Spatial Economic Impact Assessment for Circular Economy at the framework Spatial Computable General Equilibrium model |
| Description | This model utilizes the notion of aggregate economic agent like many other CGE models did in CGE folklore. According to this notion the behavior of households or industrial sectors in the economy are as the behavior of one single person or one single firm for 12 regions in United Kingdom. At each region there are production sectors, one representative household in each region, regional investment for each sector in each region, one transport margin sector in each region and regional external trade sector. Lastly there is one government at UK wide in the model. Final demand structure is composed of public and private expenditure and demand for investment across goods. Since this is a spatial model, decisions about the allocation of resources are decentralized, and the representation of behavior by representative agents in the region such as households or regional investment in the model follows the canonical microeconomic optimization framework. According to this, consumers will maximize welfare subject to a budget constraint and producers will combine intermediate inputs, and primary factors (labor and capital) at least cost for given technology. Representation of bilateral trade flows based on the Armington assumption. According to this, production and consumption decisions in a region will affect regional prices. Since the output destined for the domestic and export markets are differentiated products assumption (DeMelo and Robinson,1989), corner solutions are avoided. Model is static model. Consequently, when running the model in the comparative-static mode, growth in capital and investment are equal. Capital is not mobile between regions. Even if 2019 is the year of the full national input-output tables that served as the basis for the estimation of the regional input-output database, the model is calibrated for 2019 since a rather complete data set is available for other indicators in the models. And lastly, since there is no demographic variables in the model, it is not possible to see migration effect of new investments. |
| Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | This spatial computable general equilibrium model is the first fully functional sub national model for UK. We will be able to make counterfactual analysis for different policies or technology improvement in mineral based construction materials in constrution sector within the framework of circular economy . |
| Title | Supplementary Information for "CirCrete: A multi-criteria performance-based decision support framework for end-of-life management of concrete" |
| Description | This Excel spreadsheet has been prepared and specifically tailored to exemplify how to conduct scenario calculations for the implementation of CirCrete, a multi-criteria based decision support framework that facilitates the end of life management of a concrete structure from a circular economy perspective. This spreadsheet has been prepared by the authors for demonstration purpose. This spreadsheet consists of a total of eight worksheets. The first is the introduction, the next five are for calculations related to the remanufacture and recycling/landfilling route, the sixth worksheet is for the refurbishment route in the original paper and the last worksheet is the reference list. Further explanatory notes are provided in the "Introduction worksheet" |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Dataset linked to a recent publication. No impact yet. |
| URL | https://archive.researchdata.leeds.ac.uk/1357/ |
| Description | 3D Accounting-Sustainability Hybrid Tool: How To Guide (Step 3) |
| Organisation | Network Rail Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Oversaw the preparation of a How-to-Guide on Step 3 of our Accounting-Sustainability Tool. This was written by Dr Longxiang Zhao while on placement at Network Rail. The guide will enable Network Rail members to apply our tool to a range of projects and helps in a transition toward a circular economy. Specifically, our tool helps in the measurement of financial and non-financial impacts of implementing selected actions, providing decision-makers with greater visibility of benefits and, potentially, a leveraging tool when interacting with external suppliers. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Network Rail provided a one-year placement to Dr Longxiang Zhao to implement, test and validate the accounting-sustainability tool created by members of Project 3D. |
| Impact | The How to Guide offers an 'instruction manual' on applying the tool across projects at Network Rail. It provides a reference point on application to Network Rail's Flow Bridge Mark 1 project. |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | 3D accounting-sustainability hybrid tool: Application of step one at Network Rail |
| Organisation | Network Rail Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Under the supervision and guidance of my 3D Co-Is: Professor Suzana Grubnic and Professor Andrew Vivian, I have conducted the Step 1 to provide a diagnostic to identify business strengths and gaps for circularity at business level. It will help the sustainability or CE team to progress on identifying opportunities and impact in the Step 2. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Network Rail offered one-year industrial placement for the research associate of the Project 3D to validate and implement this accounting-sustainability hybrid tool, including Step 1 at Network Rail. The research associate has access to the relevant documents and information to conduct the diagnostic by mapping CE principles against selected Network Rail's CE practices/projects. |
| Impact | Step 1 resulted in 5 strengths (e.g., all five CE principles are covered in general) and 4 gaps (e.g., less coverage on the 'products as a service' principle) identified, and 5 recommendations provided (e.g., build a business-level shared database for CE best practices and resources) for Network Rail's adoption of UKGBC's CE Principles |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | 3D accounting-sustainability hybrid tool: Application of step three - How to guide at Network Rail |
| Organisation | Network Rail Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Under the supervision and guidance of my 3D Co-Is: Professor Suzana Grubnic and Professor Andrew Vivian, I have conducted the Step 3 to develop a customised spreadsheet tool to build a CE case study for the 'Flow' bridge by measuring the impact of adopting CE principles at different circularity levels across the life cycle of its construction. The tool measured the financial and non-financial impact of the potential implementation of intervention actions. It is helpful in identifying advantages in rolling out Flow bridges and in incorporating CE principles into decisions for further developments. A 'How to Guide' is customised for Network Rail details tool implementation steps and measuring processes, using the Flow Bridge case study as a template and example. This will enable Network Rail to continue applying the tool for other projects. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Network Rail offered one-year industrial placement for the research associate of the Project 3D to validate and implement this accounting-sustainability hybrid tool, including Step 3 at Network Rail. The Network Rail's CE, project, and finance teams have provided support and relevant information to help implement the Step 3 and building the customised spreadsheet tool, implementable actions, and the 'How to Guide'. |
| Impact | The collaboration resulted in the development and validation of Step 3 of the 3D accounting-sustainability hybrid tool, applied to Network Rail's Flow Bridge Mark 1 as a case study. A customised spreadsheet tool was created to measure financial and non-financial impacts of CE actions. Key findings supported the Flow project team in optimizing CE principles for Flow Mark 2 development and supplier engagement. A 'How to Guide' manual was produced to enable continued tool application across Network Rail projects, with potential long-term influence on capital investment decisions and UK railway infrastructure sustainability. |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | 3D accounting-sustainability hybrid tool: Application of step two at Network Rail |
| Organisation | Network Rail Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Under the supervision and guidance of my 3D Co-Is: Professor Suzana Grubnic and Professor Andrew Vivian, I have conducted the Step 2 to firstly identify internal resources currently available within the business for improving CE with direction support from Step 1 result. Secondly, identify a list of Network Rail's cases/projects that has high circularity opportunity and impacts. Thirdly, identify one case/project with the biggest potential for circularity to be considered for circularity measurement in Step 3 |
| Collaborator Contribution | Network Rail offered one-year industrial placement for the research associate of the Project 3D to validate and implement this accounting-sustainability hybrid tool, including Step 2 at Network Rail. The Network Rail's CE Team and CE Steering Group have provided support to help identify and scope the existing projects that can be considered as an ideal case study. The project managers of the selected case study have agreed to support and follow up with relevant teams to get access to relevant documents and data to build the case study for Step 3. |
| Impact | Step 2 resulted in the identification and prioritization of high-potential CE case studies, leading to the selection of 'FLOW' bridge for Step 3 implementation. This partnership enhanced internal engagement between Network Rail's CE and finance teams. |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | 540 World |
| Organisation | 540 World |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Invited them to speak at lunchtime webinar to present the Cradle to Cradle principles and certification. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Presented the Cradle to Cradle principles and certification for our community. Discussion also took place on the opportunity to take part in their FutureBuild stand but we could not commit due to other clashing events |
| Impact | Webinar which was attended by 30 people from academia to industry |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Collaboration in NICER Human-Centered Research Cluster |
| Organisation | University of Exeter |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The collaboration in Human Behaviour Research supports in identifying influencing factors in information sharing systems and decision making process across stakeholders toward Circular Economy adoption. |
| Collaborator Contribution | We collaborate in creating podcasts, delivering workshops, and regularly meeting discussion. |
| Impact | The collaboration started in November 2022 across NICER colleagues working in the field. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Collaboration with Ansys Granta |
| Organisation | Granta Design |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Irene, Aiduan, and I contributed to the company paper describing the procedure for evaluating the carbon footprint of lightweight exterior infill walls, along with ANSYS Granta's Mr Claes Fredriksson using the company product, ANSYS Granta. |
| Collaborator Contribution | ANSYS Granta's Mr Claes Fredriksson led the development of the company paper, which is currently under review by another company person at ANSYS Granta. The document will be available online if and after the review is complete. |
| Impact | This collaboration is multi-disciplinary - involving software developing company, researchers specialising civil/structural engineering, environmental engineering and LCA. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Collaboration with Data & Analytics Facility for National Infrastructure (DAFNI) |
| Organisation | Data & Analytics Facility for National Infrastructure (DAFNI) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | I have uploaded a model to Dafni's platform for further use and research by others. They have provided their online facilities to help the work in developing a digital twin. |
| Collaborator Contribution | They have provided training and guidance in the development of a digital twin case study as part of this reaearch project. |
| Impact | The output is a digital twin. This collaboration is multi-disciplinary: digitalisation, construction materials, infrastructure, maritime shipping, sustainability, circular economy, decarbonisation. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Collaboration with Enfield Council |
| Organisation | Enfield Council |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | ICEC-MCM is planning a case study with the council on applying the UN framework classification of resources for recovery of materials from a council estate regeneration project. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provided half day of staff time to take our group on a tour of their council estates where active circular construction projects are ongoing. Also joined our centre meeting panel discussions on social impacts of circular construction Including the UNFC case study requirements in the procurement contract for circular economy specialist for the next phase of the council estate regeneration project. |
| Impact | UNFC case study |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Collaboration with Ferrovial |
| Organisation | Ferrovial |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | This collaboration and the planning are still in the planning phase. However, the idea is that a collaboration/placement will take place in the context of the post-doctoral project: development and evaluation of durable and circular concrete. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Ferrovial is responsible for development and operation of different infrastructure projects worldwide. We are collaborating together with the innovation sector, in order to set up a parnetship for producing durable and circular concrete. |
| Impact | The collaboration is still in the planning phase. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Collaboration with Mineral Products Association |
| Organisation | Mineral Products Association (MPA) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Regular meetings to discuss the results of the Bayesian MFA model when applied to real world case studies relating to minerals (such as construction aggregates). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Regular meetings to discuss the results of the Bayesian MFA model when applied to real world case studies relating to minerals (such as construction aggregates). |
| Impact | Collaboration only begun in December 2022 so no tangible outcomes yet. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Collaboration with Network Rail |
| Organisation | Network Rail Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | This collaboration aims to develop a novel accounting-sustainability hybrid tool for Network Rail to embed circular economy into decision-making. Under the supervision and guidance of my 3D Co-Is: Professor Suzana Grubnic and Professor Andrew Vivian, I have tested, and validated the tool to help embed CE principles into Network Rail's decision-making. This included conducting diagnostic mapping (Step 1), scoping circularity opportunities (Step 2), and developing a CE case study (Step 3) using the Flow Bridge project. I also produced a 'How to Guide' for long-term tool adoption and an interview analysis report on CE integration into sustainability and management control systems (SCSs and MCSs). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Network Rail participated in our project interviews and offered an industrial placement for me to test and implement the tool, providing access to internal CE projects, relevant data, and key stakeholders. The CE, finance, and project teams supported the development of case studies and the refinement of the tool. |
| Impact | Key outputs include the Accounting-Sustainability Hybrid Tool, developed and tested to embed CE into Network Rail's investment decisions, along with a Step 1 Report identifying key strengths, gaps, and recommendations, a Step 2 Report prioritizing high-potential CE case studies, and a Step 3 Case Study & How to Guide measuring financial and non-financial impacts to support Flow Bridge Mark 2 development. Additionally, the Network Rail Interview Analysis Report examined CE integration into investment decisions, contributing to long-term CE strategy adoption. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Collaboration with Office of National Statistics |
| Organisation | Office for National Statistics |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Tested a novel Bayesian material flow analysis methodology on a case study of the flow of construction aggregates in England as a part of a consulting project with the Office of National Statistics. Conducted scenario analysis of possible future scenarios in the consumption of construction aggregates in England. Produced a final report and presentation on the findings. Software was also developed to visualise the outputs of the model. |
| Collaborator Contribution | £75000 was contributed by the Office of National Statistics (detail can be found at https://bidstats.uk/tenders/2022/W17/773587228). This fund was used to hire a software developer to work on visualisation of the model outputs, and a research assistant to help construct a dataset on construction aggregates in the UK. |
| Impact | Presentation to a panel of experts from the Office of National Statistics. Final report summarising the work. Visualisation software for the model output. This collaboration is multi-disciplinary, involving academics and experts in industrial ecology, environmental sciences, statistics, geologists working in minerals from the British Geological Survey and industry experts from the Office of National Statistics. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Collaboration with St. Gobain |
| Organisation | Loughborough University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We are collaborating with the business partner on businesses models to improve plasterboard circularity. This will be enabled through a case study undertaken during a year long industrial placement. We organise progress and planning meetings fortnightly with the industrial partner. The meetings are formalised with an agenda, previous meeting minutes, papers for discussion and powerpoint presentations. We are also planning periodic workshops with plasterboard supply chain stakeholders to seek input. We will collate the information from the workshops to plan the next steps in the project. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Business partner will host a year long industrial placement. They join fortnightly progress and planning meetings. They are also planning periodic workshops with plasterboard supply chain stakeholders to seek input. They are providing the venue, catering and other logistics for the first workshop. |
| Impact | Workshop of plasterboard supply chain participants on March 22, 2024. More to follow |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Collaboration with Tate & Lyle Sugars |
| Organisation | ASR |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | UCL have worked on the development of a novel biocomposite that is compatible with robotic fabrication methods for large scale applications. Using a circular economy strategy, we have upgraded waste calcium carbonate material - a byproduct of the sugarcane refining process. Our contribution is on three levels- biomaterial development, fabrication and design. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Tate and Lyle (part of the ASR group) provided in-kind support in terms of time for meetings and consultation, site visits and provision of data. They povided raw materials in bulk. |
| Impact | 1. Exhibition of Calcareous Arabesque - robotically extruded wall panel at Waste Age exhibition, London Design Museum 2. Presentation of paper on material development and fabrication at International Structures in Architecture conference, Denmark |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Funded secondment with Environment Agency |
| Organisation | Environment Agency |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | I supported the the drafting of a Best Available Techniques (BAT) Conclusion template that incorporates the concept of the circular economy in such a way that advances circularity across all manufacturing and agricultural sectors in the UK economy. Also I have worked with the working other relevant teams such as cement and lime to identify obstacles within current regulation and standards to increasing the circularity of secondary use materials from the minerals-based construction sector, specifically cement and concrete. In a final workshop I coordinated a problem identification process to further understanding of the cross cutting nature of obstacles within different current UK regulation to increasing circularity in the economy. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Environment Agency and the UK BAT team have made available time and expertise for me to pursue research. I have had excellent support and guidance from my supervisor Paul Stevens with weekly catch up meetings to help develop ideas and identify the right people to engage with to take the research forward. The knowledge gained from the secondment (3 months) has been fundamental to the early stages of the research for my own project on regulation, standards and policy in the UK to further circularity within the MCM sector. |
| Impact | Circular economy included in the UK BAT template. This is a new development in BAT Conclusions that the UK is seeking to include. Once agreed officially this will be a major regulatory additional mandatory requirement for industries. On concluding the secondment I will produce a report summarising findings, including from the workshops, which will be made available to the Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centre for Mineral-based Construction Materials. The collaboration is interdisciplinary drawing technical and scientific disciplinary expertise from Environment Agency employees and law and policy from myself. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | HLM Architects |
| Organisation | HLM Architects |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | We introduced our ongoing research project within our research team at the University of Leeds. |
| Collaborator Contribution | We received some data that may be useful to complete one of the planned research tasks in our research team. |
| Impact | Conducting a life-cycle assessment of a building using the data provided by the HLM Architects. (multi-disciplinary) (disciplines involved: architecture, civil engineering, structural engineering) |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | MSc Infrastructure Systems at UCL which was developed by Liz Varga and includes a track on sustainability/circular economy. |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Prof. Liz Varga has developed this programme |
| Collaborator Contribution | It is a programme running in 2023-2024 for the first time at UCL, creating interests in circular Economy in infrastructure |
| Impact | Master studies programme developed at UCL and the outcome from ICEC-MCM was that it includes a track with Circular Economy initiatives in infrastructure. |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | National Highways 3B Eco-design |
| Organisation | Highways England |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | National Highways is involved as an industrial partner. We have met frequently (usually monthly) for ideas regarding research case studies and for updates. We have identified a few infrastructure projects as case studies, and one of them specifically the Lower Thames Crossing where our research team will try to identify and measure circularity included in these case studies. |
| Collaborator Contribution | National Highways intends to fund a one year postdoctoral placement to the postdoc of this project. Also, they have agreed to funding a doctoral studentship therefore they have been included in decisions regarding the topic of the studenship and will also be included in the interview process, and candidate selection. Shortly a non-disclosure agreement will be signed so they will be able to provide data on the selected case studies. They have also contributed to provide contacts for several topics. |
| Impact | An output of this collaboration is the intention of funding a doctoral studenship with a topic relevant to National Highways interests. This studentship has been advertised and will go ahead with a funding agreement between National Highways and UCL. Another output is a research proposal created between our research team, National Highways and Network Rail called XTRICS for the CE-Hub Flexible fund, which was for the time being unseccesful. This proposal has not submitted yet somewhere else but a new partnership was created because of this. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Network Rail Circular Economy Interview Analysis Report |
| Organisation | Network Rail Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Under the supervision and guidance of my 3D Co-Is: Professor Suzana Grubnic and Professor Andrew Vivian, I have produced this report for Network Rail's CE Manager, to provide an analysis of interviews undertaken with Network Rail respondents. The main aims of this report are to examine how CE principles are embedded into the current processes and practices on sustainability, and how accounting for sustainability at Network Rail guides its investment decisions. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Network Rail has contributed by providing contacts for empirical data collection (interviews), from wide range of Network Rail's different teams and regions. |
| Impact | The report provides insights into how CE principles are integrated into sustainability control systems (SCSs) and management control systems (MCSs) at Network Rail, guiding investment decisions. Key findings highlight challenges in collaboration between sustainability and finance teams, the role of the CE Strategy Manager in driving CE initiatives, and stakeholder engagement in shaping CE strategies. |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Resource recovery case study with European Metal Recycling for Horizon Europe FUTURAM project |
| Organisation | European Metal Recycling Limited |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Prof Julia Stegemann had a series of meetings to discuss participation of EMR in the FUTURAM project |
| Collaborator Contribution | EMR participated in the discussions with Prof Stegemann and has agreed to provide data about C&D-related mineral wastes for resource recovery case study |
| Impact | Successful proposal to Horizon Europe on Future Availability of Raw Materials in the EU (FUTURAM) |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Resource recovery case study with MACE for Horizon Europe FUTURAM project |
| Organisation | Mace |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Discussions with MACE over a period of several months, as the project was being defined, to develop the scope of their case study |
| Collaborator Contribution | Participation in discussions with UCL, and commitment to provide data for a case study to test and demonstrate a new methodology for resource availability assessment through the UNFC for Anthropogenic Resources. MACE have agreed to provide data for demolition waste composition and recovery from a central London site, and/or company wide demolition and recovery. |
| Impact | Successful proposal on Future Availability of Raw Materials in the EU (FUTURAM), submitted to Horizon Europe. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Skanska |
| Organisation | Skanska UK Ltd |
| Department | Cementation Skanska |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Invited Skanska to join the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group |
| Collaborator Contribution | Skanska and their ED&I Manager are supporting the actions of the centre, advising us on best approach and support mechanisms to ensure we reach our objectives |
| Impact | Development of a ED&I Strategy, ED&I fund and advise on training opportunities to embed ED&I principles across the team |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Three-month secondment |
| Organisation | Environment Agency |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Developing a soil storage and reuse system in England under the existing policy framework |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provided support and guidance regarding regulations and policy in England |
| Impact | A policy brief report will be published soon |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | UKGBC Circular Economy Forum Working Group |
| Organisation | UK Green Building Council |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Since joining the Task Group, I have attended and actively contributed to discussions at some of the workshops that have taken place. These consist of quarterly forums, as well as bi-weekly discussions that provide an opportunity to discuss challenges and solutions on key topics in more detail and produce outputs to educate the wider industry when necessary. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Circular Economy Forum (CE) brings together industry professionals who are actively working on the implementation of circularity to share learnings, find solutions, and make practical progress in implementing circular economy principles on live projects. This group is a 30-people working group that is member-run. It has been set up to address specific topics that several forum members wish to make further progress on. UKGBC helps scope and set up the working groups and help promote the outputs, while the main work is done by the members of this group. |
| Impact | The Working Group was established only two months ago, so there has not been any tangible output defined yet. Nonetheless, it is expected that an opinion piece or a technical report will be prepared in the future. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | UKGBC Whole Life Carbon Reduction Task Group |
| Organisation | UK Green Building Council |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Since joining the Task Group, I have attended and actively contributed to discussions at 5 workshops. I expect to contribute to the drafting and finalisation of a report relating to the project aims. Update: A report entitled 'Insights on how circular economy principles can impact carbon and value' was published by UKGBC in August 2022. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Task Group has been formed, and is led, by UKGBC. The project has the following aims: (a) Increase understanding within the real estate sector of how circular economy principles can support whole life carbon reductions, and where there may be potential trade-offs. (b) Provide greater clarity on how circular economy may be measured and valued in relation to the whole life carbon of buildings. This will include the potential opportunities, challenges, and solutions in translating the carbon reduction outcomes into financial or other value metrics. (c) Gather and review further industry research and case studies to help support the above aims. The Task Group is comprised of approximately 40 members. Members contribute to workshop discussions on different themes, and will be involved in co-drafting and finalising a report. |
| Impact | The output is expected to be a report. This will focus on how circular economy principles can reduce the whole life carbon of both new and existing built assets. The content of the report is expected to inform investment and design decisions. Update: A report was published in 2022, entitled 'Insights on how circular economy principles can impact carbon and value'. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | XTRICS |
| Organisation | Highways England |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Participation in meetings for the creation of a research proposal called XTRICS, and application to CE_Hub FLexible Fund in September 2021. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Participation in meetings for the creation of a research proposal called XTRICS, and application to CE_Hub FLexible Fund in September 2021. |
| Impact | The research proposal application to CE_Hub FLexible Fund in September 2021. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | XTRICS |
| Organisation | Network Rail Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Participation in meetings for the creation of a research proposal called XTRICS, and application to CE_Hub FLexible Fund in September 2021. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Participation in meetings for the creation of a research proposal called XTRICS, and application to CE_Hub FLexible Fund in September 2021. |
| Impact | The research proposal application to CE_Hub FLexible Fund in September 2021. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Title | Engineered Living Materials |
| Description | Development of a process to create biomineralised materials generated through the action of photosynthetic filamentous cyanobacteria |
| IP Reference | GB2113331.9 |
| Protection | Patent application published |
| Year Protection Granted | 2021 |
| Licensed | No |
| Impact | Recent filing - P.Tamuli has been awarded a PhD studentship to continue the research. |
| Title | BayesMFA |
| Description | Software for the implementation of the Bayesian Material Flow Analysis algorithm described in the paper 'Bayesian material flow analysis for systems with multiple levels of disaggregation and high dimensional data' (https://github.com/jwang727/BayesianMFAcode) |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Impact | The software has been used as a part of a £75000 consulting project for the ONS (https://bidstats.uk/tenders/2022/W17/773587228), analysing the flow of construction aggregates in England. |
| Description | 'Construction Material Tool-Kit' exhibition at COP26 Glasgow |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | This 'Construction Material Tool-Kit' exhibition explores the different construction materials that are available to meet the needs of the global urbanisation transition, specifically highlighting the greenhouse gas emissions involved in producing them. Specifically, it involves the presentation of a play-kit and complementary display of the embodied greenhouse gas emissions of construction materials: wood (solid); engineered timber products; brick; concrete; steel; aluminium; rockwool. The play-kit consists of blocks of construction materials that are sized to match a cradle-to-gate embodied emission of 100 g greenhouse gas (CO2-eq.). Visitors (e.g. families including children) can pick the blocks up and play with them, while research team members are on-site and available to answer visitor questions. At the Science Museum, the play-kit is accompanied by a digital display showing the different materials and their cradle-to-gate greenhouse gas emissions within a family-friendly storyline "The three little pigs learn about sustainable construction". This exhibition was presented to hundreds of visitors at the 2021 Great Exhibition Road Festival (Science Museum, London) over 9-10 October 2021, leading to many questions from families to our research team and interest from the Science Museum organisers. It was also presented at COP26 Glasgow, on a stand in the Green Zone Exhibition. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.greatexhibitionroadfestival.co.uk/ |
| Description | 'Construction Material Tool-Kit' exhibition at the 2021 Great Exhibition Road Festival, Science Museum, London |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This 'Construction Material Tool-Kit' exhibition explores the different construction materials that are available to meet the needs of the global urbanisation transition, specifically highlighting the greenhouse gas emissions involved in producing them. Specifically, it involves the presentation of a play-kit and complementary display of the embodied greenhouse gas emissions of construction materials: wood (solid); engineered timber products; brick; concrete; steel; aluminium; rockwool. The play-kit consists of blocks of construction materials that are sized to match a cradle-to-gate embodied emission of 100 g greenhouse gas (CO2-eq.). Visitors (families including children) can pick the blocks up and play with them, while research team members are on-site and available to answer visitor questions. The play-kit is accompanied by a digital display showing the different materials and their cradle-to-gate greenhouse gas emissions within a family-friendly storyline "The three little pigs learn about sustainable construction". This exhibition was presented to hundreds of visitors at the 2021 Great Exhibition Road Festival (Science Museum, London) over 9-10 October 2021, leading to many questions from families to our research team and interest from the Science Museum organisers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.greatexhibitionroadfestival.co.uk/ |
| Description | 'Construction Material Tool-Kit' exhibition at the 2021 Great Exhibition Road Festival, Science Museum, London |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This 'Construction Material Tool-Kit' exhibition explores the different construction materials that are available to meet the needs of the global urbanisation transition, specifically highlighting the greenhouse gas emissions involved in producing them. Specifically, it involves the presentation of a play-kit and complementary display of the embodied greenhouse gas emissions of construction materials: wood (solid); engineered timber products; brick; concrete; steel; aluminium; rockwool. The play-kit consists of blocks of construction materials that are sized to match a cradle-to-gate embodied emission of 100 g greenhouse gas (CO2-eq.). Visitors (families including children) can pick the blocks up and play with them, while research team members are on-site and available to answer visitor questions. The play-kit is accompanied by a digital display showing the different materials and their cradle-to-gate greenhouse gas emissions within a family-friendly storyline "The three little pigs learn about sustainable construction". This exhibition was presented to hundreds of visitors at the 2021 Great Exhibition Road Festival (Science Museum, London) over 9-10 October 2021, leading to many questions from families to our research team and interest from the Science Museum organisers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.greatexhibitionroadfestival.co.uk/ |
| Description | 3D Poster Presentation at the ICEC-MCM Centre Celebration |
| 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 | The 3D Poster Presentation at the ICEC-MCM Centre Celebration was an opportunity to showcase research on enabling capital investment into CE projects and the development of an accounting-sustainability hybrid tool, and its implementation in collaboration with Network Rail. The event brought together academia, industry, and policymakers to celebrate the Centre's achievements and foster discussions. The presentation contributed to knowledge exchange and strengthened partnerships between researchers, industry professionals, and government stakeholders, further reinforcing the practical and academic impact of CE research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | 41st Cement & Concrete Science Conference (Leeds, UK) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The 41st Cement & Concrete Science Conference is the UK annual meeting for cement and concrete scientists and engineers from industry and academia. This conference provides an essential platform for young researchers to present their research and develop a network alongside established colleagues. Even though most of the attendees were national, a considerable number of participants were from universities worldwide. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.iom3.org/events-awards/events-archive/41st-cement-and-concrete-science-conference.html |
| Description | A Short Presentation on How to Maximise Circularity of Construction and Demolition Waste in a Complex Circular Economy System |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A short presentation was given to the audience from both academia and industry on how to manage the construction and demolition waste in a complex circular economy system. Here we highlighted how to 'Systems Thinking' and 'Complex System Modelling' become relevant to the Circular Economy System. We also highlighted that if we want to consider the circularity of CDW, we need to consider the system 'as-a-whole' (viz., from mining of mineral ores to the demolition, and thereafter again putting those materials in the lifecycle as recycled aggregates) instead of considering the construction and demolition activity as a separate entity. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Acuity and Agility in Infrastructure Systems Decision-making Workshop (University of Surrey) |
| 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 | The event exploreed the concept of "data as service". It co-created "data to decisions and services" route maps in collaboration with a cohort of national and international participants, from transport asset owners and managers to leading consulting and contracting organisations and research centres worldwide. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Are Soil Hotels the ticket to a circular pathway in the construction sector? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of the deliverable report with the Environment Agency |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.rtpi.org.uk/events/2024/june/planning-growth-and-the-natural-environment/ |
| Description | BSI |
| 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 | Panel Chair of BS 8895 Part 1 to 4: Designing for Material Resource Efficiency in Building Projects. BS 8895 Parts 1, 2 and 3 were published in 2013, 2015 and 2019 respectively. Part 4 work is ongoing. The impact reach and significance are demonstrated through: (i) reference to BS 8895 as the principal resource to optimise material efficiency and designing out waste practice in two international sustainability certification schemes (BREEAM and New Zealand Homestar) and a UK quality and sustainability assessment scheme (Home Quality Mark); and (ii) increased industry adoption of material resource efficiency in building projects. This resulted in Prof Osmani's research being rated as a 4* Impact Case Study in REF2021 (https://results2021.ref.ac.uk/impact/4889f81b-bc8b-4b97-8687-7e564ed1d395?page=1 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021,2022,2023 |
| URL | https://landingpage.bsigroup.com/LandingPage/Series?UPI=BS%208895 |
| Description | Building on Soil Sustainability: report London launch |
| 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 | Building on Soil Sustainability: report London launch. In person launch event. Key note presentation followed by panel discussion |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Building on Soil Sustainability: report South West launch |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Building on Soil Sustainability: report South West launch took place in Exeter. Hybrid event with online talk and in-person Q&A |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Building on Soil Sustainability: report web launch |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Online launch event for report into Building on Soil Sustainability |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Building on soil sustainability: Principles for soils in planning and construction |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Talk to EGU General Assembly Davies, J., Quinton, J., O'Riordan, R., Hatch, P., Dart, S., Birchall, A., Hontzsch, B., Campion, C., and Farrer, N.: Building on soil sustainability: Principles for soils in planning and construction, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23-28 Apr 2023, EGU23-7840, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-7840, 2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/egu23/sessionprogramme |
| Description | Centre Celebration |
| 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 ICEC-MCM Celebration, held on 19th November 2024, brought together the multi-disciplinary collaborators and stakeholder network of the Centre to celebrate the outcomes of the shared vision over the past four years of the NICER Programme. The event saw an all-day comprehensive poster showcase of research outputs and screening of a video produced by Artist Naresh Kaushal in collaboration with The Loop and BLOQS. Co-authors Professor Julia Stegemann & Dr Stijn van Ewijk along with colleagues Dr Feja Lesniewska, Jennifer Griffiths, Andrea Paulillo also hosted a lively panel discussion of the first open-access textbook, An Introduction to Waste Management & Circular Economy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7265730402978271232 |
| Description | Circular Chemistry; the enabler to help solve global challenges |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation on circular economy in cement and concrete sectors, highlighting research from within the ICEC-MCM, the development of calcined clays and other work from within the University of Leeds. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.rsc.org/events/detail/74666/circular-chemistry |
| Description | Circular Economy Symposium: Towards a circular built environment: bridging the gap between research and practice |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The talk 'Circular Economy Symposium: Towards a circular built environment: bridging the gap between research and practice' was delivered by the PGR linked to this centre during the Circular Economy Symposium: Towards a circular built environment: bridging the gap between research and practice. London, UK, 30th June 2023. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Circularity Metrics Hackathon |
| 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 | An in-person hackathon to define a simple metric for circularity in the built environment was organised together with the Re-London CIRCuIT project, the Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI), and Reusefully. The group defined 8 key characteristics such a metric should possess to be both meaningful and easily adopted across the industry. 44 industry experts attended the full-day event and consensus was reached on a simple metric. Further development of the metric is being continued by Re-London. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Circularity Metrics Hackathon |
| 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 | An in-person hackathon to define a simple metric for circularity in the built environment was organised together with the Re-London CIRCuIT project, the Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI), and Reusefully. The group defined 8 key characteristics such a metric should possess to be both meaningful and easily adopted across the industry. 44 industry experts attended the full-day event and consensus was reached on a simple metric. Further development of the metric is being continued by Re-London. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Closing the Performance Gap in Circular Construction--Opportunities and Barriers to New Technology Adoption in MMC to Enhance Circularity |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 12 people attended this 90 minutes workshop.A brief introduction to Modern Methods of Construction (MMC)was presented along with the performance gap of MMC products within the framework of the circular economy. Additionally, the presentation raised the issue of what new technologies should be integrated into MMC and how to do so to enhance circularity performance. The discussion revolved around the opportunities and challenges of new technologies in closing the circularity performance of MMC products. The discussion was conducted in small groups and was composed of three main parts. The SWOT analysis for new technology to close the MMC circularity Performance Gap was the first section. In this SWOT analysis, the environmental, economic, social, and technological strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of new technology in circular MMC products were examined within the context of sustainability. The conclusions of opportunities were mainly focused on waste reduction, data availability, productivity, and less labour while the threats on information security, more expense, data management, and no short-term profit. The internal strengths came from flexibility, developing new skills, traceability of materials, higher material efficiency, efficient management, and better product quality. The costs for energy, data reliability, ownership of data, and the uncertainty of long-term performance were the current weakness of new technology in circular MMC. Then these analyses were mapped to the strategy matrix to put forward strategies for minimising weakness, preventing threats, and making use of opportunities through strength. The strategies were then translated into actions with different efforts and impact levels. The actions can be categorised into policy for data sharing, standards for data structure, insurance, the platform for collaboration, data management, training for skills, technology promotion, and research trends. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Construction and demolition mineral-based waste impacts soil functioning and ecosystem services |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A presentation of preliminary results at the European Geosciences Union conference in April 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Construction and demolition waste recovery and the United Nations framework classification for resources by Julia Stegemann |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Prof. Julia Stegemann gave a keynote presentation on Construction and demolition waste recovery and the United Nations framework classification for resources at WASCON (The International Conference on the Environmental and Technical Implications of Construction with Alternative Materials). WASCON has been held approximately every three years since 1991. It provides a forum for exchange of ideas and current research nationally and internationally on the use of waste, industrial by-products and other recycled materials in construction. For past WASCON Conference, please see https://iscowa.net/conferences/. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Delivering new module at Civil Engineering Department UCL, CEGE0008: Engineering for Circular Economy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This module was initiated as part of the Circular Economy research taking place at UCL within ICEC-MCM and my research as a postdoc. It was developed and it started term 2, 2024 in the Civil engineering department. Delivered to around 15 students it has been sparking questions and discussions. Industrial experts also are invited as part of the tutorials to present to the students real life case studies in engineering with a circular economy focus. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.ucl.ac.uk/module-catalogue/modules/engineering-for-circular-economy-CEGE0008 |
| Description | Delivering teaching session on module CEGE0120: Introduction to Complex Infrastructure Systems |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Every year from 2021, 2022 and 2023 in the autumn term I delivered a teaching session to the students of CEGE0120 at UCL (around 15-20 students) on Circular Economy and Systems Thinking. It is an interesting session for the students to understand how Systems thinking and circularity can contribute one to another. This sparked interest to create a new module at UCL which the students could select to learn more on Circular Economy (CEGE0008). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022,2023 |
| Description | Delivering training session on circular economy of roads and pavements to postdoctoral students Cambridge University, as part of the Digital Roads programme |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | As part of the Digital Roads of the future programme at Cambridge University I have been invited twice (September 2023 and January 2024) to present to a different cohort of postdoctoral students that receive training as part of their new posts. Each time the students where around 10-15 and I talked about circular economy and eco-design principles mainly relevant to road maintenance and construction. The students engaged to the talk and most of them were not aware of circular economy and were interested in the sustainability of roads. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023,2024 |
| Description | Digital enablers for a circular economy in construction |
| 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 | A 1 day workshop on 'digital enablers for a circular economy was organised and facilitated by the university of Loughborough. The presentations at the workshop were a unique opportunity to gain industry perspective on enablers for a circular economy. The event resulted in improved engagement and dialogue from the industry participants who attended (participant from Morgan Sindall has since joined the IAB). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Discussion of Construction Impacts on Soils |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | CL:AIRE organised a meeting on this topic, involving a variety of stakeholders, to prepare for further government consultation |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | ECR Net Zero Conference (Manchester, UK) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This conference brought together over 200 early career researchers (ECRs) from the net zero community. C-DICE, CREDS, ERA, EnergyREV, IDRIC, TFI Network+, UKCCSRC and UKERC hosted the event. The attended activities included different plenary sessions and parallel sessions focused on skill-based workshops (net zero policy; how to engage effectively with industry; and net zero career pathways). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.cdice.ac.uk/events/ecr-net-zero-conference/ |
| Description | Edgar Wood Academy Construction Site Visit |
| 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 | 1 person from a company EOS and another person from a company Etex attended a construction site visit along with a postdoctoral researcher and a faculty member from the University of Leeds, which sparked questions and discussion afterwards, and the companies reported increased interest in related subject areas. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.edgarwood.org/ |
| Description | Ellen MacArthur Foundation Summit 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The event brings together business leaders, policymakers, and global changemakers to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Environment Analyst's annual Waste Management conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Talk on the soil taskforce building on soils sustainably report. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Futures Forum workshop on Circular Economy for Construction |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The PIU and ICEC-MCM have been working together to increase policymakers' awareness and understanding of these developments, to inform and shape future policy direction and decisions, and enhance the real-world impact from the Centre's work. As part of these efforts, the PIU and ICEC-MCM delieverd a knowledge exchange event - bringing together researchers and policymakers to share and discuss developments from the Centre - and what they may mean for the future. Futures thinking is also useful in the context of construction and the built environment, given the long-term nature of this industry. The primary aims of the event are, 1. Create space for academic researchers and policymakers to come together, in a structured way, to have a thought-provoking discussion on risks, opportunities and future scenarios (for a Circular Economy for Construction) 2. Share research and new tools developed by ICEC-MCM, with policymakers and other relevant parties invited (e.g. industry or trade bodies.) Include recent book publication where possible. 3. Soft launch new policy briefs (aligned to Green Construction Board's Routemap) 4. Enable networking and relationship building between academic researchers and policymakers, supporting future collaboration. 5. Produce recommendations which can be captured in an event report, and support / complement policy briefs being produced by ICEC-MCM. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Green Alliance report on Circular Construction - Building for a greener UK economy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Green Alliance organised expert consultation panels to provide views on the content of their report on Circular Construction - Building for a greener UK economy, which were taken into account in preparing the final document |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://green-alliance.org.uk/publication/circular-construction-building-for-a-greener-uk-economy/ |
| Description | Guest Lecture at UCL: Accounting & Finance for Circular Economy in Construction |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This guest lecture for UCL's 2nd-year Financial Aspects of Project Engineering module introduced CE principles in construction and the role of accounting and finance in supporting CE transitions. Using industry case studies from Network Rail and interactive tools, the session engaged students (about 150 students) in real-world CE challenges, achieving a 97% participation rate and enhancing their understanding of sustainable investment decisions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Guest Speaker on International Union of Railways' (UIC) Circular Economy Sector 9th Meeting |
| 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 | I am invited to speak on 'Implementing Circular Economy Accounting Tool at Network Rail' at the International Union of Railways' (UIC) Circular Economy Sector 9th Meeting. It generates lots of interests from the audience, and the organizer comments that: 'I think the topic of your presentation could have an interest to a wider circle of railway experts than just British ones'. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Hackathon: circularity metrics for buildings |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | There has been much work done on circularity metrics but there is, as yet, no set formalised set of metrics being consistently used on buildings. Without agreed consistent metrics it is difficult for circularity to be specified or monitored. This risks causing confusion and limiting the adoption of circular techniques. This hackathon joined forces to gather some of the key thinkers in this space, to move forward the discussion, and start to gain some consensus on appropriate metrics to measure circularity in the built environment. Around 60 professionals and researchers took part in the hackathon, and they helped to develop an industry consensus regarding circular economy metrics, and to hear some of the latest thinking from a range of organisations regarding circularity metrics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.circuit-project.eu/event-details/hackathon-circularity-metrics-for-buildings |
| Description | High school students' placement hosted by ICEC-MCM post doc, Irene Josa |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Centre post-doc collaborated with the In2ScienceUK programme to provide a unique learning opportunity to 2 sixth form students from diverse backgrounds in a higher education institute. They joined the ICEC-MCM team to gain hands-on experience in the world of sustainable infrastructure and CMCM. The collaboration Inspired and cutivated the next generation of leaders who can drive sustainable (including circular) practices in construction. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | ICEC-MCM Centre Meeting |
| 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 event consisted of the following activities: Keynote - Construction to zero: from design to materials (Dr Cyrille Dunant, Senior Research Associate in Material Efficiency in Construction, University of Cambridge) Panel Discussion - Material reduction and the Circular Economy (Cyrille Dunant, Elaine Toogood (MPA), Caroline Cochrane (Mace), Eleni Iacovidou (Brunel University, TBC) Update on recent ICEC-MCM activities (Julia Stegemann, Director of the ICEC-MCM) Parallel Workshops for stakeholder interaction with ICEC-MCM research projects A. Opportunities and barriers for adopting new technologies in Modern Methods of Construction? - Yiping Meng (Loughborough University) B. How can we establish the Use Potential of mineral wastes in construction applications? - Leonel Tchadjie (UCL) C. Demand, drivers, and barriers for the use of recycled aggregates in fresh concrete - Boral Soumava (University of Leeds) Parallel sessions on fundamental ICEC-MCM methodologies D. Life Cycle Assessment - A case study of embodied carbon for a building with reusable exterior lightweight infill walls, Shoma Kitayama (University of Leeds) E. Material Flow Analysis - A case study for construction aggregates in England, Junyang Wang (Imperial College London) F. Computable General Equilibrium modelling - Macro-economic impacts of circular economy interventions along the construction mineral supply chain, Metin Piskin (UCL) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | ICEC-MCM Centre Meeting 1 |
| 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 | Programme: Material Flow Analysis Model for Mineral-based Construction Materials (Junyang Wang, Research Associate, Imperial College London) Design for Deconstruction: Reuse of Exterior Lightweight Walls (Shoma Kitayama, Research Fellow, University of Leeds) Production of circular cements from UK mineral resources (Amr Aboulela, Research Associate, University of Sheffield) Maximising circularity of concrete from demolition in complex systems (Boral Soumava, Research Fellow, University of Leeds) Eco-design technical characterisation of MCMs in infrastructure systems (Evangelia Manola, Research Fellow, UCL) Enabling capital investment in Projects for MCM circularity (Longxiang Zhao, Research Associate, Loughborough University) Enabling Systemic Transformation: Standards, policy & regulation (Feja Lesniewska, Research Fellow, UCL) Understanding the policy landscape for Circular Economy in the Built Environment - Evidence needs to support policy for a CE in MCM (Lily Tozer, Head of Market Intelligence for the IETF at Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy; Maya Fooks, senior analyst Resource Efficiency Lead at Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy; Nick MacInnes, Circular Economy Lead at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) Moderation: Jane Thornback, Sustainability Policy Advisor, Construction Products Association Parallel workshops and networking on Research Needs |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | ICEC-MCM Poster Showcase |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | On 26th February 2025, from 14:00 to 17:00, a poster showcase was held in Chadwick Building, UCL to celebrate and share the research impact of ICEC-MCM's postdoctoral and PhD researchers at the end of the Centre's funding period. The entire student as well as academic staff, professional and technical staff, were invited to drop-in and invited to intract with the work. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7301210615136542721 |
| Description | IOM3 42rd Cement and Concrete Science Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The talk 'Towards concrete decarbonisation - a practical insight into fly ash and blast furnace slag-containing concretes' was presented in the IOM3 42rd Cement and Concrete Science Conference. London, UK, 11-12 September 2023. The presentation was conducted by the PGR linked to this centre from the University of Leeds. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Impacts of mineral-based construction and demolition waste on soil functions and ecosystem services |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Oral and poster presentation of preliminary results of the research project, presented at British Society of Soil Science (BSSS) and Soil Science Society Ireland (SSSI) annual conference as well as the BSSS Early Career conference in December. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Internal Seminar, Loughborough Business School (Zhao, Grubnic and Vivian) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Preparation of a co-authored academic paper, entitled 'Circular Economy and Accounting: A Review and Agenda for Future Research', was delivered to staff and PhD students at Loughborough Business School. The paper was presented by Research Associate, Dr Longxiang Zhao. This generated interest in our research, and requests for further information. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Invited Lecture at Technologies for Low Carbon and Lean Construction (TLC2) launch at IIT-Madras |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Delivered an invited lecture on circular economy and construction to ~150 Masters and PhD students, academics and industry partners at the launch of IIT-Madras' new TLC2 research centre. This 4-day event prompted significant discussion among the audience as to how best to achieve circular economy goals within different environments, i.e. comparing and contrasting work in the UK and India. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://civil.iitm.ac.in/tlc/ |
| Description | Loughborough Business School Launch Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The PDRA3D team (Zhao, Grubnic and Vivian) prepared a presentation for the Loughborough Business School launch event on 6th May 2023. Co-leads Grubnic and Vivian delivered the presentation developed by the team as part of the research spotlight section of the event. An overview of our project looking at circular economy in construction from an Accounting and Finance perspective was given. This links well with the schools empasis on progress with purpose. This presentation enabled us to reach a wide range of stakeholders from academia and industry. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.lboro.ac.uk/news-events/news/2023/may/loughborough-business-school-rebrand/ |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar April 2022 - How CO2 mineralisation is driving the future of cement |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | For this brief lunchtime seminar, the Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centre for Mineral-based Construction Minerals invited Dr Maciej Zajac from Heidelberg Cement to present a new approach to capture CO2 and significantly reduce CO2 emissions associated with cement production. The webinar was attended by ICEC-MCM members and other industry stakeholders. The recording of the weibnar was made available to the general public on Youtube and has 982 views to date. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5XJIjvG5Ck |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar April 2024 - Driving higher gypsum waste purity and plasterboard recycled content through acid purification tech |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | In this webinar, our guest speakers from Loughborough University, and industry partners, Saint-Gobain, and ENVA, discussed their work related to the EU ICEBERG project. An acid-leaching purification process was developed at laboratory scale and validated at pilot and industrial scales to reclaim gypsum from end-of-life plasterboard, which is currently disposed of in dedicated landfills. This purification process has enabled the production of plasterboards with higher recycled gypsum content (35% vs 10% in current plasterboards), and underpins the transition to a circular plasterboard life cycle. The event was attended by 15 attendees and has 44 views on Youtube. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QQPx999az0&t=2225s |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar December 2021 with Dr Wendel Sebastian |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Dr Wendel Sebastian led 20 minutes of discussion, followed by questions posed from the audience. The event was attended by 30 people including postdoctoral researchers from the centre, as well as industry partners. This lively discussion lead to an impromptu additional 15 minutes of discussion between academics and structures professionals, sparking the possibility of additional collaboration expanding the scope of the Centre. It also led to a follow up request from BRE. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.ucl.ac.uk/circular-economy-centre-for-construction-minerals/news/2021/dec/structural-eng... |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar December 2023 - Software tools enabling circular materials education |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Claes Fredriksson, Lead Academic Development Manager at Ansys UK, showcased some of the software tools for material selection and lifecycle investigations that he has worked with, professionally and academically, for more than 10 years in this ICEC-MCM webinar joined by 20 attendees. The recording was made available on YouTube for the general public and has 51 views. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZRTcOl1ryQ |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar December 2024 - New ISO 59000 standard family: A global integrated framework to guide the transition to CE |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Our guest speaker for the December 2024 Lunchtime Webinar was Prof. Mohamed Osmani, Professor of Sustainable Design and Construction in the School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering at Loughborough University and co-director of ICEC-MCM, leading challenge 3, looking at systemic enablers to circular construction materials. His presentation outlined the structure and content of the recently published ISO 59000 family of Circular Economy (CE) standards. These focus on the standardisation of CE principles, implementation, and measurement. A viable CE can only be achieved through global collaboration and standards, which ISO 59000 series epitomised. These complementary international standards, which align with the UN's Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, provide a harmonised CE implementation and assessment framework for organisations globally to drive the transition to sustainable and circularity practices. 35 people joined the webinar and further the recording was made available through our YouTube channel and got 127 views. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ga6QPUSfM8&t=137s |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar February 2022 Paul Capel and Chaline Church |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Paul Capel and Chaline Church presented the Cradle to Cradle principles, and the certification process as well as presenting specific case studies. This presentation was informative for our industry stakeholders and post-doctoral researchers who were able to gain an understanding in the advantages of cradle to cradle products and how this can prove financially interesting for businesses able to get a certification. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar February 2024 - The use of life cycle cost analysis to assess the merits of sustainable design interventions |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | In this webinar, our guest speakers, Nicholas Murphy and Glyn Thomas from Stace, discussed applying life cycle costing analysis to assess the merits of urban mining and reverse cycles (the reuse and recycling of materials), extending building life through transformation and refurbishment, and designing for disassembly and flexible construction. After the brief presentation, there was a half-hour long discussion, where 40 attendees engaged in the question-answer session with the speakers. The recording was made available on Youtube later and has another 44 views. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz2Lxr32PCg |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar January 2024 - Market building for the products of a circular economy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | In this webinar, the guest speaker, Chris Clarke, Performance and Improvement Director at SCAPE Group, talked about how the team at SCAPE are accelerating the emerging market for quality recycled aggregates from demolition activity, linked to wider project performance outcomes of reducing on-site waste intensity and reduced embodied carbon of buildings. The webinar was attended by about 25 guests who then engaged in a question-answer session at the end of the presentation. The Youtube recording of the webinar has 59 views. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2_Id-SIiHQ |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar January 2025 - Connecting finance with the real economy: Asset-level data for the construction minerals sectors |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | On 21st January 2025, ICEC-MCM hosted the last Lunchtime Webinar. Our guest speakers from the UK Centre for Greening Finance and Investment (CGFI), Christophe Christiaen and Amani Maalouf, delivered a presentation on "Connecting Finance with the real economy: Asset-level data for the construction minerals sectors." This presentation was attended by 20 people and further the youtube recording was garnered 78 views from the general public. The team at CGFI presented their work on developing open asset databases for the cement, steel and other industries and how these are being used to support green finance applications and decision-making and sparked an engaging question-answer session after the presentation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyVXjXXPjrY&t=159s |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar July 2023 - A practical overview of macroeconomic approaches to circular economy using IO and CGE analysis |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Dr Matt Winning, a Senior Research Fellow at the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources working on climate policy and the circular economy, especially on interactions between the environment and the economy, often using energy system and macroeconomic models delivered this ICEC-MCM webinar. The event was attended by 28 attendees who enagaged in a question-answer session after the presentation. The recording was made available on Youtube and has 53 views till date. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPylGDXzumU |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar July 2024 - Enabling material reuse in construction at scale through better audits and material brokerage |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Our guest speaker for this webinar, Morgan Lewis, co-Director at Material Index, delved into the importance of growing a feedback loop for growing a circular economy within deconstruction industry. The recording was made available to the general public through our YouTube channel and has 34 views. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os0dv0Umq2o |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar June 2022 - How to measure Biodiversity Net Gain in the Built Environment |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This brief lunchtime seminar, hosted by ICEC-MCM (Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centre for Mineral-based Construction Minerals), covered the concept of Biodiversity Net Gain and how it is applied in practice to developments. It was part of the CE week and we invited Julia Baker from Wood Environmental to deliver the talk. Julia touched on the Biodiversity Metric and the advantages of a habitat-based metrics, as well as the limitations and how these can be overcome with case studies and lessons learnt from industry. The webinar recording has since been posted on Youtube for the general public and has had 179 views. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf_JNUHTvsM |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar June 2023 - 3D Concrete Printing |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Prof. Richard Buswell from Loughborough University delivered a presentation on how 3D concrete printing (3DCP) is rapidly establishing itself as a significant new and modern method of construction worldwide, with the potential to make a significant impact on productivity and net zero. The webinar was attended by 38 attendees who then engaged in a question-answer session with Richard. The recording was posted on our YouTube channel for the general audience and has 228 grossing views. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XaXqLIQbr8&t=3s |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar June 20234 - Applying UNFC for anthropogenic resources to national resource accounting of anthropogenic resources |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Our guest speaker, Dr Soraya Heuss-Aßbichler, Professor for mineralogy at the department for Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Munich (LMU), discussed application of UNFC to anthropogenic resources as a base for profound knowledge base of a project for decision-making. Furthermore, the approach to apply UNFC for national accounting was presented. The webinar was joined by about 20 attendees and the recording has 56 views on YouTube. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ4d4l7dZpo |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar March 2023 - Waste no more: Reuse of structural components |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Prof. Corentin Fivet, head of Structural Exploration Lab at EPFL Switzerland delivered an excellent comprehensive presentation on the reuse of structural construction components as part of the ICEC-MCM Lunhctime Webinar series. The webinar was attended by 20+ attendees and they interacted in a question-answer session after the presentation. The webinar recording was posted on our youtube Channel for the general public and has 90 views till date. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j0dCcptJK0 |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar March 2024 - Making use of existing buildings and material stocks |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The speakers for this webinar attended by 35 attendees were Ben Cartwright from Reusefully Ltd and Dr. Feja Lesniewska from the University of Surrey. Ben discussed how we can make use of existing buildings and material stocks. The presentation drew on lessons learned from recent pre-redevelopment audits, pre-demolition audits, and practical research. He also reflected on development taking place to gather data on material flows and the creation of digital material passports for both new and old building stock. Feja followed up on the presentation to discuss how law and policy can be used to advance the use of tools like pre-development audits, pre-demolition audits and digital material passports to reduce material consumption and waste by making use of the value inherent in the existing built environment. The webinar recording was made available online on our Youtube channel for general audience. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXjHKbTUkgM |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar May 2023 - Circular Economy Standards |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The Webinar hosted by ICEC-MCM delivered the latest updates on Circular Economy Standards by Gilli Hobbs from Reusefully. There was a half hour presentation followed by an engaging question-answer session in the last fifteen minutes by all attendees. The webinar recording has since been posted on Youtube and has 41 views. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84BkV7owssQ&t=1972s |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar May 2024 - Community led Circular Economy Strategy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Guest speaker Alex Russell, from Hackney Wick Fish Island Community Development Trust, discussed community led circular economy strategy in this ICEC-MCM webinar attended by 18 attendees. The webinar recording on Youtube has 34 views by the general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aALjuazutkQ&t=946s |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar October 2022 - Transformation of London clay into construction resources |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | This brief lunchtime seminar, hosted by ICEC-MCM focused on the Repurposed Excavated Arising Loop (REAL) project . This feasibility study examines whether London Clay can be processed into construction materials, particularly focusing on calcined clay to act as cement replacement in concrete. The invited speakers were Athina Papakosta and Flagkounis Kanavaris. The session ran through the resource efficiency, waste management, decarbonisation & overall sustainability challenge in the construction industry, the REAL project is seeking to address. Results of the testing of the London Clay raw material for its suitability to produce supplementary cementitious material (SCM) & Light Weight Aggregates (LWA) therefrom, as well as progress on concrete mix designs containing the calcined London Clay cement replacement were presented and discussed. The webinar recording has 176 views on YouTube. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTAVTkZJ5o0 |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar October 2023 - Tracimat, a C&DW management organisation in Europe |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Tracimat, a non-profit organisation recognized by the Flemish Ministry of Environment, became operational in 2018. The webinar explored how this organisation contributes to the realization of the circular construction economy and enhances recycling of building materials. The guest speaker Liesbet peaked the interest of 30 attendees that joined the conversation. The webinar recording was uploaded to YouTube for the general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s02WuDxdTfc&t=34s |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar September 2022 - Introduction of reused materials into the Entopia Building |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | This brief lunchtime seminar, hosted by ICEC-MCM focused on The Entopia Building, which is the new headquarters of the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership. In this presentation, Peter Kelly outlines the challenges of the refurbishment project, shares success stories and lessons learned. The webinar recording has been posted on YouTube for the benefit of the general public and has 51 views. Refurbished from an existing office space, challenging targets were set around sustainability and the adoption of circular principles was a key goal of the project. ISG therefore introduced the first known instance of LED lighting taken from one building and reused at another, secondary steel used for the PV canopy and a beautiful reception desk salvaged from a refurbishment in central London. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PKBy7SPVNI&t=1584s |
| Description | Lunchtime Webinar September 2023 - Overview of construction sector CE roadmaps |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Dr. Halid Abu-Bakr from the NICER Programme CE-Hub gave an overview of the road mapping framework and an overview of construction sector roadmaps in this ICEC-MCM Webinar attended by over 45 attendees. There was a discussion at the end of the webinar where attendees participated. The recording of the webinar was uploaded on YouTube for general audience and garnered 68 views. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0KIk5UUJFY&t=2577s |
| Description | MFA and LCA insights cross NICER programme workshops |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Researchers working on MFA and LCA across the different NICER centres focused on different resource streams got together to identify common insights from their research which were resource agnostic. A report will be produced to inform policy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Meeting with Innovate UK Global Alliance Nigeria |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Engagement with the UK-Nigeria Sustainable Construction innovation network for knowledge exchange. We discussed exploring joint case studies and pilot projects for innovative sustainable construction materials (such as secondary cross laminated timber), affordable housing and incorporating new research brief outcomes to foster the development of the built environment in Nigeria. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | NICER Summer School at Newcastle University to Discuss About the Circular Economy Works on CDW in UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | In this summer school workshop, different participants from all of the CE hub were present. Multiple groups were formed where we discussed about the work at different CE centres associated with the CE hub. We also discussed about considering the complexities of CE system and how to quantify those complexities. Further, how these complexities are associated with CDW circularity were discussed and all the groups reached a conclusion that we need more interdisciplinary approaches to model these complexities and to quantify different aspects of CE. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | NICER programme showcase at UCL |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | 2024 NICER programme showcase posters were presented once more to provide a backdrop for discussion and networking between centre members and undergraduate students at UCL. Valuable take aways came from discussions on modelling cement and concrete processes in LCA, especially overcoming database limitations; and from discussions on data visualisation through Sankey diagrams. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | National Launch NICER Programme - May 21 |
| 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 | More than 100 people attended the ICEC-MCM national launch event. This allowed us to raise the profile of the centre and gained interests from businesses and policymakers. Following the event, we received a couple of requests from industry to engage into further discussions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1kXXupdi40 |
| Description | OECD Technical Expert Workshop on Modelling the Impact on Circular Economy and Low Carbon Transitions of the Covid-19 Recovery Packages |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Dr Alvaro Calzadilla sat on a panel of experts at the OECD Technical Expert Workshop on Modelling the Impact on Circular Economy and Low Carbon Transitions of the Covid-19 Recovery Packages (13-14 April 2021). This workshop convened leading experts on modelling of economy-environment interactions. The workshop considered ongoing modelling efforts to quantify the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and government response measures on economic activity and environmental pressure. The aim of the workshop was to investigate the relationship between the post Covid-19 economic recovery and the transition to a resource-efficient and circular economy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.oecd.org/environment/indicators-modelling-outlooks/oecdtechnicalexpertworkshoponmodellin... |
| Description | OPSS (BEIS) Construction Products Supplier Engagement |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | OPSS hosted a discussion about the safety implications of using reclaimed materials, preparatory to issuing a tender on this subject. The ICEC-MCM did not respond to the tender, which did not include academic research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Paper presentation at the Management Accounting Research Group Annual Conference (Zhao, Grubnic and Vivian) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Preparation of an academic paper, entitled 'Circular Economy and Accounting: A Review and Agenda for Future Research', was delivered to academic colleagues and PhD students at the Management Accounting Research Group Annual Conference at Aston University. The event took place on 18 November 2022. The paper was presented by Research Associate, Dr Longxiang Zhao. Presentation of our paper generated interest in our research, and requests for further information. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Participation and presentation at Dafni conference on Environmental Impact |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | I attended the Fafni conference and presented my work for the maritime shipping digital twin and also a background to ICEC-MCM iresearch project. That sparked interesting conversations and a further collaboration with Dafni in order for them to host the digital twin on their platform and promote this research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://dafni.ac.uk/conference-2022/ |
| Description | Participation and presentation at Workshop: Nature Inspired Solutions for the built Environment (NISE 1): integrated natural and engineered systems at University of East London |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Participation and presentation at the workshop with title: Eco-design technical characterisation of mineral-based construction materials in infrastructure system in the session regarding Cross-cutting PM: CCWS - Cross-cutting: Materials, Methods, Modeling & Resilience [Canada-US-Mexico special]. The purpose was to disseminate the intended outcomes and objectives of our research with a potential of creating collaborations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | http://hdl.handle.net/2262/95277 |
| Description | Participation at Showcase: NICER Programme Circular Economy Showcase 2022 |
| 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 one-day event showcased innovative Circular Economy Action through a series of short talks, expert Panel discussions (with audience Q&A) and facilitated networking. The SME Showcase in partnership with the Circular Economy Club is a part of this event. By participating in this event, I get the chance to talk to these innovative small businesses to share ideas and build relationships for potential collaboration in future. For example, I have got in contact with the Founder&CEO at ALDStone (a circular building material supplier), which has expressed interest in potential collaborations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Participation in 2024 NICER programme showcase |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | 2024 NICER programme showcase: Poster presentation and networking event on 19th of November. Attendees included other members of the ICEC-MCM centre as well as policymakers and UCL student. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Participation in ECR Net Zero conference (at Manchester, UK) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | More than 100 early career researchers (ECR; graduate students, postdoctoral researchers) attended the workshop events, which sparked questions and discussion afterwards, and the organizer reported increased interest in related subject areas. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.cdice.ac.uk/events/ecr-net-zero-conference/ |
| Description | Participation in Green Alliance's Circular Economy Task Force workshop on a circular construction sector |
| 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 | I have been invited to participate in the workshop to share my views based on our work on circular economy and greener construction materials. Our inputs have helped feed into the research for Green Alliance's circular construction report, which is published on 8th March 2023, titled: 'Circular construction: building for a greener UK economy'. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://green-alliance.org.uk/publication/circular-construction-building-for-a-greener-uk-economy/ |
| Description | Participation in ICSA Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The International Conference on Structures in Architecture is an important meeting for the construction sector as well as architects/manufacturing specialists. A paper based on the exhibit Calcareous Arabesque was prepared, describing the fabrication method used to create the new biomaterial which was based on calcium carbonate waste generated from the sugar refinding process at Tate & Lyle, London. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Participation to MI-ROG Meeting |
| 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 | TBC |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Plasterboard Circular Economy Business Model (CEBM) Canvas Workshop 2 on Plasterboard Circular Economy Strategies and Assessment Indicators |
| 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 | Plasterboard Circular Economy Business Model (CEBM) Canvas Workshop 2 on Plasterboard Circular Economy Strategies and Assessment Indicators was held at Saint-Gobain UK & Ireland Solutions Centre in London on September 24, 2024. Jacob Mhlanga, ICEC-MCM PDR at Loughborough University, gave an overview of the event and highlighted that the aim of the second workshop was to identify the circular economy strategies and corresponding indicators for the plasterboard and built on the results of workshop 1 held at the same venue on March 22, 2024 that focused on the circular economy business model (CEBM) opportunities, challenges, and enablers in the plasterboard sector. A total of 20 delegates attended workshop 2 representing five different stakeholders across the plasterboard life cycle stages: secondary materials suppliers, product manufacturers, designers and consultants, installation and maintenance contractors and the demolition contractors. Based on the cluster-specific pre-workshop results, the delegates were required to execute the following two activities, first as individuals and then groupwork: 1. Current plasterboard CE strategies: Suggestions for improvements 2. Implementing CE assessment indicators: Challenges and solutions (i.e., short, medium and long term). These activities were followed by cross-cluster discussions. The discussions were focused on the role of other stakeholder actors in the supply chain to enhance the current plasterboard CE strategies. The findings of this workshop together with the previous one will contribute to the design of the plasterboard CEBM canvas which is being validated during Jacob's placement at Saint-Gobain. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7254878475356938243/ |
| Description | Policy workshop 'Achieving net zero carbon and transitioning to a circular economy: trade-offs and choices' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Policymakers from DESNZ, Defra, DLUHC, DSIT and the Environment Agency attended a workshop with researchers from the Compostable plastics: unlocking existing barriers to systems change project, the Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centre for Mineral-based Construction Materials project and UCL's Institute for Sustainable Resources to explore where trade offs might arise between the net zero and circular economy agendas, and what research evidence might help to inform decision making and prioritisation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | More than 100 people attended the official launch of Loughborough Business School, where I was invited to present a summary of our funded research, and intended outcomes. The launch was attended by the Vice Chancellor and members of his Senior Leadership Team, as well as members from across the School, including postgraduate and undergraduate students. This sparked interest on the role of accounting in internal decision-making and provided visibility to our research on the circular economy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.lboro.ac.uk/news-events/news/2023/may/loughborough-business-school-rebrand/ |
| Description | Presentation and Discussion: The complementary and synergies between the project and the Value Toolkit developed by the Construction Innovation Hub (CIH) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The Construction Innovation Hub (CIH) has developed a Value Toolkit, which is a government-backed initiative designed to change the way the construction industry thinks about and measures value. It enables value-based decision making focused on driving better social, environmental and economic outcomes, improving the industry's impact on current and future generations. Our research team (PDRA3D) get in contact with the Director of Communications & Engagement of the CIH and presented our project (with the main aim of developing an accounting-sustainability hybrid tool in promoting circular economy principles) to explore and discuss the complementarities and synergies between the project and the Value Toolkit. As a result, constructive feedback has been provided by the CIH for the development of the proposed tool. The CIH also expressed interest in future collaborations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Presentation and Participation in Sustainable Defence Support - A DSFDB Sub-Working Group Circular Economics (Zhao, Grubnic and Vivian) |
| 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 | Our ICEC-MCM 3D Team are invited to speak about our 'Business Decision Making Framework' at this 'Sustainable Defence Support - A DSFDB Sub-Working Group Circular Economics' event, and participated in the discussions on 'challenge and insight to inform circular economic concept note'. We have learned from the activities and build connections from the audience. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.teamdefence.info/event/susdefsp-swg-circular-economic-concept/ |
| Description | Presentation at a THE 8TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING, MECHANICS AND COMPUTATION (SEMC 2022) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | More than 500 faculty members (e.g., professors), postdoctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate students attended the international conference, which sparked questions and discussion afterwards, and the organizer reported increased interest in related subject areas. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | http://www.semc.uct.ac.za/ |
| Description | Presentation at a management accounting conference on Circular Economy and Accounting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Longxiang presented the paper 'Circular Economy and Accounting: A Review and Agenda for Future Research' at the Management Accounting Research Group Conference (MARG2022) at Aston University on 18th November 2022. It raised awareness and interest in the accounting community on the subject. It also raised audiences' interest in further participation or involvement in the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation at an accounting and finance conference on Circular Economy and Accounting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Longxiang presented the paper 'Circular Economy and Accounting: A Review and Agenda for Future Research' at the British Accounting & Finance Association (BAFA) FMI/Northern Area Conference at the University of York on 15th September 2022. It raised awareness and interest of the accounting community on the subject. It also raised audiences' interest in further participation or involvement in the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation at conference on Valorising UK Mineral Based Construction and Demolition Waste in a Sustainable Circular Economy Through Standards, Policy & Regulation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A presentation at the UK-China Newton Funded conference on Valorization of Construction and Demolition Waste for Sustainable Infrastructure Development at Brunel University on 10-11 December 2021. My presentation Valorising UK Mineral Based Construction and Demolition Waste in a Sustainable Circular Economy Through Standards, Policy & Regulation raised awareness of the importance of regulation in valorising construction and demolition waste amongst an audience of mainly civil engineer academics. I wrote a blog - Adding value to construction and demolition waste to achieve sustainable development - which was published on the UCL Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centre for Mineral-based Construction Materials on the 3 February 2022. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Presentation by Dr Rupert J. Myers to cross-government working group on data and system analysis |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Dr Myers was invited to present by ONS at a cross-government working group including members of DiT, Cabinet Office, DEFRA and ONS, all working on data and system analysis. They are looking at solutions that can be implemented to figure out what kind of data should be collated to inform policies. Feedback from meeting participant: "well done to all of you this morning! You have smashed it, possibly the best interactive session we have so far. Great questions from a lot of departments and they are very helpful too. Rupert did a great job in answering all of them on behalf of the team excellent effort! Hope you got a lot out of that session too." Outcome of this meeting - Dr Myers invited by Cabinet Office senior civil servant Simon Strickland to be part of a data network |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation: Future Forum: A Circular Economy for Construction, 21/03/2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | A presentation as part of the Future Forum: A Circular Economy for Construction in London on 21/03/2024. The event was attended by other members of the circular economy centre as well as policymakers including from DEFRA. This was an opportunity to introduce others to the Bayesian Material Flow Analysis method being used within our part of the work package. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Presented the demand, drivers and barriers for the use of recycled aggregates in fresh concrete |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In this workshop, we first presented the framework of Complex Value Optimization for Resource Recovery from CDW. This framework is able to model the complexity generated from the Circular Economy System, different types of values generated along the value-chain of mineral-based construction materials (from mining to demolition and again putting those demolished materials in the value-chain). These values can be broadly categorized into environmental, social, technical, and economic. Each value domain consists of multiple metrices, and the value-chain is affected by different external agents (e.g., policies, govt. supports, incentive schemes, etc.). The flow of materials along the value-chain was modelled through dynamic material flow analysis by using the System Dynamics approach, and the external actors/agents were modelled by using the concept of Agent-based modelling approach. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Rethinking construction and demolition soil waste under a circular economy framework |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A presentation of the project developed during the secondment at the Environment Agency (2023) at the Centennial Celebration and Congress of the International Union of Soil Sciences conference in May 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | SME Workshop Oct-21 |
| 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 | 15 SMEs attended the SME workshops and had a chance to discuss with co-investigator of the centre potential ideas for submission to the IUK Circular Economy Call for SMEs. It sparked discussions afterwards with a number of companies. 4 companies submitted a proposal including 3 which involved directly ICEC-MCM co-investigators. We are still in discussion with 3 other SMEs for possible collaboration. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Scientific Advisory Panel Meeting - Cambridge Electric Cement |
| 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 | The project was introduced to the panel, and potential challenges were discussed. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023 |
| URL | https://cambridgeelectriccement.com/ |
| Description | Seminar presentation at the School of Business and Economics on Circular Economy and Accounting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Longxiang presented the paper 'Circular Economy and Accounting: A Review and Agenda for Future Research' at the School of Business and Economics seminar at Loughborough University on 29th June 2022. It raised awareness and interest of the accounting and finance academic group on the subject. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Site visit provided by MACE at Audley Square |
| 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 | A site visit provided by MACE at Audley Square to see how the recycled aggregates are being used in new construction. Discussed lots of things with the site engineers about the challenges in procurement, use and technical drawback perception of use of RCA in fresh structural units. Raised questions about the value chain of the RCA and what are the possible pathways of construction and demolition waste in UK context. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Soils in construction and circular economy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | An invited lecture at the school of Engineering at UCL in March |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Talk to professional network |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk on 'Connections between construction waste and soil formation' given to the Professional Development Network/LROG (London Recycling Officers Group), 30 November, Shoreditch, 2021. I invited individuals who might be interested in fieldwork on past mineral-based construction waste and recycling to contact me. One result. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | The Circulars & UCL/TU Delft Partnership |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | UCL-TU Delft Academic Event : Implementing Circular Urban Systems - challenges and opportunities. Hosted in partnership between UCL's Circularity Hub and TU Delft's Circular Built Environment Hub |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | The UK Government Construction Leadership Council Resources and Waste Task Group |
| 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 UK Government Construction Leadership Council Resources and Waste Task Group was responsible for developing a Routemap for Zero Avoidable Waste for England by 2050. The Routemap aims to catalyse actions by all parts of the supply chain to reduce and ultimately eliminate all avoidable waste, after the target was set in the UK Government's Resources and Waste Strategy 2018 for England. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |
| URL | https://www.constructionleadershipcouncil.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ZAW-Interactive-Routemap-... |
| Description | The economics of infrastructure development in East Africa |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Alvaro Calzadilla participated as a panellist in a discussion about current approaches to economic assessment of infrastructure development in Africa and identify areas for future research to improve uptake of economic analysis in policymaking. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://events.manchester.ac.uk/event/event:k15g-kz6qmayv-gnb8a7/futuredams-webinar-series-the-econo... |
| Description | The role of finance and financing conditions of large infrastructure projects: A CGE analysis of Ghana's Bui Dam |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Alvaro presented the paper "The role of finance and financing conditions of large infrastructure projects: A CGE analysis of Ghana's Bui Dam" at the 24th Annual Conference on Global Economic Analysis "Global Food System: Opportunities and Challenges" |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Theory of Change Workshop (on 11th January 2023) and Hackathon on Circularity Metrics for Buildings (12th January 2023) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | On 11th January a workshop was organized at UCL on Theory of Change. There we participated and highlighted the short-term and long-term goals, impacts, and outcomes of our project. On 12th January, a Hackathon was organized at IOM3 on reaching a consensus about the circularity metrics for buildings. It was agreed by all the participants that material flow analysis is the pivotal approach for quantifying the circularity, instead of energy flow approach. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) Task Group on 'System Enablers for a Circular Economy |
| 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 | UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) Task Group published a toolkit last week titled 'System Enablers for a Circular Economy' (https://www.ukgbc.org/ukgbc-work/system-enablers-for-a-circular-economy). The toolkit identifies eight systemic thematic enablers encompassing industry, policy and market-based solutions to enable the build environment industry to shift from a linear to a circular system. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023 |
| URL | https://www.ukgbc.org/ukgbc-work/system-enablers-for-a-circular-economy/ |
| Description | UKRI Circular Economy Engagement Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | UKRI hosted a workshop with broad attendeance to brainstorm research challenges for a Circular Economy |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | UKRI Innovate UK Circular Economy for SME Briefing |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Innovate UK, in collaboration with the National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research (NICER) centres and KTN, hosted an online competition briefing webinar on the 18th October 2021 to introduce the planned Circular Economy for SMEs funding competition. ICEC-MCM Co-director, Leon Black, talked about the Centre's research and the scope for collaborations with SMEs. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://vimeo.com/639493838 |
| Description | Vice Chancellor Visit Presentation at the School of Business and Economics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Approximately 30-40 senior members of the School of Business and Economics attended a formal visit by the new Vice Chancellor, Professor Nick Jennings, on Tuesday 22 February. The purpose of the presentation was to showcase the School's research on 'Climate Change and Net Zero'. The presentation sparked a question on the degree of interaction of researchers working on circular economy research projects across the University. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Video Presentation: 3D Project Update at the ICEC-MCM Centre Meeting 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The video presentation provided an update on the 3D Project. It outlined the development and validation of the accounting-sustainability hybrid tool, focusing on its application at Network Rail, including case studies. The presentation emphasized the tool's impact in guiding CE investment decisions and its potential for long-term adoption in the construction sector. It engaged professional practitioners, policymakers, and industry stakeholders, contributing to discussions on embedding CE principles in investment decision making. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Visit to Biomass Energy Plant, MVV Environment, Ridham Dock |
| 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 | 6 Postgraduate researchers visited MVV Environment to discuss generation and utilisation of biomass ash |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.mvv.de/en/about-us/group-of-companies/mvv-umwelt/subsidiaries/mvv-environment-ltd/ridham... |
| Description | Waste and the Circular Economy in the next UK Infrastructure Assessment |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Sam Cocking of the National Infrastructure Commission's Young Professionals Panel gave a talk to the network of ICEC-MCM stakeholders |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/waste-and-the-circular-economy-in-the-next-uk-infrastructure-assessme... |
| Description | Wienerberger UK Engagement Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | We were invited to present the Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centre for Mineral-based Construction Materials to a team of 20 staff members from Wienerberger. It sparked questions and discussion afterwards on how the company could get involved in the activities of the centre. We agreed to arrange a follow up meeting and will also convene a meeting with our researchers at the UK Construction Week. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Workshop on construction aggregate use in England |
| 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 | Workshop on the material flow of construction aggregate in England: 10 Aug 2022, Imperial College London, UK: Invited experts from industry (Mace, British Aggregates Association, Construction Products Association), government (Office of National Statistics (ONS), Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA)) and academia (Imperial, UCL) to gather useful domain knowledge and expert opinion on the flow of construction aggregates in the UK. The domain and expert knowledge gathered was collated and inputted into a novel Bayesian Material Flow Analysis (MFA) methodology to produce an analysis for the Office of National Statistics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Workshop to produce an insight report for disemmination |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | 25th of January 2024, Workshop for the MFA Insights report. I hosted the workshop, supported by Dr Ramya Venkataraman, to inform, discuss and collate data for the MFA insights report (later handled by Dr Rupert Myers). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Workshop with DEFRA and EA on soil conditioning by Angeliki Kourmouli |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Policymakers were provided a robust proposal on the creation of soil banks for the reuse of soil. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Workshop with ONS - Dec 2021 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | We arranged a workshop with ONS and co-investigators and PDRAs of the centre to better understand how our activities could contribute to ongoing policy activities led by ONS. The workshop was followed by a mapping exercise and has led to several other conversations with ONS. We are now exploring the possibility to use the Material Flow Analysis model developed by one of our postdoctoral researcher for ONS purposes in their pursuit of tracking data on materials. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Workshop with devolved administrations on Circular Economy policy agendas in Scotland and Wales |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Andy Rees (Welsh Government) and Catriona Graham (Scottish Government) met with around 20 of the centre's researchers to present an overview of Circular Economy policy agendas in Wales and Scotland. Researchers were able to ask questions and identify areas where their research might be of value to the Welsh and Scottish governments. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |