What is a Circular Economy?

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a circular economy is restorative and regenerative by design, and aims to keep products, components, and materials at their highest utility and value at all times.

WRAP says it is an alternative to a traditional linear economy (make, use, dispose) in which we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life.

CERN (see below) says that the current linear economy is focused more on using up resources while the circular economy is focused on renewability, reuse, remanufacture and in designing out waste. The Circularity Gap Report 2019 shows that the global economy is currently only 9% circular and the trend is negative. There is an urgent need for action and our network aims to works towards solutions through collaborations.

Circular Economy Research Network

Circular Economy Research Network (CERN) is a University of Warwick network focused on supporting the transition to a circular economy through interdisciplinary research. The overall aim of this network to allow researchers at Warwick working on various aspects of circular economy to network, share ideas, explore opportunities and to collaborate. CERN also seeks to engage with circular economy based businesses and practitioners. It serves as a platform to share working practice in different fields, develop new ideas and collaborations.

Launched in February 2019, the network includes researchers from many disciplines. We organise discussions around circular economy concepts, seminars and workshops and we are currently looking at expanding our resource base to engage and mobilise students and local communities.