Circular Revolution
Circular Revolution is funded in part by the European Regional Development Fund, which specifically aims to increase research, innovation and enterprise competitiveness in West Wales and the Valleys region. This focused approach will allow Circular Revolution to develop and provide comprehensive support to a significant number of Welsh businesses facing challenges related to unsustainable practices and activities. The Circular Revolution project is designed to help businesses in West Wales and the Valleys move towards implementing circular economy principles. The University of Exeter and Swansea University are leading the Circular Revolution program that will spread awareness of the Circular Economy while also identifying and assisting businesses that could gain from incorporating circular thinking into their own goods and services, operational procedures, and business models.
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RemakerSpace
By prolonging the lifecycle of products, the Cardiff Business School and PARC institute initiative RemakerSpace hopes to promote the circular economy and put a stop to planned obsolescence. In order to help Wales become a global leader in the shift to a circular economy, the Center was established to support and promote re-manufacturing and repair.
To affect significant change in the way we create, use, and dispose of items, it focuses on tackling the following issues:
- Educating the public about the advantages of reuse, repair, and remanufacturing in order to lengthen product life cycles and contribute to a more sustainable future.
- Giving companies the knowledge and tools they need to create new economic opportunities based on repair and remanufacturing services
- Reevaluating product design with a focus on repair and after-life considerations.
The RemakerSpace will provide organisations access to cutting-edge technologies such as 3D Printing and innovative solutions for repairing, remanufacturing and reusing products. The venture is a not-for-profit organization that is scheduled to open in Cardiff University's Innovation Campus (SPARK) by the end of 2021.
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TReFCo Project (Thermal Recovery of Functional Coatings)
The TReFCo, under the direction of Dr Jenny Baker, seeks to create a low-cost technique for removing these coatings so that they can be recycled to create new devices. This will provide numerous advantages. The UK economy will benefit because key raw materials will be preserved in the supply chain. Additionally, it will guarantee a pure recycled product at a lesser price because the materials they were coated on will be cleaner before going through the recycling process. Researchers will also conduct a lifespan analysis. This will guarantee that they are completely aware of the environmental expenses associated with material production and recycling. Additionally, they will point out spots that harm the ecosystem so that they can be avoided. This will be accomplished by altering the processing techniques or the material design.
Additionally, it will create wavelength-sensitive adhesives that will "unglue" when exposed to specific kinds of radiation. The project's objective is to bring the possibility of a genuinely circular economy closer to realisation. In April 2022, the three-year project will begin.
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ACCEPTED
Acceleration of Circular Economy for Printable Photovoltaics Through Eco-Design (ACCEPTED) project aims to create truly sustainable PV technologies by developing tools, material sets and enabling processes to optimise product lifecycles and integrate photovoltaics with the wider circular economy. Imperial College London is collaborating on the project's delivery.
CEIC
Circular Economy Innovations Communities (CEIC) project, jointly delivered by Swansea and Cardiff Metropolitan Universities and funded by the Welsh Government and European Social Fund. The CEIC programme will help public service and third sector organisations collaborate on the creation of new products/services and the implementation of circular economy solutions in public services.
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SUSTAIN
SUSTAIN Future Manufacturing Research Hub is a joint research project led by Swansea University, Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), the University of Sheffield and the UK steel-producing industry. SUSTAIN leads grand challenge research initiatives in carbon neutral steel and iron manufacturing, as well as smart steel processing, funded by EPSRC, Universities, Trade Bodies, RTOs and Businesses.
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LCA4CE
Life Cycle Analysis for Circular Economy (LCA4CE) Research Lab project builds on existing expertise to develop Swansea University's life cycle analysis capacity and capability.
