Circular Economy Taskforce is launched

The taskforce aims to create green jobs, support economic growth, promote productive use of resources, and accelerate the transition to net zero. It is also set to assess opportunities to drive economic growth by stimulating investment in technologies, sectors and infrastructure that enable resource circularity.

Heather Plumpton, head of research at Green Alliance, said of the news: “This government needs to succeed where previous administrations have failed and finally deliver a transformative circular economy. It has every reason to be ambitious. Reducing and improving resource use will strengthen the economy, boost business resilience and benefit people by cutting costs and ending frustrations around waste.”

Stuart Hayward-Higham, Suez, said: “If Net Zero represented a destination for previous government policy, this circular economy taskforce is the vehicle that will take us there. Bringing together multi-industry, cross-sectoral expertise to overcome not just the scientific and technical barriers to circularity but also the economic, behavioural and logistical ones means we can finally now plot that route and ensure our contribution complements net zero policies. It is a real honour to be invited to join the taskforce; we at Suez have built our business model on the circular economy and look forward to sharing our expertise in delivering sustainable recycling and recovery solutions with the taskforce.”

The Circular Economy Taskforce members are as follows:

• Andrew Morlet (chair), former chief executive officer, Ellen MacArthur Foundation
• Professor Paul Ekins (deputy chair), professor of resources and environmental policy, University College London
• Jack Barrie, circular economy senior research fellow, Royal Institute for International Affairs (Chatham House) UK
• Natasha Boulding, founder and chief executive officer, Low Carbon Materials
• Colin Church, chief executive, Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3)
• Catherine Conway, director and reuse lead, GoUnpackaged
• Andrew Dove, professor of sustainable polymer chemistry, Birmingham University; co-founder and chief scientific officer, 4D Biomaterials
• Debbie Fletcher, director – Climate, Zero Waste Team, Local Partnerships
• Shak Gohir, strategic programmes officer, CPI
• David Greenfield, founder and managing director, Social, Environmental & Economic Solutions (SOENECS); co-founder and managing director, Tech-Takeback; vice president, Circular Economy Institute; vice president, Chartered Institution of Wastes Management; visiting professor of circular economy, University of Brighton; founding partner and urban miner, etsaW
• Stuart Hayward-Higham, chief technical development and innovation officer, Suez
• Professor Peter Hopkinson, professor of circular economy and co-director, Exeter Centre for Circular Economy (ECCE); academic director for partnership, Ellen MacArthur Foundation
• Wayne Hubbard, chief executive officer, ReLondon
• Keith James, head of policy and insights, WRAP; UKRI National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research (NICER) Strategic Advisory Group
• Hans Jensen and Chris Newsome (shared seat), directors, UKWP
• Dr Greg Lavery, founder and chief executive officer, Rype Office
• Libby Peake, head of resource policy, Green Alliance
• Phil Purnell, deputy head of school (civil engineering), Leeds University
• Charlotte Williams, statutory chair in inorganic chemistry, University of Oxford; founder and chief scientific officer, Econic Technologies