Reinventing UK Manufacturing for the 21st Century – Circular Economy UK Write Up

At the Circular Economy UK Conference 2026 in Birmingham, a panel of industry, academic and youth leaders explored how the UK can transition from traditional linear manufacturing models to more circular systems that are fit for the 21^st century.

This discussion focused on how circular principles can strengthen productivity, improve the supply chain resilience and unlock long-term economic growth.

The panel was chaired by Umberto Bizarro, Renewable Energy Market and Strategy Specialist at TENSAR (a division of CMC), and featured:

• Stuart Coles, Professor of Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing at the University of Warwick, specialising in life cycle assessment and industrial decarbonisation.
• Gemma Baker, Partner and Global Circularity Lead for Accenture.
• Anika Mistry, Former Youth Mayor of Bristol, and aspiring aerospace engineer.
• Quentin Le Hetet, Director at GIPA UK and lecturer in automotive and circular mobility.

The session opened with introductions before Umberto framed the discussion around the need for a system shift in UK manufacturing, moving beyond isolated pilots and towards embedded circular design, production, and recovery models.

The State of Circular Manufacturing

Gemma Baker set the scene by discussing the scale of the challenge, noting that only 7.5% of materials are reused in the UK, which mirrors the 7% global circular rate of around 7% in 2025, down from 9% in 2018.

She explained that while many organisations are practicing with individual circular initiatives, such as bioplastics, lightweighting or take-back schemes, true progress requires a full system switch, not incremental change.

Gemma also mentioned that digital product passports, extended producer responsibility (EPR) and deposit return schemes could accelerate change at scale.

She also highlighted the West Midlands as a major opportunity area, with its strong manufacturing base across automotive, aerospace and batteries, alongside world-leading innovation from regional universities.

Measuring Circularity

Stuart Coles addressed how circularity is measured in practice, warning against oversimplification. He explained that one metric is never enough, but in fact there are multiple metrics to consider, commenting: “You are quite likely to end up making the wrong decision or being led down a slightly questionable path.”

He emphasised the need for multiple, complementary metrics, including recycled content, recovery rates, scrap, and yield losses, repairability and end-of-life outcomes.

He also stressed the importance of combining material flow data with life cycle assessment, techno-economic analysis and broader environmental impacts such as water use, land use, and biodiversity, not just carbon.

Stuart further highlighted that metrics must be tailored to the specific product, process, and system, with a clear understanding of trade-offs.

Circularity in the Automotive Transition

Quentin Le Hetet brought an automotive perspective to the discussion, addressing the circular challenges and opportunities created by the shift to electric vehicles.

He explained that early EVs were often converted internal combustion engine vehicles, rather than being designed for electrification, limiting their repairability and circular potential.

Quentin argued that true circularity must begin at the design stage, with vehicles being built specifically for reuse, remanufacturing, and battery access.

Quentin also highlighted the higher upfront carbon footprint of EV production, driven by battery materials such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earths. This makes vehicle longevity, repairability and remanufacturing critical to offsetting environmental impact over time.

Skills, Education, and the Next Generation

Anika Mistry brought a future-focused perspective, talking about what sustainability means to the younger generations that are entering manufacturing and engineering careers.

She spoke about how sustainability, and also circular economy thinking, must balance environmental, social and economic outcomes, and be driven by interdisciplinary collaboration.

Anika highlighted that while she had been involved in sustainable initiatives from an early age, the term “circular economy” itself had rarely been considered.

Her overall key message was the importance of education, re-skilling and youth involvement, both for the existing workforce and for those preparing to enter the sector.

She emphasised that bridging the gap between industry, academic and young people is essential to sustaining long-term change.

Closing the Loop

Returning to industry challenges, Gemma Baker discussed key barriers to closed-loop systems using life sciences as an example, including the complexity of mixed materials, behavioural challenges around consumer and patient participation, and the risk of unintended consequences from energy-intensive recycling processes.

Stuart reinforced the importance of early-stage collaboration between academia and industry, stressing that co-creation, aligned incentives and shared data are critical to successful circular innovation. He briefly touched upon some examples where academic research has directly enabled commercial-scale circular infrastructure in the UK.

Final Reflections

In a closing round of reflections, the panel agreed that progress from shifting the models from linear to circular depends on moving beyond pilots to system-wide changes, supported by skills development, education and collaboration across the value chain.

As Umberto concluded, while circular manufacturing must consider global supply chains and pressures, real progress happens locally through design decisions, investment and partnerships made on the ground.

The panel discussion made clear that circular manufacturing is no longer a future ambition for the UK, it is a necessary movement for resilience, competitiveness and clean growth.

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