IMR engage in Cisco’s workshop

IMR engage in Cisco’s workshop

IMR engagement in Cisco’s workshop on Role of Technology in Fueling the Circular Economy

Irish Manufacturing Research was delighted to participate on an expert panel at Cisco UK & Ireland’s recent Circular Economy Workshop in Dublin alongside Brown Thomas, Cisco, Clean Technology Centre, Clearstream Solutions and Teleplan. The workshop explored the role of technology in fuelling the circular economy transition in Ireland in the context of accelerating circularity in the Food, Retail, Industry & Manufacturing and Cities with a wide range of stakeholders from across industry and policy.

What is the Circular Economy?

The circular economy is an economic concept which promotes increased productivity of resources through business model innovation related to eco-design, product life extension, product as a service, reuse, remanufacturing and recycling amongst other circular strategies. The circular economy is estimated to represent a global opportunity of $4.5 trillion (WBCSD, 2017). In an Irish context, an EPA funded study in 2013 estimated that implementing a material consumption reduction of only 5% per annum through implementing circular strategies would deliver savings of €2.32 billion per year (Coakley et. al, 2013).

DrGeraldine Brennan, IMR’s Circular Economy Lead presented IMR’s flagship circular economy initiative – the National Platform for Circular Economy (NCPM) launching at the end of 2019 – being led by IMR’s Sustainable Manufacturing theme.

The National Platform for Circular Manufacturing

The National Platform for Circular Manufacturing, a public-private consortium, vision is to accelerate the transition towards a zero-carbon circular economy in Ireland and will span a three-year period from 2020 to 2022. The Platform’s mission is to use manufacturing and their supply-chains as a role model for the transition across the entire Irish economy. The initiative will de-risk, de-mystify and deliver circular economy concepts through large scale systems-level innovation demonstrators funded by the Platform’s ring-fenced innovation and implementation fund.

For further information on how to get involved in the National Platform for Circular Manufacturing contact us.