Staff Services Student Enterprise

Circular Economy

The University of Edinburgh is a leading hub for circular knowledge and innovation. We work together with businesses and other organisations to accelerate the transition to a circular economy by providing access to world-leading research, education and innovation support.

Our expertise in the circular economy helps to create innovative solutions that enable businesses to thrive and to support the transition to a more regenerative, green economy.

We work closely with our partners to:

  • foster effective collaboration between academia and industry
  • inspire business and other organisations to embrace circular economy opportunities and benefits by showcasing the best examples of innovation in action
  • engage academics, students, business and others to identify and respond to key challenges and opportunities in the transition to a circular economy
  • enable our clients and partners to achieve transformational change in the circular economy by supporting the development and commercialisation ideas through our end-to-end innovation support and exceptional networks

Wherever you want to go in the circular economy, we will help you to get there by providing first-class research and innovation support, education and skills development opportunities, and networking prospects. Together we can help your business to thrive over the long term and deliver a positive impact locally, regionally and globally.

Key areas of expertise

Our wide-ranging research expertise means that we are ideally placed to understand complex challenges associated with the transition to a more regenerative economy and to work with others to develop innovative solutions.

Rethinking products and materials for a circular world

  • Design for durability, reuse and repair
  • Material and design efficiencies
  • Novel feedstocks
  • Materials from waste
  • Circular biotechnology
  • Design informatics
  • Plastics recycling
  • Waste-water engineering and treatment
  • Urban mining and material separation
  • Life-cycle analysis
  • Data and digital tech for a circular product, service system innovation


Circular infrastructure and energy

  • Design for disassembly
  • Supply chain and material flow analysis
  • Advanced materials and manufacturing
  • Energy governance
  • Liveable cities
  • Renewable and low carbon energy
  • Carbon sequestration, capture and storage
  • Alternative energy systems (for example, community and micro-grids)
  • Sustainable architecture and design
  • Data-driven innovation in construction and built environment


Circular business models, finance and policy

  • Circular business models
  • Measurement and reporting
  • Strategy and governance
  • Sustainable finance and investment
  • Responsible innovation
  • Social entrepreneurship
  • Behaviour change
  • Natural resource economics

Find out more

Charlotte Lee-Woolf

Business Development Manager
Social Responsibility and Sustainability

Charlotte.Lee-Woolf@ei.ed.ac.uk

Victoria Darbyshire

Business Development Executive
Circular Economy

Victoria.Darbyshire@ei.ed.ac.uk