Advances across material cycles unlock the transformative potential of circular economies. Better management of resources, alternatives to unnecessary single use applications, the reuse of materials and minerals, and responsible mining are all the foundation of sustainability and resource efficiency.
This is a critical time to harness the potential of materials, minerals and mining. Net zero targets in the UK and beyond will only be met through the industry’s innovation, invention and collaboration.
'Material Change: Resourcing Net Zero' tells the stories of the inspirational individuals and organisations carving the way to a more sustainable future.
Circularity and net zero ambitions are intertwined with the development of advanced materials.
In the series, Dr Kathy Christofidou, Royce Technology Platform Lead at the University of Sheffield demonstrates the FAST-forge process which uses large amounts of titanium that would otherwise go to waste to create lightweight alloys, greatly reducing titanium waste, and carbon emissions.
Dr Chloe Loveless, Experimental Officer at the Royce Sustainable Materials Innovation Hub (SMI Hub) demonstrates the research and development techniques used to support companies in the innovative design, reuse and recycling of plastics.
Dr Kathy Christofidou, Technology Platform Lead for Materials Discovery and Prototyping, Royce at the University of Sheffield, said:
"The multitude of technologies necessary to usher a net-zero society rely on the development of new materials and manufacturing methods that intrinsically take into consideration circular economies, thus enabling resource efficiency and sustainability. Through this series we aim to demonstrate the role that research and development play on advancing our progress to net zero and hope to inspire the next generation of materials superheroes and provide confidence that indeed solutions are available."
Thought Leadership
Prof. David Knowles, CEO of the Henry Royce Institute for advanced materials, discusses the need for an infrastructure which can deliver everything from the discovery of novel materials, through to translation into devices and components, which should be informed through a national strategy for materials to assist in the pathway to net zero.
Henry Royce Institute CEO, Prof. David Knowles, said:
“As this important digital series shows, materials science is a cornerstone of our progress towards net-zero in multiple technology areas. The inextricable link to a circular economy is very timely and further demonstrates the importance of advanced materials development which considers full product life-cycle from initial raw material extraction, through to manufacture and end-of-life reuse or recycling.”
The wider IOM3 series features comment from industry experts including: Dr Colin Church FIMMM CEnv, CEO of IOM3; Professor David Knowles CEO of the Henry Royce Institute; Professor Mike Shaver Director of the Sustainable Materials Innovation Hub; Neil Glover FIMMM CEng, President of IOM3; and Rosie Dodd, Manager, Product Footprinting and Circular Economy Lead at the Carbon Trust, as well as stories from organisations and individuals who are driving innovation across exploration and extraction, processing and application, and recycling, repurposing and reuse.
Additional organisations featured include: the Henry Royce Institute; the Bristol Composites Institute (University of Bristol); British Glass; the Camborne School of Mines (University of Exeter); CircularMetal, Innovate UK – part of UKRI; bp-ICAM; the National Composites Centre (NCC); Satarla; SRK Consulting; and the University of Bath.
IOM3 CEO, Dr Colin Church CEnv FIMMM, said:
"There’s no doubt that the work of materials, minerals and mining professionals around the world will determine if net zero is achieved. I'm proud of the progress our sectors have already made but I’m equally aware of the challenges we now face. We are delighted to partner with CWP to showcase the inspiring work of our communities and stimulate further collaboration that moves us towards circularity."
Max Smith, Managing Director, CWP, said:
"This is an industry pushing the very limits of our scientific knowledge, constantly redefining what's possible. We are looking forward to meeting those whose ingenuity, expertise and imagination is being deployed in the pursuit of a truly circular economy and net zero, to appreciate their efforts and provide a catalyst for progress."
Find out more: materialchange.iom3.org #materialchange