A week ago, on Monday 30 September 2024 - day one of Circular Economy Week - the Circular Do Tank launched!
I’m a founding member of this new forum, which aims to raise awareness and drive adoption of circular practices within the built environment. So I thought I’d tell you a little bit about it.
🚨 But before I go further, there is a CALL TO ACTION! 🚨
🏢 if you represent an organisation, consider signing our Pledge. For now, just register interest by clicking here.
🙋 if you are an individual and wish to be on our mailing list and/or contribute to the Workstreams, register by clicking here.
What is the CDT?
The Circular Do Tank is a dynamic team of multidisciplinary experts dedicated to
tackling challenges relating to the circular economy through pragmatic experimentation – by enlisting property investors and developers to undertake material reuse in their projects and to support them with our expertise, comprising a wealth of experience in legal, insurance, finance, and more.
With the backing of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, we drive
the adoption of re-use practices in construction, renovation, and demolition projects.
Our mission is to facilitate the adoption of circular practices by collaborating with organisations, sharing knowledge, and driving innovations that enable material reuse and carbon reduction. We have a vision of a future where every sector operates within a thriving circular economy, significantly diminishing environmental impact and fostering a regenerative global ecosystem.
So it’s our purpose to lead the transformation towards a circular economy by championing circular practices across industries, reducing waste, and promoting resource efficiency. We are aiming to drive forward five key pillars.
The Committee
Sixteen committee members founded the Circular Do Tank and got it this far. We meet monthly to discuss progress, manage the forum and shape the direction of travel going forwards. It’s a really fantastic group of people from right across the industry with such a wealth of experience.
Workstreams
The scope of the Circular Economy is vast, so we have narrowed down our focus to six workstreams - these may, and probably will, evolve over time. Workstreams are led by various CDT Committee Members, but we actively encourage individuals to join these workstreams - the key words here are knowledge sharing and collaboration! You may spot that I am leading the Logistics and Storage Workstream, so reach out if you can help on this.
The Pledge
We have written a Circular Pledge which we believe all types of organisations can commit to. Whilst we acknowledge we need the “decision makers” to be bought into this, we also seek commitment across the entire spectrum of participants in the built environment, from designers through to manufacturers. Our three point Pledge is:
Prioritise the highest form of retention and reuse within the built environment.
Participate in the reuse and exchange of construction materials and products.
Foster a collaborative approach through sharing of successes, challenges, and data.
Pledging organisations will be listed on the Circular Do Tank website, will receive regular communications from the CDT and are encouraged to share their affiliation publicly.
What Next?
Keen to be involved? Check on the call to action above - we hope you can join us by pledging as a business or assisting as an individual member.
If you want to know more, please reach out at hello@circulardotank.co.uk. We’re happy to answer any questions.
And don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn.