FEA will be assisting important new project to help the UK transition to a more sustainable economy
What does the circular economy mean for the foodservice industry? The Foodservice Equipment Association (FEA) is working with the University of Exeter’s Circular Economy Hub to further understand the challenges and opportunities that the industry could face in response to the UK’s moves to develop a more sustainable economy.
The project, which is led by the Hub, is part of the wider National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research (NICER) Programme and aims to deliver research, innovation, and the evidence base to move the UK towards a resilient circular economy. FEA will be supporting the project, which will aim to bring together experts from across the industry with policymakers and academics to explore what a circular economy could look like for the hospitality sector. They will also look at what actions are needed to achieve it.
“The Circular Economy can seem like a daunting concept,” says Andy Threlfall, FEA’s technical and policy director. “But at its core it’s about reducing our consumption of virgin materials, and to keep materials in use at their highest value for the longest possible time. The aim is to design equipment with repairability in mind, going beyond just recycling waste, to designing it out of the system. It will require creativity and innovation to achieve it, but these are qualities that the UK’s foodservice equipment industry has in abundance.
“This project will enhance and complement current sustainability initiatives and Net Zero goals, providing a practical roadmap for the sector. We’re looking forward to helping to build a system that will benefit our members and the environment.”
The industry engagement stage of the project will launch with a webinar in October, which will introduce the circular economy as well as showcasing activity already taking place across the hospitality supply chain. Following up on this will be two working groups which will allow stakeholders throughout every level of the industry to work with policymakers to give feedback and advice on the proposed route map.
The webinar will take place on the 5th October 2023. To reserve a spot, as well as indicating your interest in the working groups, book a free ticket via this Eventbrite page. https://tinyurl.com/3sasr92r or contact FEA.
The Circular Economy Hub provides information, case studies and toolkits if you wish to learn more about the project visit the Knowledge Hub on its website.