Circular business model innovation in the UK cement, glass, and ceramics industries

The UK Foundation Industries are worth £52B, produce 28 million tonnes of materials per year and account for 10% of the UK total CO2 emissions, posing a major challenge to meet the UK Government’s legal commitment to net zero emissions by 2050. The UK Foundation Industries also have low profit margins, making them vulnerable to changes in energy cost and to international competition. These industries lack tailored circular business models that will enable them to create, deliver, and capture customer value in more sustainable ways, hindering their contribution to the national net zero target by 2050, and their international competitiveness. Moreover, the UK Foundation Industries underperform in relation to the EDI agenda. This project focuses on cement, ceramics, and glass industries, and informs all the UK Foundation Industries. It aims to (1) embed self-sustaining industry practices regarding EDI in new circular business models, (2) establish a knowledge transfer network to drive EDI transformation, and to develop and share best practice, and (3) develop a compelling business case for the UK Foundation Industries with the key components being EDI, Net Zero, innovation, future skills, and digitisation.

Maria Karafyllia

Nottingham University