The Circular Economy Institute (CEI) has launched an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Toolkit to help move UK policy from high-level principles into practical, workable scheme design. Commissioned by CIWM and its Producer Responsibility Specialist Expert Group (SEG), the toolkit was written by John Twitchen (env23 and Stuff4Life Ltd) for policymakers, industry experts, and supply-chain leaders.

The toolkit reinforces CIWM’s position that EPR should act as an engine for economic growth and industrial strategy, rather than just a recycling tax. While sectors like packaging and electronic waste (WEEE) have well-established rules, CEI’s global review found major policy and practical gaps in three key product areas: textiles, mattresses, and batteries.

To fix these gaps, Stage 1 sets out three core priorities. First, creating a ‘Missing Toolkit Blueprint’ tailored to UK textiles, mattresses, and batteries will turn policy theory into real-world scheme design. Second, connecting the blueprint directly to established UK structures, such as current WEEE and battery compliance schemes, ensures practical operational problems are solved. Finally, policy focus must shift toward reuse, repair, refill, and recharge, while aligning UK standards with international benchmarks like the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).

Read the full Circular Economy Institute EPR Toolkit and explore the Circular article EPR is not a ‘recycling tax’, it’s integral to industrial strategy and economic growth.

The Circular Economy Institute (CEI) today announced the launch of the CEI Business Excellence Partner programme – a structured, independently verified recognition framework designed to assess and validate how effectively circular principles are embedded across an organisation’s operations.

The programme marks a significant step forward in the CEI’s mission to drive systemic change across industries and economies. It provides organisations of all sizes and sectors with a credible, evidence-based pathway to benchmark their progress on circularity and become independently recognised for their commitment to the circular economy.

As the pressure to move beyond linear models intensifies, driven by global policy and regulation, supply chains, and shifting market demand, the need for organisations to demonstrate authentic circular commitment is continuously growing. The ‘CEI Business Excellence Partner’ programme responds directly to that need, offering a rigorous assessment process backed by the global standing of the Circular Economy Institute.

How the programme works

The programme evaluates participating organisations across seven core functional areas, each independently scored from 0 to 3:

• Commitment to circular economy principles – embedding circularity into organisational mission, vision, and measurable targets
• Circular practices in operations – integrating circular design or product-service models into core business activity
• Supply chain and procurement – aligning supplier standards and purchasing decisions with circular principles
• Measurement and transparency – tracking and publicly reporting on material use, waste reduction, and carbon footprint
• Innovation and continuous improvement – investing in research, development, and emerging circular technologies
• Stakeholder engagement – actively involving employees, customers, and communities in circular practice
• Ethical and responsible conduct – upholding fair labour standards, ethical business practice, and environmental compliance

Following assessment, organisations are designated to one of three progressive tiers, starting with Bronze for organisations establishing the foundations of circular practice, through to Silver for those with more advanced application of circular principles across multiple business functions. The most advanced is Gold, reserved for organisations showing exemplary sector leadership and systemic circular integration.

Successful partners are authorised to use their designation across corporate communications, client proposals, sustainability reporting, and public-facing materials, providing independently validated market positioning in an increasingly circular-conscious economy.

Katie Cockburn, Senior Director for Policy, Media and Education, Circular Economy Institute, says: “The CEI Business Excellence Partner programme represents a critical next step in how we support organisations on the circular journey. We know that genuine circular transition requires more than policy or aspiration. It demands structural change, measured against clear and transparent criteria. This programme gives organisations the tools to transparently assess where they are, a clear pathway to improvement, and the independent recognition their progress deserves. It is designed to be both rigorous and practical, because real progress requires both.”

Each CEI Business Excellence Partner will receive a suite of benefits designed to support continued learning, team development, and professional visibility, including use of the partner logo credentials, access to the global CEI community and local clubs, discounts on training and events, and amplification across CEI channels.

Application and annual membership fees are structured in proportion to organisation type and size, ensuring accessibility across sectors and scales.

CIWM Affiliated Organisations and CIWM Commercial Partners receive a 50% discount on membership fees, and founding members of the programme receive a 30% discount.

About the Circular Economy Institute

The Circular Economy Institute is a leading global organisation that sets the standard for circular economy expertise. It empowers professionals and organisations to drive the global shift from linear to circular economies through world-class training, accreditation, and a vibrant international community network.

The CEI includes the Circular Economy Club, a global network of over 10,000 members in more than 280 local clubs across 140 countries, and serves a diverse membership of businesses, governments, and academic institutions, including the United Nations One Planet Network and the Harvard School of Design. The Circular Economy Institute is part of the CIWM Group.

To find out more and begin your organisational assessment, please email greig.porter@ceinstitute.org.

The Circular Economy Institute, CIWM, Design Council, WRAP, and URGE Collective have partnered with waste management company Biffa and retail business Decathlon for the active design sprint phase of the Design Skills for Embedding Circularity programme.

The Design Skills for Embedding Circularity pilot programme is currently running its design sprint focused on ‘designing out waste’—an intensive 6-week deep dive exploring challenges and barriers to circularity through business, design, waste, and resources lenses. The Sprint is part of the wider programme, an innovative pilot project funded by CEI that links professional designers with resources and waste operators to embed designing out waste principles into everyday design practice.

Site Visits

The design cohort spent four months visiting industrial waste facilities guided by circular economy expert Sophie Thomas. They observed technical processes and met waste resource experts across the country; at Sherbourne Recycling’s Super MRF, SWEEEP’s waste electrical and electronic equipment recycling plant, DS Smith’s largest UK recycled papermill, Enfinium’s energy from waste plant, Biffa’s Edmonton MRF, Enovert’s landfill sites in Gloucestershire, and SUEZ’s Renew Hub in Manchester. They also visited Decathlon’s London HQ and Allermuir’s furniture remanufacturing hub in Manchester to explore how circular business models are being realised.

Expert Sessions

The programme included a series of online expert sessions around all aspects of circularity, curated by designer and impact strategist Alexie Sommer. Knowledge was shared about British Standard’s circularity framework, Moramma’s design approaches to circularity, Grey Parrot’s AI-enabled sorting technology, Lucas Munoz’s urban mined interiors, Materiom and Shellworks on bio-material innovation, Elvis & Kresse on responsible material sourcing and regenerative farming, Recoup on plastic recycling and Extended Producer Responsibility, Circul’r on the European regulation landscape, WRAP on their circular living standards and business appetite for circularity, and UCL’s latest research in consumer behaviour in plastic waste and repair culture.

“The expert knowledge we’ve woven into this pilot programme is unparalleled. The designers have been exposed to the sheer complexity of opportunities and barriers to circularity, and are better informed about the design choices they can make to design out waste and design in circularity. The sprint is our first chance to put this knowledge to practice and test how the information and connections made can lead to design-led solutions and system changes.”

— Alexie Sommer, Co-Director, Design Skills for Embedding Circularity

Early Insights

Each site visit and expert session revealed myth-busting facts concerning how we design and manufacture for recovery, reuse, or recycling and the barriers to circularity. These insights range from: the amount of lost material at the MRF stage from size or material complexity; Coloured PET ruling out recycling; problematic waste arriving at MRFs including vapes, textiles, nappies, cookware, and batteries that shouldn’t be there (identifying confusion around bins and collections); and the extremely limited intervention points for repair or reuse between user and industrial waste sorting.

“Prior to the SWEEEP visit, I was already using ‘design for disassembly’ as an approach in my practice. Having observed that UK WEEE waste is currently shredded into small particles, I now realise design for disassembly needs to be combined with customer-facing interventions for repair or remanufacturing so that key materials can be recovered throughout the system.” — Cohort Participant

A spokesperson for Policy and External Affairs at CEI says: “Policy is moving in the right direction, with Simpler Recycling, packaging Extended Producer Responsibility, Plastics Packaging Tax, a Deposit Return Scheme, and potentially the Emissions Trading Scheme for energy from waste plants already in motion. Collectively they will increasingly nudge businesses towards circular models, and of course, we await the Government’s Circular Economy Growth Plan.

“However, a vital element for progress is cross-sector collaboration and expertise—designers who understand what happens to a product at end of life, and resources and waste professionals who can influence design thinking upstream.

“These connections are important in helping to move the world beyond waste. In just a few weeks, this cohort has moved from waste facility floor to design studio, and knowledge is now being applied to live challenges from Biffa and Decathlon. That’s the kind of practical, cross-sector capability that can turn circular ambition into tangible action.”

Sprint Partners

The designers are now actively tackling the big challenges they observed through a design sprint with partners Biffa and Decathlon. This phase of the sprint is being facilitated by designer, educator, and Design Council expert Tara Hanrahan.

Site visit observations, information gathered, and connections made are informing the enquiries the designers are tackling during the sprint. In parallel, partners Biffa and Decathlon have set sprint challenges that the designers are responding to. These range from designing approaches that prevent vapes entering household waste and recycling streams, demonstrator concepts that enable easier disassembly and recovery of high-value components from small electronics especially lithium batteries, how to design out festival tent waste, and how to design a practical and scalable reusable packaging system for buy-back / resale programmes.

Interest in the Design Skills for Embedding Circularity programme has come from across the UK and Europe, and from as far afield as Australia. There is a huge demand for this type of hands-on immersive professional development from designers. Insights from the programme will be shared during an exhibition and symposium in the autumn. Get in contact with the programme directors if you’d like to attend.

Key Dates:

• Design Sprint: June – July
• Symposium and Exhibition: Autumn
  

Programme Directors:

• Sophie Thomas — sophie.thomas@etsaw.com / +447951015252
• Alexie Sommer — alexie@urgecollective.com / +447813216842

For more information, please visit URGE Collective.

The transition to a circular economy relies entirely on the passion, dedication, and real-world impact of our global network. From our club leads running over 70 local clubs worldwide to the innovators embedding circular principles into businesses and supply chains, our volunteers are the ones actively moving the world beyond waste. They are the real people making real progress on the ground every day.

To recognise this incredible global effort, we are excited to announce the launch of a dedicated category within the inaugural CIWM Volunteer Awards 2026 – the CEI Volunteer of the Year.

This new annual award specifically recognises volunteers who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to advancing the circular economy through their work with Circular Economy Clubs (CEC) and Circular Economy Institute (CEI) initiatives.

Real People. Real Progress.

Whether it is a global club lead who has hosted transformative local events, or a peer who has helped you upgrade your credentials and unlock innovation in your industry, we want to hear about them.

The nomination window is open to all global volunteers of the Circular Economy Institute and Clubs. If someone in your network has inspired your journey or helped push a circular initiative forward, this is your opportunity to say thank you.

Please read the full ‘CEI Volunteer of the Year’ award criteria for more information on specific requirements.

Key Dates & Details:

Nominations Close: 14 July 2026

Judging: Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of CIWM/CEI Fellows in July.

Winners Announced: August 2026, with a formal presentation scheduled for our upcoming Fellows Lunch in September.

How to Nominate

It’s easy to nominate someone for the CEI Award – please complete the nomination form and return it to us by 14 July. Anyone within our global network can nominate as many individuals as they wish. For more information on the award criteria or if you have any questions, please contact the team at volunteers@ciwm.co.uk.

The Circular Economy Institute is proud to announce its inclusion in the latest ‘Circularity Guidance for Mayoral Strategic Authorities’, published by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. This recognition marks a major step in our mission to move the world beyond waste by embedding circular expertise at the heart of local government.

Powering local growth

The guidance identifies the CEI as a primary network for authorities to scale best practice and bridge the gap between policy and industry. By adopting circular economy approaches, mayoral and local authorities can drive innovation, secure supply chains, and support robust local growth plans. This resource is essential for any local government organisation looking to embed sustainable growth practices that deliver long-term benefits to their communities.

Real progress through collaboration

We continue to power a circular future by acting as a gateway for authorities and anchor institutions, such as hospital trusts and the prison service, to transition from linear to circular models. Through our clubs, community network and professional membership programmes, we provide the global standard for circular expertise, ensuring that regional economies have the skills to thrive.

A global community driving change

We believe change starts with knowledge. By equipping global circular economy professionals with the tools to reshape economies, we are building a more resilient, sustainable future for everyone.

Are you ready to lead the transition? Explore our training programmes or find a Circular Economy Club near you to start driving circular progress in your region.

Are you designing for a world that can no longer support a linear take-make-waste model? Have you ever questioned the true lifecycle of your products, or felt that “sustainable design” often stops short of real-world recovery? If you find yourself overwhelmed by greenwash or are seeking the technical competency to make your work future-fit, you are not alone. The transition to a circular economy requires a fundamental shift in how we exchange knowledge between those who design and create products, and those who manage our resources.

The Circular Economy Institute has partnered with CIWM, Design Council, WRAP, and URGE Collective to deliver a pilot programme, Design Skills for Embedding Circularity. This programme explores practical methods for cross-sector skill exchange, bridging the gap between design and the waste and resource sector to drive systemic change in circular design.

The 2026 Programme

Throughout 2026, we are providing our participant cohort with exclusive access to the frontline of resource and waste management. Through immersive site visits and curated tours, designers will engage in collaborative discussions at materials recycling facilities, Energy-from-Waste plants, and specialist handling facilities. These experiences offer a rare, first-hand look at today’s material flows and the practicalities of resource recovery.

To support this, CEI and our partners are hosting facilitated workshops and expert-led sessions. These sessions explore the key principles and requirements of circularity, including reuse, repair, and recyclability. Alongside technical exploration into carbon and materials science, packaging innovation, and evolving policy and regulations. Participants will apply these insights to real end-of-life challenges, generating actionable concepts for circular innovation.

Professional Development and Impact

This initiative is designed to move beyond theory and into action-based learning. By connecting designers directly with the resource and waste sector, we are developing the collaborative insight needed for long-term resilient design.

The programme is also underpinned by the Design Council’s Skills for Planet Knowledge Transfer Methodology. This ensures that participants gain accredited, practical capabilities that they can bring back to their organisations, helping to accelerate the transition to a circular future.

Opportunities to Partner

We are currently seeking strategic partners, including waste sector organisations and circular business consultancies, to collaborate on the programme’s design sprint.

Interested in collaborating? For more information on the programme and partnership opportunities, please visit: https://www.urgecollective.com/design-skills-for-embedding-circularity/.

The circular economy transition isn’t on the way; it’s happening right now. These five industries are already transforming supply chains, reducing waste, and unlocking new economic value.

Fashion & Textiles – Closing the Loop on Clothing Waste

What circular looks like: Circular in textiles means designing clothes for durability, repair, and recycling, using regenerative or recycled materials, and keeping garments in use through resale, rental, and take-back schemes.

Why it’s happening now: The amount of textile waste humans produce has risen exponentially over the last twenty years. More countries are incentivising circular design choices in textiles, and customers are demanding more durable and sustainable purchase options.

Real company leading change: In 2023, Primark partnered with the Circular Textiles Foundation to deliver an advanced training programme on circular design principles for its Design and Product teams.

Construction – Building with Circular Materials

What circular looks like: The use of reclaimed building materials; modular and reversible design; material passports; reuse of demolition waste; removing waste from the site by design.

Why it’s happening now: There are many reasons why construction is becoming more circular, which include pressure from decarbonisation targets and embodied carbon in construction, but also supply chain disruptions, which make reuse more cost-efficient.

Real organisation leading change: Northumbria University secured £250,000 in research funding for a project to develop ‘AI-driven decision-support systems’ to help construction managers identify waste generation points, implement effective handling strategies, and assess project sustainability.

Food & Beverage – Eliminating food waste streams

What circular looks like: Circularity is all about preventing surplus food from being wasted, redistributing what’s edible, and turning inedible scraps into valuable resources like animal feed, compost, or energy through anaerobic digestion.

Why it’s happening now: Food loss and waste account for 8-10% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing this waste stream is not only good for the planet, but it is a valuable resource that is being wasted. Food redistribution gives surplus food to those in need, and anaerobic digestion is an alternative to landfill that generates energy.

Real initiative leading change: The UK Food and Drink Pact aims to reduce food waste by 50% per capita by 2030, emphasising the importance of recycling and waste reduction strategies. 

Electronics – Designing for repair and reuse

What circular looks like: The circular economy in electronics means designing devices to last longer, be easily repaired or upgraded, and eventually disassembled for reuse or recycling.

Why it’s happening now: It keeps valuable materials – like metals, plastics, and critical raw materials – in the loop instead of being discarded, while enabling new business models such as device leasing, refurbishment, and take-back programmes.

Real company leading change: Trojan Electronics is a UK-based company specialising in electronics refurbishment, repair, and circular economy services. Parts that cannot be refurbished are responsibly recycled, recovering valuable metals and plastics for new products.

Cities & Infrastructure – Creating circular urban systems

What it looks like: Urban areas are adopting circular economy principles by integrating renewable energy, waste recycling, and sustainable infrastructure.

Why it’s happening: Urbanisation is increasing, leading to higher resource consumption and waste generation, which necessitates more sustainable urban planning.

Real city leading change: The City of Amsterdam has implemented a comprehensive circular economy programme aimed at reducing waste and promoting sustainable urban development. This initiative is part of their broader strategy to halve the use of new raw materials by 2030 and achieve a fully circular city by 2050.

Conclusion

These industries are not just adopting circular economy practices; they’re leading the charge towards a sustainable future. 

Ready to lead your industry’s circular transition? Explore CEI training certificates →

By 2025, circular economy professionals who master these five skills could earn 25% than their peers!

The transition to circular economy models involves integrating emerging technology with business practices. This presents unique challenges that demand both technical expertise and system thinking.

Don’t get left behind – develop your existing capabilities and build new skills  to stay ahead of the curve. This way, you can be the person setting trends in the circular economy sector, not scrambling to keep up with your colleagues.

The 5 skills you need:

1. Systems Thinking – See the big picture
2. Circular Design – Design out waste
3. Stakeholder Collaboration – Build partnerships
4. Business Model Innovation – Make it profitable
5. Data & Measurement – Prove impact

Systems Thinking – See the big picture

What it is: Systems thinking means understanding how all parts of the value chain – materials, supply, consumption, waste recovery, policy, infrastructure – work in harmony.

Why it matters: Systems thinking helps circular economy professionals see how materials, policies, supply chains, and consumer behaviour interact, so they can design solutions that fix the root cause of any problems rather than just their symptoms.

Real professionals doing it: Mark & Spencer has used systems thinking to manage complex sustainability challenges, calling it ‘practical and very relevant to sustainable business practice’.

Circular Design – Design out waste

What it is: Designing products and packaging so that waste is minimised or eliminated when the item reaches the end of its life. This is accomplished through reusability, repairability, modularity, and sustainable material choices.

Why it matters: How much waste a product produces at its end-of-life is decided during its design phase. The choices designers make can ensure every material that makes up a product has a second life, rather than ending up in landfill.

Real professionals doing it: According to a report by WRAP and OC&C Strategy Consultants, 60% of businesses assessed are designing products for durability or repairability – a sharp increase from previous years.

Stakeholder Collaboration – Build partnerships

What it is: Engaging across industries, government, communities, suppliers, and even competitors to align incentives, share resources, and co-develop solutions.

Why it matters: The circular economy transition is a once-in-a-generation shift in how we function as a society. It will require joined-up thinking and collaboration across all sectors. Being able to efficiently build partnerships will place you at the forefront of the circular economy industry.

Real professionals doing it: The Flexible Plastic Fund brings together Ecosurety, the charity Hubbub, major packaged food & drink brands (Mars UK, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Mondelez), local authorities, and regulators to improve the recyclability of flexible plastic packaging. They share knowledge, fund research and development, and pilot collection schemes.

Business Model Innovation – Make it profitable

What it is: Moving beyond linear ‘take-make-dispose’ models to new models like product-as-a-service, leasing, sharing, take-back, subscription, or buy-back, that align profitability with circularity.

Why it matters: As more countries adopt schemes that incentivise more sustainable business choices, like extended producer responsibility, there will be more opportunities to innovate existing business models to become more profitable, while adhering to circular principles.

Real professionals doing it: MUD Jeans is a Dutch denim brand that lets customers rent jeans for a monthly fee instead of buying them outright​. The pioneering ‘Lease A Jeans’ programme helps keep jeans in circulation for longer, while giving its customers more convenience. 

Data & Measurement – Prove impact

What it is: Using metrics, analytics, and lifecycle assessments to measure the environmental, social and economic impacts of circular initiatives.

Why it matters: Without credible data, claims of ‘circularity’ or ‘sustainability’ risk being dismissed, and even leave businesses open to greenwashing allegations. Being able to measure results also always helps you to optimise your activities to achieve better results.

Real professionals doing it: Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping recycling through route optimisation, smart bins and robotic sorting systems. One of the businesses driving innovation in this space is Greyparrot – an analytics platform that embraces waste intelligence to recover more resources.

Conclusion

In 2025, having just one of these skills in your tool belt could make you far more competitive. But professionals who can combine Systems Thinking, Circular Design, Stakeholder Collaboration, Business Model Innovation, and Data & Measurement are the ones who’ll lead the field.

These skills will place you in the best position to earn more, deliver a bigger impact, and shape a resilient, profitable circular economy. 

Are you ready to learn these skills? Learn more about CEI’s training courses and take the next step in your professional development.

A new report recently launched by CIWM Group, “Let’s Not Waste the Next Four Years”, highlights how the resources and waste sector can drive the UK’s transition to a circular economy and net zero. 

The report outlined ten recommendations for the sector and the UK Government to deliver on their mutual priorities of jobs, growth and investment, and to accelerate a resilient circular economy.

The summarised recommendations are:

1. The Circular Economy must become central to Government thinking, since there is clear evidence that it directly supports its ‘Plan for Change’.  
2. Cross-Government policy integration must be strengthened across the resources and waste, energy, industrial strategy and net zero spheres.
3. Skills England should broaden its focus to incentivise green skills initiatives and deliver more jobs.
4. Improved resource resilience should remain a focus for Government with clear long-term advantages in the context of global political and economic instability.
5. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) should be applied for additional waste streams, including WEEE, batteries, textiles and mattresses, should remain a priority.
6. Reuse and repair needs further, and specific, policy support including the establishment of clear targets and responsibilities throughout the supply chain.
7. Dan Corry’s review of Defra’s Regulatory Landscape provides an opportunity for the resources and waste sector to work with regulators for improved outcomes.
8. The increased cost of EfW, arising from bringing it into the UK ETS, must be reflected in packaging EPR fees to fully apply the polluter pays principle.
9. The Resources & Waste Strategy 2018 reforms need to be fully implemented to ensure improved economic, social and environmental outcomes. 
10. Tackling waste crime needs more focus and additional resources as waste crime at all levels continues to be a £1 billion drag on the UK economy.

The review and recommendations can be found in our summary paper and the full paper can also be viewed online.