Newly inaugurated CIWM President Dr. David Greenfield has launched the CIWM Presidential Report 2025.
Written by Dr Ryan Woodard, the report, ‘Lost Opportunities? Winning Back Materials to Drive the UK’s Circular Economy’, issues a call to action to capture and derive value from resources that are currently being lost to the UK’s economy.
Focusing on what it calls the ‘urgent need’ and ‘real opportunity’ for the UK to lead the transition to a circular economy, the report highlights six commonly overlooked materials that are currently lost to the economy both in the UK and internationally.
The report examines both cycles – renewable and finite – of the circular economy. It explores three everyday renewable organic materials, cooking oil, seafood shells, and wool, and three essential finite mineral resources in the form of lithium, gallium, and tin.
It provides an assessment of how much waste of each type is generated and why it is lost to the economy, and explores current and future management pathways.
Commenting on the report’s launch, Dr. Greenfield said: “We cannot afford to waste what the planet and economy cannot easily replace. My report highlights both the challenges and opportunities we face, reinforcing the importance of rethinking not just how we manage ‘waste’, but how we define and prevent it.
“During my year as CIWM President, I am committed to championing the development of a more sustainable and circular economy and facilitating the cross-sector collaboration needed to make this a reality.”
During my year as CIWM President, I am committed to championing the development of a more sustainable and circular economy…
The inauguration of Dr. Greenfield will see Tim Walker assume the role of Immediate Past President. Vicki Hughes and Liz Parkes MBE will become Vice President and Junior Vice President, respectively, and Charlotte Davies will enter her second year as Early Careers President.
Sarah Poulter, CEO of CIWM, commented: “Firstly, I would like to thank Tim Walker for his hard work, dedication, and leadership during his term as CIWM President.
“We are excited to welcome David as President. He brings extensive expertise in waste management and circular economy innovation. In his professional roles, he champions sustainable resource recovery and innovation on a day-to-day basis.
“As Visiting Professor of Circular Economy at the University of Brighton, he has demonstrated his commitment to advancing a more circular and resource-efficient economy.”
The CIWM Presidential Report 2025 makes a series of recommendations for unlocking the potential of these resources and says that a coordinated, cross-sector approach is ‘essential’.
CIWM says the report’s findings show that government, policymakers, business, and the resource management sector have an opportunity to:
- align UK policies to capture ‘lost’ resources;
- develop business cases to capitalise on these opportunities;
- align public sector procurement policies to support resource recovery;
- foster cross-sector collaboration;
- implement a National Material Data System; and
- establish a cross-organisational, open-access research repository.
Dr. Greenfield continued: “We need action – coordinated, courageous, and consistent – to make the transition from linear to circular. Let this be the moment we step up, reach across sectors, and turn waste from a symbol of failure into a source of possibility.
“Through improved design, collection systems, policy interventions, lifecycle thinking, and circular innovation, there are significant opportunities to harness many of the currently lost materials beyond and including the six highlighted here, for the benefit of the environment, society, and the UK economy.”
