Circular economy

Amec Foster Wheeler has developed a portfolio of capabilities and experience in the circular economy (CE), including high profile regional plans, direct support to businesses implementing CE projects, researching opportunities within CE and leading seminars and workshops. amecfw.com

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Amec Foster Wheeler is a multinational, multi-disciplinary firm offering environmental consultancy, engineering, project management, project delivery and ongoing asset support.

It is a company driven by innovation and a market-leading circular economy advisor through strategy development and on-the-ground project implementation.

Raw materials Materials processing

Manufacture Market Use

Land�ll

Linear economy

Circular economyRecycle

Refurbish and remanufacture

Reuse and redistribute

Maintain

Our current consumption patterns are mainly linear, following a make-use-dispose pattern. The circular economy is a concept that aims to change this. More closely related to resource and asset management than waste management, it establishes systems that are regenerative and restorative by design, it creates assets that are designed for longevity and re-use, and it prioritises the avoidance and reduction of waste. Value is retained and maximised throughout multiple life-cycles, and assets are not allowed to disappear into low-value scrap at their end of life.

Amec Foster Wheeler is at the forefront of the circular economy sector, implementing concepts that move organisations away from linear systems and towards a circular model. This can take the form of high-level strategic thought or ground-level application of CE skills, in order to convert challenging new ideas into common practice. Continually developing the CE sector, we pride ourselves on bringing its ambitions into reality through a hands-on approach.

So far, we have supported over 25 businesses in the UK, have produced several sectoral studies for Government agencies into the opportunities of circular economy, have led seminars and workshops to spread awareness of CE concepts and have contributed towards the Route Map for the Circular Economy in London. It is our objective to contribute our skills to a wide range of CE challenges in order to drive innovation and facilitate the achievement of ambitious and positive projects across the world.

Value is retained and maximised throughout multiple life-cycles.

Assets are not allowed to disappear into low-value scrap at their end of life.

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Our skills in circular economy

ff Identification of new business opportunities for clients including new products, services or markets

ff Feasibility studies

ff Identifying market need, drivers and angles for opportunities

ff Financial modelling (including cost benefit analyses)

ff Material flow modelling

ff Value mapping

ff Proof of concept

ff Stakeholder engagement

ff Market research

ff Business and commercial case development

ff Carbon assessment

ff Life cycle analysis

ff Implementation planning

ff Implementation.

ff Pilot evaluation and review

ff Identifying funding opportunities and supporting funding applications

ff Support in communications, marketing and implementation

ff Identifying and resolving skills / capacity gaps

The future for CE and our role in it

The circular economy is a major opportunity to maintain value through better economic systems and to preserve valuable resources. It is not a ‘nice to have’ but good business sense, and critical to our good stewardship of finite resources.

The transition from linear to circular models won’t necessarily come easily, and there are many challenges such as identifying opportunities, building support and confidence across decision makers, providing viability, building business cases and demonstrations.

There is a role to be played by all players in society and the economy, and it is Amec Foster Wheeler’s role to be a key partner to businesses, governments and other organisations by continually promoting forward thinking as well as practical capabilities in the delivery of projects.

The following are examples of areas that we anticipate will grow in the coming years as CE becomes mainstream:

ff Regional circular strategy, e.g. city route maps

ff Sectoral circular economy planning and implementation

ff Individual business support

ff Change management and transition for businesses to circular economy business models

ff Increased circular management for specific materials

ff Feasibility planning

ff High level strategy and research

ff Linking with existing groups such as 100 Resilient Cities, Sustainable Cities, and Circular Economy 100

Partner

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Circular economy route map for London. London Waste and Recycling Board (LWARB).

Amec Foster Wheeler provided technical support for the development of a circular economy route map for the city. The project involved two key initial phases: firstly, the development of an evidence base of key focus areas and materials; and secondly, engaging with stakeholders to develop the circular economy route map. Together, these form the basis of LWARB’s report, Towards a Circular Economy, which was published in December 2015. The route map was published in June 2016.

Phase 1: Building an evidence baseThe range of activities and relationships that make up the starting point for CE initiatives was first scoped out resulting in five focus areas, each of which included potential local circularity of material flows, as well as international trading relationships. The five areas, which were selected based on high levels of turnover, significant environmental impact and unexploited potential for re-use, were infrastructure and construction, electronics, textiles, foods, and plastics.

Amec Foster Wheeler estimated the economic benefits from transitioning to a circular economy for each of these focus areas using a combination of London-specific data and national, urban or sector specific studies on the economic benefits of the CE. Working with inputs from sector specialists, the characteristics giving rise to significant opportunities in London were identified.

Projects and case studies Regional circular economy strategy

Circular economy could bring financial benefits to the London economy of at least £7 billion annually by 2036.

Phase 2: Engaging stakeholders to develop the circular economy route mapA number of stakeholders from the private and public sectors were invited to form working groups, one for six focus areas (the five sector areas plus a cross-cutting area).

Each working group met through a series of three themed workshops to identify barriers and opportunities to implementing the CE in London, and to develop the action plans which would form the chapters of the route map.

The action plans from each working group covered the main business models such as product life extension, servitisation, design and materials, collection, reuse and recycling, etc, and the main activity areas (e.g. demonstration projects, business support and innovation, policy and procurement, communications).

Each focus area led to a chapter in the circular economy route map. Recommended actions included practical interventions, developing policy options (e.g. responsible procurement policy), as well as documenting the circular economy good practice that already exist in London.

Phase 3: Projecting impacts of delivering the route mapThe third stage involved estimating the benefits the route map could bring if implemented. This was calculated at £2.8 billion per year.

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Business support projects

Small and medium enterprisesCurrently we’re supporting six SMEs in sectors including manufacturing, reprocessing and biotech. This includes providing market assessments, evidence, knowledge, legislative and permitting guidance, developing pilot schemes and step-change implementation plans to implement CE approaches in the delivery of their service and products.

Funding supportThe team also has a strong understanding of funding opportunities having supported the scoping of the £18m Circular Economy Investment Fund (CEIF), identifying stakeholders and establishing a scope for the fund to support organisations to bring products and services through to a late stage of development and into implementation.

Supporting Zero Waste ScotlandCircular economy business model (CEBM)implementation support programme 1 Development and demonstration of seven business examples of CEBMs for Scotland. The project supported companies in sectors including textiles and leather, electronics and renewable energy. It involved identifying business innovation opportunities, conducting commercial feasibility assessments, developing business and commercial cases and delivering and supporting CEBM trials or pilots including recommendations for any appropriate scale-up. We opened up new markets by servitising products and developed new online training portals.

CEBM implementation support programme 2Provision of support to eight SMEs across different sectors, including textiles, food & drink and energy, in the development and implementation of CEBMs. By highlighting innovative circular approaches that the SMEs could adopt and assessing the feasibility of these approaches through assessments of market potential and financial modelling, we developed business cases to support the SMEs in the execution of pilots or direct expansion of their CEBMs.

International business supportOutside of the UK, Amec Foster Wheeler has three projects in Guam, a United States Territory located in the Marianas, including the construction of two aircraft hangars and the laying of new utility lines for Andersen Airforce Base’s North Ramp. There has been an emphasis on the creation of a CE for the island’s limited resources throughout all projects. Reuse strategies and practices have been implemented to utilise available materials that already exist to create value and use from ‘business as usual waste’. Innovative solutions for creating a circular economy on the island have led to a host of social, business and environmental benefits, improving the overall resilience of Guam.

Amec Foster Wheeler is on a circular economy business support framework with Zero Waste Scotland, the waste and resource management agency established by the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government is regarded as one of the leading organisations in CE as evidenced by its Award for ‘Circular Economy Governments, Cities and Regions’, presented at the 2017 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos. Amec Foster Wheeler is therefore a leading player in a leading region for circular economy.

The framework supports SMEs operating in Scotland by delivering tools and services needed for the CE to thrive. The Amec Foster Wheeler team has provided direct support to a series of SMEs to help them explore, develop and implement new CE business models.

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Sector studies

Amec Foster Wheeler has also produced a series of reports focusing on specific sectors or materials. This work supports Government decision-making and identifies follow-up projects for practical implementation.

Developing a market pull for structural steel from North Sea oil and gas decommissioning

Amec Foster Wheeler led a study for Decom North Sea on the opportunities and barriers

relating to the re-use of structural steel from North Sea de-commissioning and the development of a ‘market pull’ for decommissioned steel, for construction purposes, in the oil and gas sector. A technical analyses of structural steel from three representative platforms was carried out, and engagement was undertaken with a range of stakeholders to identify potential re-use application.

The project identified a number of potential re-use outlets including housebuilding and infrastructure, as well as a range of strategic interventions needed for a market to develop. These include shifting the emphasis away from efforts by the oil and gas industry to ‘push’ materials onto the market, to working with sectors, regulators, standards institutions, designers, innovators, government and individual business to create the conditions for a market to develop.

Energy sector circular economy study

This study of current and potential circular economy practices in the oil and gas, renewables generation and electricity transmission sectors fed into the Scottish Government’s overall strategy for circular economy. It mapped the value chain associated with these sectors, identified barriers and opportunities of circular practices, and produced case studies of circular practices.

Quantities of key materials were modelled and projections made of how greater value can be extracted through more ‘circular’ business models. It recommended a number of projects to demonstrate potential savings, especially in de-commissioning.

Aerospace, defence and marine sector circular economy study.

Similar to the energy sector study, the project identified current and potential circular economy practices which fed

into the Scottish Government’s overall strategy for the circular economy.

Circular economy opportunities in the built environment: Constructing excellence in Wales

Amec Foster Wheeler developed estimates of the economic benefits from adopting circular economy practices for the built environment in the residential, industrial and commercial sectors in Wales. The forecasts are based on an analysis of the structure of the Welsh economy and comparison with European benchmarks and current research. They were underpinned with case study evidence from individual sites in Wales where circular economy practices have been adopted at design and construction stage.

Circular economy workshops and seminarsAmec Foster Wheeler has contributed to various workshops and seminars related to circular economy, including participation in chairing and delivering. We bring the CE agenda to a range of audiences including: Forum for the Future, Scottish Resources Conference, and Siemens.

Amec Foster Wheeler has also been involved in workshops with Zero Waste Scotland, delivered sessions on steel reuse and seminars on CE in oil and gas for the Petroleum Environmental Research Forum.

For further information please contact: T +44 (0)131 448 1150 E circular.economy@amecfw.com

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