- Day & Time:
- 2nd September 2025
- Location:
- University of Salford
Organised by: FIVE-C Network, University of Salford
Executive Summary
The FIVE-C Network one-day symposium will focus on the theme ‘Circular Materials and Life-Cycle Innovation across FIVE-C Sectors.’
This event will explore how circularity in materials can accelerate sustainable transformation across digital, construction, fashion & textiles, renewable energy and healthcare, bringing together both STEM and SHAPE researchers to address technical, social, economic and cultural dimensions in equal measure.
Rationale
Circular materials research is inherently cross-disciplinary: breakthroughs in chemistry, engineering and materials science must be understood alongside shifts in behaviour, governance, business models and cultural adoption.
This symposium will therefore create a rare platform where scientists, engineers, social scientists, designers and policy specialists engage on equal footing to examine how materials can be re-imagined, reused and reintegrated into sustainable value chains.
Aims
Showcase innovative technical research in circular materials — such as bio-based alternatives, recyclability by design, smart materials enabling reuse, and advanced recovery technologies.
Highlight social sciences and humanities perspectives — including life cycle assessment, industrial ecology, behavioural drivers, cultural acceptance, procurement practices, and governance frameworks.
Foster integrated dialogue across STEM and SHAPE, ensuring life-cycle analysis and socio-economic evaluation inform technical development, and conversely that social frameworks are grounded in the realities of materials science and engineering.
Identify opportunities for cross-sectoral learning: how lessons from construction deconstruction can inform healthcare procurement, or how digital tools and data infrastructures can support circularity in textiles or renewable energy.
Key Themes
Life Cycle Thinking Across Disciplines – environmental, economic and social assessment of circular strategies, drawing from both engineering models and social science methodologies.
Designing for Circularity – material innovations and design approaches that enable reuse, repair, remanufacture, and recycling.
Recovery, Recycling & Reuse Technologies – STEM advances in recovery processes coupled with SHAPE insights into infrastructure, supply chains, and labour implications.
Policy, Governance & Cultural Change – exploring how regulation, business models, consumer behaviour, and equity considerations enable or hinder circular adoption.
Cross-Sector Innovation – systems approaches that connect circular practices across FIVE-C sectors, supported by both technical advances and social frameworks.
Registration Fees
| Price* | |
|---|---|
| Student | £120 (£100 online) |
| Author / Delegate | £200 |
*all VAT included