- Day & Time:
- 2nd September 2026
- 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 Lifecycle 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.
Confirmed speakers and panellists:
Dr Faye Smith, OBE, CEng, FIMMM
Chair, Composites UK
Faye is a Director of Avalon Consultancy Services and Chair of the Board of Composites UK. In her Consultancy role Faye supports the materials sector in strategy, R&D, inward investment and business development. For 17 years she was a Materials FDI Specialist for the Dept for Business & Trade and currently supports Invest Manchester in a similar role. In her specialist area of composite materials, Faye helped develop two UK Composite Strategies, the first of which established the NCC. Faye is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of the IOM3 and was awarded an OBE in 2022.
EPSRC’s DICE Network+ lead, University of Exeter
Fiona Charnley is Professor of Circular Innovation and Associate Dean for Research in the Business School at the University of Exeter. She is Co-Director of the Exeter Centre for the Circular Economy and leads multiple government and industry-funded research projects covering topics such as the use of digital technology to accelerate the adoption of the circular economy, circular healthcare and remanufacturing for the recovery of critical minerals. Fiona has also published a book on the Circular Economy: Handbook of the Circular Economy: Transitions and Transformation
Innovation Lead – Circular Economy, Innovate UK
With a background in Chemical Engineering, Amy has coordinated sustainability projects and programmes in industry, industrial clusters and pan-EU cross-sector initiatives. Amy’s Innovate UK work portfolio includes UKRI investments in interdisciplinary circular economy and Life Cycle Analysis initiatives, and the development of future programmes to aid the transition of manufacturing and materials sectors to get to Net Zero, highlighting the importance of embedded carbon in supply chains.
Associate Director – Sustainable Buildings at Arup
Andy is an Associate Director who’s been specialising in sustainable buildings for 18 years. He leads a dedicated, talented team along with the development of global training courses on sustainability implementation. Andy’s experience has shown him that the reasons for success or failure in any sustainability space are very rarely technical; leading him to have a deep interest in the real-world implementation of solutions, examining underlying organisational structure and the psychology of teams all trying to exist in complex societal systems.
Head of Sustainability, Vision Linens
Rachael Garner is Head of Sustainability Strategy & Communications at Vision Linens, leading sustainability programmes across international textile supply chains. Her work focuses on translating sustainability ambitions into practical business action through innovation, collaboration, and systems thinking. With experience across commercial and non-profit sectors, Rachael is particularly interested in how organisations can work together to accelerate decarbonisation, circularity, and responsible supply chains.
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 lifecycle assessment, industrial ecology, behavioural drivers, cultural acceptance, procurement practices, and governance frameworks.
Foster integrated dialogue across STEM and SHAPE, ensuring lifecycle 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
Lifecycle 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 and Reuse Technologies – STEM advances in recovery processes coupled with SHAPE insights into infrastructure, supply chains, and labour implications.
Policy, Governance and 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.
Agenda
| Time | Item |
| 9:30am | Registration and refreshments |
| 10:00am | Welcome Mandy Parkinson, Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor of Knowledge Exchange, University of Salford |
| Session one – The future of circular economy Chair: Silvia Tedesco, University of Salford Co-lead: Ryan Nolan, University of Salford | |
| 10:10am | Keynote – Creating value from a circular economy: A cross-sector perspective Fiona Charnley, University of Exeter |
| 10:40am | Innovation versus lifecycle assessment Amy Peace, Innovate UK |
| 10:55am | Positivity amongst hidden barriers to circularity Andy Sheppard, ARUP |
| 11:10am | Panel discussion: barriers and enablers of circularity Faye Smith, OBE (Chair, Composites UK) Rachael Garner (Head of Sustainability, Vision Linens) Marcos Villeda Hernandez (Innovation Development Manager, GM Business Growth Hub, The Growth Company) |
| Session two – Embedding circularity in industry: Circular materials and product systems Chair: Mark Miodownik, University College London | |
| 11:55am | Unlocking circularity: Modelling the systemic impact of repair decisions Graham Anderson, University College London |
| 12:10pm | Mapping the circular gap in end-of-life hi-vis PPE textiles: A knowledge transfer approach to fibre-to-fibre recycling pathways Jerome Anokwu, University of Leeds / MyGroup Hull Limited |
| 12:25pm | Integrated sustainability assessment of polymer production routes for biosensor applications Marloes Peeters, University of Manchester |
| 12:40pm | Is circular always sustainable? Rebound effects and unintended consequences Andrea Genovese, University of Perugia |
| 12:55pm | Evaluating circular economy strategies for rare earth element recovery for UK offshore wind Dannah Celine Gutierrez, University of Manchester |
| 1:10pm | Lunch and networking |
| Session 3 – Digital innovation and lifecycle intelligence for circular systems Chair: Lucy Wishart, University of Edinburgh | |
| 2:00pm | Circular data centres (DICE+ Network) Diego Bermudez, University of Exeter |
| 2:15pm | RECONMATIC digital platforms and digital product passports Juan Antonio Ferriz-Papi, University of Salford |
| 2:30pm | Self-generating digital twins for circular infrastructure: AI-enabled lifecycle intelligence for reuse, repair and resilience Shady Essam Adly Adib, University of Hertfordshire |
| 2:45pm | From consumer values to circular action: The role of digital product passports in supporting circular fashion consumption Deborah Smailes, University of Salford |
| 3:00pm | Consortium Formation Activity (with refreshments) |
| 4:00pm | Closing Remarks Mandy Parkinson, University of Salford |
| 4:05pm | Closure |
| 4:10pm | Coffee and networking |
Registration Fees
| Category | Costs | |
|---|---|---|
| Network members | Students | £20 |
| Academics | £100 | |
| Business / other | £120 | |
| Non-members | Students | £50 |
| Academics | £120 | |
| Business / other | £150 |
Places are very limited, so book your ticket now.
Frequently asked questions
What are the different rates?
- Member rates are existing members of the FIVE-C Network.
- If you aren’t sure, get in touch with us and we can help.
When are tickets on sale?
I can no longer make the event, what are my options?
- If you have booked a ticket and can no longer make it, you can transfer your ticket to a colleague (and advise us of who will take your place), or you can apply for a refund up until 14 days before the event. If you cancel your place within 14 days of the event, we are unable to offer a refund.