A new European Defence Agency project tasked with outlining its plans to Implement the ‘Circular Economy’ model into the Defence industry has been launched.
The launch held at the home of the EDA saw experts from the ‘Circular Economy Research Initiative’ of the Cambridge Judge Business School (CJBS), which is the contractor for this project discuss the early stages of the concept.
Circular Economy is a new policy domain that was launched by the European Commission in late 2015 with a communication entitled “Closing the loop: Commission adopts ambitious new Circular Economy Package to boost competitiveness, create jobs and generate sustainable growth”. Then, on 30 November 2016, the European Commission adopted the European Defence Action plan, which paved the road for the Circular Economy principles to be applied to the defence sector.
Working closely with the EDA project team, the CJBS researchers will undertake the initial assessment of possible restrictions and opportunities that could stem from employing the Circular Economy concept and principles to the defence sector.
Both teams will then establish a roadmap for follow-on actions and propose suitable alternatives in areas where problems may occur.
The Circular Economy’s underlying principles is no stranger to the defence sector, which has managed to follow a similar path over the years, for instance by applying a through-life management approach.
Therefore, it was deemed important that a proactive step be taken in view of assessing the possible alignment or gaps between the flagship initiative of the European Commission and the defence framework.
The EDA is keen to see an assessment of the feasibility of a transposition of the Circular Economy concept into the defence sector take place. In particular, introducing the Circular Economy principles at an early stage of the research and technology (R&T) phase could produce more systematic and structural benefits. A positive outcome from project study could be highly beneficial for the Member States. The benefits for the defence industry (of which a large part are small and medium enterprises) will be also be investigated.
The EDA hopes this initial assessment will highlight the potential benefits and challenges of applying the Circular Economy package to the defence sector. Moreover, it should allow to identify topics, opportunities and areas that require further assessment and analysis. These topics will be dealt with in the follow-on actions that EDA will take for establishing the work strand in the area of Circular Economy in defence and enable a smooth and beneficial transition.
The project team of the Circular Economy Research Initiative of the University of Cambridge Judge Business school consists of Dr Khaled Soufani, Dr Mark Esposito and Dr Tse Terence. The EDA project team is composed by Dr Panagiotis Kikiras, Mr Giorgos Dimitriou and Ms Patricia López Vicente.
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Post written by: Promark Media Ltd
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