Conclusion of Veolia Institute - Oxford Martin School event; Reach of closed loop recycling and remanufacturing.

The scene: Veolia Institute - Oxford Martin School conference entitled strategic materials for a low carbon future: From scarcity to availability. On the evening of Thursday 2 November, Lord Nicholas Stern set a challenge for us all; to build a global zero carbon pathway over the next 20 years. On Friday 3 November the conference concluded and I had the honour of being moderator for an esteemed panel in one of the final break-out events, which was entitled; The reach of closed loop recycling and remanufacturing. The speakers were Prof Walter Stahel, Associate Professor Amir Rashid and Dr Andrew Clifton. Grace Chua helped keep us all on track - thank you Grace. We had an informative and lively session where Andy Clifton set out a detailed challenge; as aerospace companies develop radically new aircraft and propulsion systems, to reduce carbon emissions, they are tending to increasingly mix / bond metals with composites. This in turn presents a challenge to remanufacturing and recycling. In response Walter Stahel elegantly laid out his framework developed over many decades. Amir Rashid explained the lessons from his involvement is an informative EU H2020 project. We concluded with lots of questions and differing perspectives - and a collective feeling that there is much more to do. Thank you to all involved.