ELLEN MACARTHUR FOUNDATION
“ Being able to do that requires you to work with all of your different suppliers and providers. And that can be very complex. That means that each of these original equipment manufacturers needs to work with their suppliers to design new products as well. We help them try to work with other experts in other parts of the value chain because that’ s where the real work gets done.”
Technical challenges remain around material specifications. Processing recycled minerals requires precise technical standards for different alloys and grades, and demands close collaboration between OEMs and tier-one suppliers to ensure components are compatible with recycled inputs.
Long-term resilience depends on reducing reliance on primary extraction.“ For the foreseeable future, you’ re always going to need primary extraction – you’ re always going to need mining,” Sean adds.
“ But if you can do a better job at extending the life of products and services, as well as recycling those materials and getting them back so that they’ re no longer waste, then you can reduce the requirements for virgin extraction significantly over the coming decades.”
Digitalisation and supply chain data Closing information gaps across a product’ s lifecycle requires strong digital infrastructure and interoperable data networks. Digital product passports( DPPs) help secondary market platforms and refurbishers assess asset condition, estimate residual value and determine processing options.
“The whole measurement of circularity is one which is not well harmonised”
Sean Jones Director of Circular Technology Ellen MacArthur Foundation
“ Collecting data and helping not only consumers but businesses make decisions is key,” Sean says. Digital transformation tools allow operators to assess components in real time to decide whether to refurbish, resell on secondary markets or send assets directly to material recovery facilities. In hyperscale data centres, cloud infrastructure operators leverage data systems to track asset degradation and component performance. Strong commercial incentives drive hyperscalers like Microsoft, Google and Amazon to retain high-value components.
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