Sustainable living in Greater Manchester to be investigated through new £1.1m grant
From repair cafes to recycling initiatives, the ways in which places can become more equitable, inclusive and sustainable is set to be explored thanks to a £1.1m grant awarded to Manchester Metropolitan University.
The study - Place-based Circular Society Innovations (named PbCSI for short) - will investigate local projects in Greater Manchester and elsewhere that not only bring environmental benefits but where social justice and well-being are integral to the way the project runs. Led by Professor Paul Dewick, researchers from Manchester Met will work with experts from HU University of Applied Sciences (the Netherlands), University of Turku (Finland) and the Illinois Institute of Technology (USA) to compare and contrast international examples of circular society innovations.
We think of a circular economy as a system that is focused on reducing waste and pollution, extending the life of materials, and regenerating natural environments. Widely practiced actions such as sharing, reusing, recycling and composting are all good examples of circular initiatives going on in the home and in the community. But we know much less about the social benefits of these circular initiatives.
The grant was awarded by the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in their effort to research place-based approaches to enhance resilience, well-being and sustainability across the UK. Local partners on the project include the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Manchester City Council, Stockport and Oldham Metropolitan Borough Councils, and CLES, the Manchester-based national organisation for local economies. Also a partner on the project is Re:London, a partnership of the Mayor of London and the London boroughs to improve waste and resource management and transform the city into a leading low carbon circular economy.
Professor Dewick said: “If we look at Repair Cafes, for example. They are thought of as circular because they are trying to keep things going, to stop things being sent to waste, to give products a second chance. But these initiatives also bring people together and allow them to socialise. They help people save money and develop new skills.”
For Prof. Dewick and his team, social justice and wellbeing are central to the project’s goals. The aim of the project is to develop recommendations for UK policymakers, practitioners, and civil society organisations to encourage an uptake of “circular society innovations”.
Professor Sally Randles, Co-investigator on the project, said: “The social aspects of these circular initiatives is a neglected area in academia and yet is incredibly important. How do they support local communities? How do they provide quality jobs? How do they raise our recognition of non-paid work?
“Place matters. Places can be a mobilising or hindering force for change. Greater Manchester Borough Councils are already very active in this space and Manchester is really a vanguard for these kinds of initiatives.”
The PbCSI team will identify 100 case studies from Manchester, London, Chicago, Utecht and Turku before going into a “deep dive” of 50 of them to understand how the projects support social outcomes, what place-based challenges they face and how similar projects can be scaled up and replicated elsewhere.
The project starts in October and runs for three years. Professor Dewick said: “I am looking forward to getting started! I’m expecting to be surprised at the variety of initiatives that are identified. I have a feeling that the practice of circular society innovations is far ahead of how we think about it in academia.”
