Overview
The Circular Economy Centre’s research focuses on circular economy, circular business models and their application, as well as the policy and business contexts within which they operate.
In line with the research strategy of Cambridge Judge Business School, we promote and use deep engagement to further our aims with regard to knowledge sharing around building a sustainable economy. This includes interacting with international organisations and enterprises, and helping them to address potential management challenges.
Access research publications, reports and books from faculty and associates from the Circular Economy Centre at Cambridge Judge.
Watch the video from the special edition on circular economy research for the Californian Management Review, guest-edited by Circular Economy Centre faculty.
Research projects
How do we transfer the circular economy model into real-life use? Find out about the projects applying the circular economy model into real-life use in the likes of defence, as well as IoT.
Circular and plastics
CEC is part of a consortium at the University of Cambridge that was awarded more than £1 million funding by the UK Research and Innovation agency to respond to challenges posed by plastic waste.
Circular and IoT
CEC is cooperating with European academic institutions and practitioners to develop an innovative framework of interplay between circular economy and IoT, to explore novel ways in which this interaction can drastically change the nature of products, services, business models and ecosystems.
Circular and defence
In 2017, CEC undertook the seminal project on circularity in defence in collaboration with the European Defence Agency. The project was completed in November 2017 identifying a number of areas that are potential opportunities for applications of circular economy in defence in the near future.
Research themes
Discover the centre’s key research themes of publications that explore the transfer of circular economy models in the future of technology, agriculture, waste and more.
Circular and special
CEC faculty are often amongst the most cited thought leaders in the circular economy sphere and regularly publish in journals such as Harvard Business Review, Thunderbird, California Management Review and Stanford Social Innovation Review. Most recently Director Khal Soufani and 2 Fellows of the Circular Economy Centre at Cambridge Judge were guest editors of a new special issue of the California Management Review on the circular economy.
Circular technology and agriculture
It is an urgent prerogative to find alternative farming solutions that will effectively address food scarcity, security and price increases. The Circular Economy Centre explores the alternative solution of vertical farming in controlled containers.
Circular and waste
New business models in the circular economy promise to help change the trajectory of food waste, but more still needs to be done. Standardising rules for “best by” dates and breaking down perceptions that quality and taste is dependent on cosmetic appearance are some of the next challenges to a circular economy in food waste that business owners, managers, innovators, environmentalists, and entrepreneurs alike will face in the coming years.