West Midlands’ Circular Economy Routemap

• Appoint WMCA Circular Economy Lead and map governance needs to existing groups.
• Allocate resources and owners to routemap actions. This includes determining resources required from partners.
• Determine and publish key metrics to measure WMCA’s own performance.

• Publish first progress report and update routemap and associated documents.

• Standardize data reporting and monitoring across the region. This could include a clear methodology on how to measure
  the value of circular economy solutions or projects.

WMCA’s role is to allocate sufficient resources to deliver key actions set in this routemap.

• Seven local authority members.

• Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs).

• Black Country Consortium.

• Anchor institutions including CLES.

• The EU Urban Agenda programme and OECD’s Measuring the Circular Economy can provide information on selecting appropriate metrics.

• Groups such as Business Sustain at Coventry City Council should serve as best practice example.

• Finalise the structure and Terms of Reference for the Circular Economy Delivery Board.
• Work with Circular Economy Club and other partners to organise quarterly Circular Economy Forums for businesses to network, share knowledge and discuss challenges/ opportunities. These forums should also help create co-creation groups.
• Encourage the creation of working groups (planning, waste etc) with members from each local authority constituent members and other key partners to encourage collaboration, partnership and harmonisation.

• Encourage setting up co-operatives and consortia between businesses (including SMEs) to improve collaboration and networking.

• Encourage regional businesses to appoint a trade body representative in order to improve collaboration.

• Convene WMCA’s supply chains to review incentives, barriers and define roles and responsibilities.

• Publish guidelines on material stewardship across WMCA’s supply chains.

• WMCA’s role is to convene key partners and stakeholders and facilitate partnerships across the region.
• WMCA’s role is also to influence and enable public and private partners to work in more collaborative ways.

• Seven local authority members.

• LEPs.

• Universities and colleges including Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Coventry, Warwick University, Birmingham City University, Aston Business School and Dudley College.

• Warwick Manufacturing Group.

• UKMSN+ and their growing networks.

• International Synergies.

• Circular Economy Club.

• Ellen MacArthur Foundation: Example of an organisation convening experts and influencing others by sharing knowledge and best practice.

• One Public Estate: Example of collaborative partnerships agreements.

• Support the development of the Advanced Services Business Routemap
  and introduce regional businesses to ASG’s transformation roadmap and 4-quadrant advanced service business model.
• Publish best practice guidance on the economic benefits (including cost-savings)
  of adopting circular business models, on co-location and on industrial symbiosis. This should include exploring the benefits of process innovation and of new finance models.
• Develop mechanisms for public-
  owned equipment, machinery, vehicles and other goods to be shared amongst services, departments, organisations and neighbouring authorities.

• Launch a WMCA innovation fund in collaboration with partners to support new circular business models, products and services. This should build on existing funds such as the West Midlands Low Carbon and Circular Economy Innovation Fund.

• Designate circular economy clusters with incentives for businesses to co-locate
  and adopt industrial symbiosis processes (where applicable). This should build on the planned Repowering Black Country hubs and the GBSLEP’s existing Enterprise Zones.

• Explore options to develop public-led time banking initiatives where citizens give up their time for tasks in the public interest and are given access to public resources.

• WMCA’s role is to convene key partners and stakeholders and enable the adoption of circular business models across the region.
• WMCA’s role is also to share knowledge and best practice on circular business models in order to influence businesses in adopting them.

• Advanced Service Group at Aston Business School.

• International Synergies.

• Black Country Consortium.

• Universities and colleges including Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Coventry, Warwick University, Birmingham City University, Aston Business School and Dudley College.

• Birmingham Chamber of Commerce.

• GBSLEP.

• Warwick Manufacturing Group.

• Innovation Alliance.

• SPRING.

• Circular Economy Club.

• Advanced Services Group: A primary research centre based at Aston Business School focusing on the adopting of servitization and outcome-based business models.

• Examples of businesses who have adopted new business models supporting a circular economy: Frog Bikes, Pitched for You and Isla Bikes.

• Rolls Royce is a good example of a company adopting a servitization model.