While the environmental conversation around moving usually focuses on the carbon emissions associated with transport logistics—the fuel burned by container ships and cargo planes—there is a more insidious, tangible environmental cost that is often overlooked. We rarely calculate how the act of uprooting a life and replanting it elsewhere contributes to linear consumption patterns and significantly impacts international waste flows. 

A household move is a critical friction point in the lifecycle of products. It is a moment when the perceived value of goods often clashes with the logistical reality of transporting them. From a circular economy perspective, international relocation represents a massive “leakage” event, where tons of functional, durable goods fall out of the economic loop and into the waste stream, only to be replaced by new virgin materials in the destination country. Addressing this requires moving beyond seeing relocation merely as a logistical challenge and viewing it instead as a material flow problem that demands circular solutions.

Strategies for a Circular Relocation

To align household mobility with circular-economy principles, movers benefit from shifting away from one-way disposal habits and toward practices that keep materials in use for longer. The process starts well before departure. With enough lead time, individuals can sell or donate furniture, appliances, and household goods through local digital marketplaces instead of discarding them at the last moment. This approach keeps items circulating in the community and reduces the overall footprint of the move.

During planning, many people also explore sustainable ways to relocate abroad, especially when they want an eco-friendly international move built around smart packing and conscious resource use. Packing and decluttering with care—such as separating items for donation, recycling, or reuse—reduces the shipment weight and limits unnecessary waste. Additionally, choosing eco-friendly moving supplies, including biodegradable materials and reusable containers, supports a lower-impact transition.

Once settled in the destination country, shifting from ownership to access-based solutions can further reduce waste. Furniture and appliance rental programs, including emerging Product-as-a-Service models, offer flexible furnishing options for expats who may not want to purchase items they will later discard.

Finally, selecting a green moving company strengthens the sustainability profile of the relocation. Providers who prioritize consolidated shipping, fuel-efficient logistics, and reusable packing systems help decrease emissions and resource consumption across international routes.

The Linear Trap: Why We “Dump and Run”

The driving force behind relocation waste is often a regrettable economic disconnect. It is frequently cheaper and undeniably more convenient to discard high-quality items in the origin country and repurchase them in the destination country than it is to pack, insure, and ship them. This economic reality encourages a “dump and run” mentality that is antithetical to material reusability and other principles of a circular economy.

When a family moves intercontinentally, durable goods—washing machines, sofas, heavy wooden furniture, and varied appliances—often end their functional life prematurely. They aren’t broken; they are simply inconvenient. This premature disposal creates a sudden injection of discarded materials that complicates existing international waste flows, overburdening local municipal waste systems that may not be equipped to handle a sudden influx of bulky goods.

Furthermore, the psychological allure of “starting fresh” in a new country drives significant demand for new products upon arrival. That stimulates linear production cycles, often encouraging the purchase of “fast furniture” and temporary household goods meant to fill an immediate need rather than last a lifetime. The result is a dual-sided environmental impact: the unnecessary creation of waste at origin and the stimulation of resource-intensive virgin production at the destination.

The Packaging Problem: A Global Waste Tide

Beyond the items being moved, the movement itself generates an enormous volume of auxiliary waste. That isn’t something you should ignore — the logistics of protecting household goods during a volatile sea or air voyage rely heavily on single-use materials. We see mountains of virgin cardboard, kilometers of plastic bubble wrap, Styrofoam peanuts, and plastic shrink wrap used for a single journey and then immediately discarded.

Unlike industrial shipping, which utilizes standardized containers, household goods vary wildly in shape and fragility, leading to excessive, non-standardized packaging. Once the boxes are unpacked in the new country, this packaging material becomes immediate cross-border waste. Packaging generated in London ends up burdening the recycling or landfill infrastructure of Sydney or New York. This phenomenon adds a distinct, high-volume layer to international waste flows that is difficult to manage because it is highly distributed at the household level rather than concentrated in industrial zones.

Systemic Solutions: Policy and Industry Standards

While individual choices matter, systemic change is necessary to truly close the loop on relocation waste. We need policy interventions that incentivize retention over replacement.

One promising avenue is the development of Digital Product Passports (DPPs) for furniture and appliances. If an item carries a verifiable digital history of its materials, repairability, and origin, it becomes easier to value it correctly for resale across borders or prove its worth to customs officials, reducing the incentive to dump it due to bureaucratic friction.

Furthermore, the logistics industry needs to move toward the standardization of reusable packaging for household goods. Similar to how standard shipping containers revolutionized global trade, the development of universal, durable, reusable shipping crates for household items—which circulate globally rather than becoming waste after one use—would be a game-changer. That requires industry-wide cooperation to create a reverse logistics network, shifting the paradigm from linear consumption to circular systems that redefine international waste flows.

Household Moves Can Influence International Waste Flows

A household move is a significant disruption in material flows. Currently, that disruption inevitably leads to waste generation on a massive scale, reinforcing a linear “take-make-dispose” model that the planet can no longer afford. By recognizing relocation as a critical node in the circular economy, we can begin to design out waste. 

Through a combination of better individual planning, the adoption of access-over-ownership models, and systemic industry changes in packaging and logistics, we can ensure that moving our lives doesn’t mean leaving a legacy of trash behind, ultimately curbing the destructive volume of international waste flows.

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In this article, we explore why circular economy capability is becoming essential for B Corps and B Corp‑aspiring businesses, how it supports certification and long-term resilience, and why investing in skills and education is a critical step in moving from ambition to action.

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Project Leads: Mr Mohammad Aldaamsah, Sr., Catherine Ancheta, Mr Farhan Ahmad, Mr Muhammad Kama, Dr Hamza Ahmad, Mr. John O’Callaghan, Staff in the Transplantation and Vascular Access Department at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust.

Operating theatres contribute up to 25% of the NHS’s carbon footprint, and while reusable instruments reduce waste, they still generate emissions from sterilisation and packaging. Many instruments in surgical trays are unused, leading to wasted resources and shorter equipment lifespans. Streamlining surgical trays can reduce waste, improve cost-effectiveness, and enhance sustainability while maintaining patient safety and efficiency.

A team from the Transplantation and Vascular Access Department at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust wanted to address the environmental and financial impact of surgical procedures through rationalisation of Arteriovenous Fistula surgical Trays.

To do this, the team first audited 25 arteriovenous fistula (AVF) surgical cases using a tray tracking form to analyse instrument usage and identify low-use instruments for removal. A heatmap was created to link instrument usage to CO₂e for sustainability analysis. Following the analysis, the surgical tray was optimised by reducing its size by 50% and removing 24 instruments. These removed instruments were placed in a backup tray in the stockroom for use if needed. The project team engaged with multidisciplinary staff members, including surgeons, theatre staff and sterilisation departments. Tray updates were finalised in meetings with surgeons, and staff training was provided on the new protocols for primary and back up trays.

The project reduced annual CO₂e by 210.98 kg and achieved projected cost savings of £1,348.96 per year. Staff surveys indicated strong support for the initiative, and patient safety was maintained. This data-driven approach addresses inefficiencies and supports the NHS’s net-zero carbon goals. Its success shows potential for use in larger and more complex procedures, fostering long-term sustainable practices.

Design for Life

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The post Joining the #TheatreCap Challenge: University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust appeared first on Exeter Centre for Circular Economy.

Project Leads: Dr Shashi Prasad (Consultant), Elizabeth Fitzhugh (Sustainability Lead, Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine) and Theatre 5/6 staff at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust.

The Intercollegiate Green Theatre Checklist is a cross-speciality supportive tool designed to empower surgical teams to create sustainable practice changes within their own departments. Each recommendation on the checklist is grounded in the principles of sustainable quality improvement, including the “triple bottom line” of environmental, social, and economic improvement. This pilot was undertaken to establish the practicality of adoption in a busy tertiary head and neck service.

To implement the checklist, the theatre team integrated it into their morning briefs, which gave members an opportunity to highlight any challenges to implementation that they anticipated. To make changes to practise, team members incorporated the 5RS of surgical sustainability: Rethink, Reduce, Repurpose, Recycle, and Research. The implementation process was closely monitored, and relevant personnel were consulted to mitigate any obstacles.

The pilot found that 14 of the 16 measures on the Intercollegiate Green Theatre Checklit could be implemented in their practice. Three specific steps (adopting reusable gowns, reducing water and energy consumption, and using lowest carbon-appropriate waste systems) led to a 160kg reduction in CO₂e and a 1296L reduction in water consumption. Extrapolated data suggests that widespread adoption of these measures could lead to an annual decline of 28 tonnes of CO₂e and savings of £81,000. Measures that could not be implanted included reprocessing intraoperative equipment, removing surplus from single-use surgical packs, and reusable patient drapes and trolley covers.

The pilot demonstrated that local, ground-up initiatives can be implemented with a paradigm shift in thinking to enable solutions to ensure a sustainable future for surgical practitioners and patients. In future, the checklist will be used as a scorecard to monitor progress, and the data from the pilot will serve as a roadmap to influence wider adoption of sustainable practice across the surgical division.

Design for Life

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Project Leads: Kay Anne Mak (Speciality Registrar), Laura May (Consultant), Elizabeth Fitzhugh (Sustainability Lead, Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine) and Elana Lynes (Consultant) at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust.

Climate change is a public health emergency recognised by the NHS, with anaesthetic gases being responsible for a significant amount of NHS carbon emissions. A notable contributor is Ethyl Chloride, a hazardous air pollutant that can last over a month in the atmosphere before degrading and cause serious neurological effects if inhaled.

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust introduced reusable Cool Sticks (refrigerated plastic sticks with a metal tip) in their obstetrics department for testing sensory levels following neuraxial blocks.

The financial and environmental impact of using Cool Sticks compared with Ethyl Chloride spray was assessed. Following a trial of 6 months, feedback was collected from obstetric anaesthetists via a survey. The latter assessed ease of use of the sticks, any problems encountered, and whether Ethyl Chloride sprays should be replaced with Cool Sticks in the long term.

The above evaluation projected yearly savings of over £15,000 should the trust switch to reusable Cool Sticks. The projected yearly level of carbon emissions was also significantly lower than Ethyl Chloride. 86% of survey respondents found Cool Sticks easy to use, and 81% would be happy to use Cool Sticks instead of Ethyl Chloride. Clinicians commented that Cool Sticks were ‘more pleasant for patients’ but also observed that Cool Sticks ‘can warm up between cases’ and that some patients can struggle to differentiate between cold and touch.

Overall, the project demonstrated that Cool Sticks are a feasible alternative to Ethyl Chloride spray for assessing sensory levels after neuraxial blocks and can lead to a significant positive financial and environmental impact. UHCW aim to lead a trust-wide initiative and introduce the use of Cool Sticks in other clinical areas such as general theatres, high dependency units, and enhanced care units, supporting the NHS net zero initiative.

Design for Life

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Project Leads: Clare Nash (Head of Clinical Products Management at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust), Janice Nelson (Deputy Head of Clinical Products Management at The Black Country Alliance, a procurement collaboration between The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust and Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust)

Phlebotomy is one of the most undertaken invasive procedures in healthcare. Purchasing data at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust showed that ~340,000 single-use tie band silicone tourniquets were being used per year. Keen to support the NHS transition to net-zero as well as improve patient experience, the clinical procurement team proposed a pilot of innovative reusable silicone wipeable tourniquets.

The pilot was facilitated by a £10,000 grant from the Healthier Futures Action Fund which purchased 450 reusable, medical-grade silicone tourniquets.

The team’s comprehensive evaluation, spanning approximately 1,000 procedures across four high-usage clinical areas (Antenatal, Phlebotomy, Critical Care Outreach, and Medical Infusion), yielded impressive results. Clinicians expressed an overwhelming 90% satisfaction with the new device, and patient feedback was similarly positive. While earlier studies raised concerns about reusable tourniquet contamination, this new silicone model was found to be easy to wipe clean and, due to its form factor, less likely to be a medium for bacterial growth over time. This was supported by the trust’s infection prevention and control team, who approved its use following a rigorous review and the implementation of a clear decontamination protocol.

Crucially, the evaluation demonstrated significant benefits beyond clinical preference. The reusable tourniquets saved money and reduced the overall carbon impact of the process by 80%. This case study highlights how a more circular economy, in which we no longer use once and throw away, can be greener, safe, better for patients – or, at least, present no greater risk – and more cost effective.

For a full breakdown of the evaluation, see the published article: Nash C, Nelson J (2024) Reusable tourniquets: their impact on patients, planet and public purse. Nursing Times [online]; 120: 8.

Design for Life

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When the ageing Interventional Radiology equipment at Broomfield Hospital (Chelmsford, Essex) required urgent replacement, capital constraints limited the ability of Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust to invest in new equipment. The frequent breakdowns and slower performance were affecting staff morale as well as efficiency.

As part of an ongoing strategic consultancy partnership, Philips introduced a revenue-based financing model to fund the equipment without requiring upfront capital, in partnership with DLL.

Philips’ hospital design team collaborated with staff to create an improved, clinically led room layout, enhancing the working environment and maximising available space.

The new Philips Azurion 7 system was selected for its advanced technology, offering greater efficiency, sustainability benefits, and an improved user experience to support high-quality patient care. Phillips describe the Azurion as an EcoDesigned product which delivers environmental improvements in energy use, materials and packaging. The lifespan of the product has been extended from 2 to 4 years through upgrades and service offerings. A 13-year contract with lifecycle management will also ensure the system remains effective and up-to-date.

The partnership demonstrates how collaboration between NHS and industry can facilitate patient access to cutting-edge medical equipment whilst also prioritising sustainable and cost-effective innovation.

Design for Life

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I’ve sat in countless strategy meetings where sustainability is discussed, but only ever as a risk, a target, or a tick-box. Don’t get me wrong: these conversations are necessary. But they’re nowhere near enough.

The post Why circular economy skills are becoming essential and what most businesses are getting wrong appeared first on Exeter Centre for Circular Economy.

In today’s rapidly changing world, businesses are under increasing pressure to become more sustainable, efficient, and innovative. The circular economy offers a powerful solution – shifting away from the traditional “take, make, waste” model towards one that keeps resources in use for longer, reduces waste, and creates long-term value. For businesses, this isn’t just good for the planet; it’s good for competitiveness and growth. That’s why Circular Economy courses for business are becoming a must-have in 2025.

Explore our Circular Economy Courses

Why Businesses Can’t Afford to Wait

Governments, investors, and consumers are demanding more action on sustainability. Policies like the UN Sustainable Development Goals and net-zero targets are reshaping how industries operate. Meanwhile, leading organisations are already using circular economy strategies to cut costs, open up new revenue streams, and future-proof their operations.

Businesses that fail to adapt risk falling behind. Those who embrace circularity stand to gain.

Learn more from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the global leader in circular economy research and innovation.

Circular Economy Courses for Business: Your Pathways to Action

At the University of Exeter Centre for Circular Economy, we’ve developed three online programmes designed to help professionals and organisations apply circular principles directly to their work:

1. Circular Economy Masterclass (6 weeks)

For individuals and organisations seeking a comprehensive understanding of implementing the circular economy. Build a strong foundation, explore case studies, and learn how to integrate circularity into strategy, design, and operations.

Find out more

2. Deep Dive: Procurement & Supply (4 weeks)

Designed for procurement and supply chain leaders, this course explores how to reimagine sourcing, logistics, and supplier relationships to unlock circular value.

Discover the Deep Dive

3. Deep Dive: Marketing & Sales (4 weeks)

Perfect for marketers and sales professionals, this course helps you reshape value propositions, engage customers in new ways, and design messaging aligned with sustainability.

Explore the Marketing & Sales Course

Why Choose Exeter?

• Globally recognised expertise in circular economy research and practice
• Practical, business-focused content designed for immediate application
• Flexible online delivery for busy professionals
• Access to a powerful global network of like-minded innovators

Ready to Act?

2025 is the year to embed circular economy thinking into your business. These courses are your opportunity to get ahead, learn from experts, and drive real impact.

Our Circular Economy Courses

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