Centre of Excellence in Ecodesign
Welsh Government
As part of its Centre of Excellence contract awarded in 2008 by the Welsh Government Waste Strategy Branch until the programme ended in 2015, Ecodesign bridged the gap between policy and implementation, developing close relationships with organisations and industry initiatives to promote the uptake of ecodesign and circular economy concepts, such as WRAP.
- Focus:
- Eco Design
Projects under the Centre of Excellence included:
- Case studies on prominent and forward-thinking Welsh companies in the automotive and electronics sectors.
- Analysis of sustainable design in tertiary education in Wales and the UK.
- Leadership and development of the European Network of Ecodesign Centres (ENEC).
PDR's Ecodesign group used a strong theoretical understanding of ecodesign strategies and practical experience of implementing these in Welsh companies to produce cutting edge research, such as:
- A comparison of ecodesign and circular economy principles entitled ‘Circular Economy: Is It Enough?’
- Desk-based and applied research into legislative and business factors affecting ecodesign, as evidenced in the briefing paper ‘Costs and Benefits of Ecodesign: Measurement, Valuation and Related Policy Issues’
- Contributions to the European Network of Ecodesign Centres (ENEC) document, ‘Motivations and Barriers to Ecodesign in Industry’.