Staff from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s Carmarthen Business School are collaborating on a project to strengthen business sustainability and resilience in rural Carmarthenshire by fostering circular economy practices.
The initiative, ‘Identifying the Challenges for Enhancing Rural Resilience through the Circular Economy (CE)’ is funded by the Shared Prosperity Fund and aims to address the need for a move towards a green economy.
The circular economy is an innovative model of production and consumption which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing products and materials to keep them in use for as long as possible.
By implementing this approach businesses can reduce waste, thereby improving sustainability and resilience.
Carmarthen Business School offers a range of programmes that embrace an ethical, sustainable, and profitable approach to business. Challenge existing models, they enable students to explore new ideas and debate innovative solutions.
Chrissie Joy, UWTSD’s Carmarthen Business School Graduate who is now working as a Research Assistant on the project said:
“I was delighted to be asked to be involved in the project. During my BA degree, circular economy and sustainability were key areas of focus and ones I am deeply passionate about. I’m excited to contribute and hone in on my previous skills of project management and my enthusiasm for networking, I look forward to collaborating with others who are equally committed to driving positive change in our region.”
The project aligns with the Welsh Government’s ‘Beyond Recycling: A Strategy to Make the Circular Economy in Wales a Reality’ (2021) which recognises the challenges inherent in this transition.
It will identify the challenges that rural enterprises face in adopting circular economy models. By identifying and addressing these barriers, it hopes to unlock collaborative solutions, enabling businesses, stakeholders, and communities to move forward together.
The research team will use the findings from questionnaires, interviews and focus groups with rural enterprises across Carmarthenshire to identify the barriers and challenges for rural businesses who want to become more circular, with the aim of working collaboratively to build a circular rural economy in Carmarthenshire, involving enterprises, stakeholders and communities.
For those interested in finding out more about the project and the circular economy in general, a project dissemination event will be held on Tuesday 17th September from 10am to 2.00pm, at Canolfan Carwyn Drefach.
The event will include an overview of the project’s findings and will feature guest speakers from a range of public, private and voluntary sector organisations involved in the circular economy and opportunities for networking and discussion.
For further information, please contact: [email protected].
