Who we are

David Fitzsimons

Based in Brussels, David Fitzsimons is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Advanced Manufacturing and Supply Chain group. He is also a member of the United Nations Environment Programme on Product Life Extension and of the EU Circular Economy Stakeholders Platform. He has welcomed the latest version of circular economy metrics for business from the WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development) which starts to account for the CO2 savings from remanufacturing and refurbishment processes. He participates in the World Steel Association working group on remanufacturing – the WSA being the first materials organization to acknowledge the sustainability benefits of using durable materials in products designed for extended life cycles. And wherever possible, David promotes the work done by Professor Nabil Nasr in the USA to develop the evidence base for Value Retention Processes, including remanufacturing.

In the UK, David is a member of the Strategic Advisory Group for UKRI. And since 1994 he has been Director of Oakdene Hollins, a boutique consulting firm with offices in both the UK and EU which serves businesses in their transition to a more circular economy.

To the question, “Do I think it is possible to steer away from our plainly unsustainable path?”, he responds emphatically, “Yes. Leadership enriched by competition is beginning to accelerate the rate of change in business. The next generation will not tolerate more delay.”

David Parker

David holds an MA in Chemical Engineering from University of Cambridge, an MSc in Mathematical Methods from University of Teesside and an MBA from University of Durham.  He managed the Centre for Remanufacture and Reuse in the UK from 2004 to 2010 and contributed to several of the studies published in 2016 by the European Remanufacturing Network.  He has led multiple EU funded research projects on critical raw materials.  David is a contributing author to a forthcoming book on product design for the circular economy and has an extensive global network of contacts in the sector that will be invaluable to Council members.

Rachel Waugh

Rachel holds an Engineering PhD degree from the University of Cambridge and is one of the authors of "Sustainable Materials – with both eyes open" led by Dr Julian Allwood. It is a book recommended by Bill Gates in 2015 as one of his top five. Rachel has worked on market analysis projects for remanufacturing markets globally, from Scotland to Malaysia, and product analysis projects, such as electric vehicle batteries, and power systems. Rachel led the bid for the Horizon 2020-funded European Remanufacturing Network project (  remanufacturing.eu) and wants to see the network continue to build an evidence base for policy makers and business to use.

Régis Dando

Régis is a Design-Mechanical Engineer from the Université de Technologie de Compiègne (FR), and holds an MBA ‘Innovation, Enterprise and the Circular Economy’ from Bradford University. Régis worked for almost 30 years in the sector: first as project manager (automotive sector, sports goods, and home appliances), then as an Innovation Implementer (home appliances) where he prepared for an induction-hob remanufacturing project. From 2020 he will be contributing to Masters programmes – specifically Innovation and Sustainable Development – in Lyon (ECAM) and Paris (Sorbonne).

Rodney Copperbottom [Produced by Jerry Davis et al., Blue Sky Studios]

Remanufacturing doesn’t have a champion. And it needs one.  Enter Rodney Copperbottom – a bright, energetic and appealing advocate for product life extension rather than inbuilt obsolescence; a character who passionately believes in resourceful re-engineering.  In choosing to raise Rodney’s profile we hope to catch the attention of those outside the remanufacturing sector, and that must be a good thing.  Because we all agree that the wider population needs to start listening to our advocacy.  But while our hero from the film Robots (2005) campaigned for a more sustainable alternative to the linear business model, time has moved on and his strategy needs an upgrade.  What if Blue Sky Studios decided to invest another $50 million dollars in making Robots 2?  We would be asking for Rodney to adopt easy upgrade design, robotic disassembly techniques and additive engineering.  That would be a sequel well worth watching…  

Robots (2005) is available from iTunes:   https://itunes.apple.com/gb/movie/robots/id270006549