WEEE recycling charity Material Focus has launched a new £1million “Circular Electricals Fund” to support the development of a more circular electricals system in the UK. Currently too many new electrical products aren’t designed to be easily reused and recycled – and the UK needs better systems to recover the valuable materials inside them that are thrown away. The fund is seeking applications for new ideas that keep electricals and their materials in use for longer and reduce e-waste.
Material Focus is looking for projects that will provide innovation with impact that: improve resource efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and encourage collaboration across industry. Funding is available for up to £150,000 per successful project. Applications for the “Circular Electricals Fund” are invited from UK organisations, including industry bodies, nonprofits, private companies, compliance schemes, universities, and research institutions. The closing date for application is 14 August 2025.
E-waste is the fastest-growing waste stream in the world. In the UK alone, we bin over 100,000 tonnes of electricals every year, and we have over 800 million+ unused, unwanted and discarded electricals stashed away in our homes. These electricals contain some of the most precious materials on our planet, which according to Material Focus’s research are worth nearly £1 billion, including copper, lithium and gold, which when used inefficiently or thrown away are lost forever.
Scott Butler, Executive Director, Material Focus said: “We have already funded over 60 projects that make it easier to fix, donate, and recycle existing electricals for over 10 million people across the UK. However, we are designing and making too many products without full consideration of the materials they are made from, the repairability of them, and how easy it is to recover useful parts and materials.. We are delighted to be announcing our new £1m Circular Electricals Fund which will help drive innovation and support the development of a more circular electricals system in the UK. We are looking for ambitious projects that can bring fresh new ideas to reduce the environmental impact of electricals by improving product design, improving resource efficiency, and encouraging collaboration.”
Project applications will need to demonstrate practical, scalable solutions that enhance resource efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and encourage collaboration that address the following key challenges:
- Materials – developing new methods for more efficiently recovering materials such as technology metals and other valuable materials from e-waste such as advanced recycling technologies ensuring that their value is recovered.
- Product design – making electricals more durable, repairable, upgradeable, and long lasting. For example, designing consumer and household electricals with easily replaceable components to extend their lifespan.
- Business models – developing new services that promote reuse, sharing, and waste reduction (e.g. leasing, product-as-a-service, smart homes, libraries of things).
The Circular Electricals Fund will provide a range of opportunities including: contribute to the creation of a circular electricals system; network and collaborate with key industry figures, and other changemakers who are making it easier to fix, donate and recycle electricals in the UK.
The Judges for the Circular Electricals Fund are renowned experts in their fields and bring a range of business, environmental, technology and innovation expertise:
- Teresa Arbuckle, Managing Director UK and Ireland at Beko PLC. Beko Europe is a leading home appliances business, dedicated to changing the lives of its customers through a wide range of innovative and sustainable household products and solutions.
- Asad Hamir, Co-Founder of Klyk. Klyk is on a mission to remove waste from IT Functions with it’s Circular approach to IT, saving organisations money and carbon whilst delivering scalable, secure IT that’s built for growth.
- Andy Gomarsall, Executive Director at n2s and a founding partner of Bioscope Technologies, both leading circular organisations. Andy champions the advancement of technology recycling partnerships and advocates for sustainable innovation across the tech industry.
- Peter Moody, from GAP Group North East, a diversified waste management and logistics company with a focus on sustainability and circular economy solutions. In 2024 Peter was named one of the Top 50 most ambitious business leaders and was the winner of ESG award.
- Yewande Akinola, Professor of Engineering. Yewande is an award-winning Engineer and Innovator. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Design and Appropriate Technology from the University of Warwick and a Masters in Innovation and Design for Sustainability from Cranfield University.
