Accelerating the transition to a circular business model with ARC Marine

Our circular economy consultants have been working with eco-engineering company ARC Marine to identify opportunities in their manufacturing process to speed their transition to a circular economy business model.

The company specialises in rebuilding rocky reef habitats with eco-friendly artificial ‘reef cubes’ and wanted to adopt a circular business model by creating reefs from waste and recycled materials, such as aggregate, sand and concrete waste. This transition would allow ARC Marine to discontinue using Portland cement in their reefs and replace it with a fully recycled material.
 

To speed up the transition, our consultants worked with ARC Marine to identify a new mixing infrastructure required for progressive recycled products. They recommended a ‘Pan Mixer’ as the most suitable product for the business: a valuable asset to the company that would allow them to test and produce low-carbon concrete mixes from recycled industrial waste. The University team then supported the company through the funding process to procure the green infrastructure.
James Doddrell, Director of ARC Marine, said: “The support from the University of Exeter helped us identify changes to our manufacturing process that had the most positive impact on the environment, making the whole process hassle free.”
 

Through this circular economy intervention, our consultants supported ARC Marine to transition to a fully recycled and low-carbon concrete mixture for their production process, enabling the company to boost their productivity, reduce their carbon footprint and meet their sustainability targets.
This new resilience will allow the company’s marine habitats to support environmental growth in the long-term, helping to restore previously lost biodiversity and provide valuable coastal defences.