WMG » WMG News - Latest news from WMG (tag [Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing])

UK will be sitting on a ‘goldmine’ of rare magnets from recycling old wind turbines

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Recycling the UK’s offshore wind turbines when they are decommissioned could produce enough magnets to build a million electric vehicles a year, according to a new report published today by the National Engineering Policy Centre (NEPC), led by the Royal Academy of Engineering.

The report presents research commissioned by Dr Stuart Bradley and Dr Russ Hall at Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), University of Warwick. It shows that the UK has a real opportunity to secure a sovereign capability in manufacturing by recycling neodymium, a critical material used in electric vehicles, aircraft systems and wind turbines.

Recycling a single large turbine at the end of its life is expected to recover enough neodymium to produce motors for 12,000 electric vehicles, according to the report.

WMG Sustainable Manufacturing and Circular Economy expert comments on the proposed Energy Independence Bill

Thu, 14 May 2026 08:50:16 GMT

Dr Russ Hall, Lead for Sustainable Manufacturing and Circular Economy at Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), University of Warwick, comments on the significance of the Energy Independence Bill announced in the King’s Speech.

Tata Power and University of Warwick forge strategic alliance in new energy systems innovation

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 09:41:00 GMT

Memorandum of Understanding highlights the strategic importance of research expertise to industry partners

The University of Warwick has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Tata Power, India’s leading integrated power companies, to deliver research and innovation in grid modernisation, fast charging, power storage, industrial decarbonisation, digital energy systems, optimisation and advanced manufacturing approaches.

Warwick collaboration spotlights sustainable fusion energy

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 10:41:55 GMT

Two departments at the University of Warwick, Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) and the Department of Physics, are collaborating on a new project to develop advanced shielding materials and technologies for power generation using nuclear fusion.

By combining cutting-edge physics research with WMG’s expertise in innovative materials and manufacturing, academics from both departments aim to bring sustainable fusion energy a step closer to reality.

WMG pledges support to tackle digital poverty

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 10:52:05 GMT

A parliamentary event has highlighted the University of Warwick’s pivotal role in tackling digital poverty and reducing electronic waste across Coventry.

Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) joined colleagues from the University, Coventry City Council and the NHS Integrated Care Board Coventry and Warwickshire, at the Houses of Parliament, for the launch of Virgin Media O2 and Hubbub’s Time After Time Fund Report.

Coventry’s #CovConnects programme secured funding from the initiative to develop a pioneering digital reuse pilot, repurposing pre-owned tech to reduce digital inequalities across local communities.

The project repairs and reuses unwanted IT equipment, and distributes refurbished devices to residents who need them, working with community partners and frontline services. The scheme also provides community-based digital training and support, ensuring residents can access technology in ways that are meaningful and useful to them.

WMG celebrates shortlist nomination at THE awards

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 10:00:00 GMT

WMG’s Waste2Race project has been shortlisted for a 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) Award in the Knowledge Exchange/Transfer Initiative of the Year category.

Waste2Race joins three other University of Warwick initiatives on the shortlist.

Over 120 institutions submitted more than 500 entries this year, with 69 of them making the final shortlist across 21 highly competitive categories. University of Warwick stands out as one of only five institutions to receive four nominations, showcasing the breadth of its excellence across teaching, research, knowledge exchange, and student support.

WMG academic to help shape the future of climate science and policy

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 08:46:41 GMT

Dr Taofeeq Ibn-Mohammed, Associate Professor in Sustainable Systems Engineering at WMG, University of Warwick, has been appointed as a Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s Seventh Assessment Report (AR7).

Established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988, the IPCC assesses the science related to climate change. Since 1990, when it launched its first Assessment Report, it has been sharing knowledge on the causes and potential impacts of climate change, along with potential responses. The IPCC reports are widely seen as the definitive global assessments of climate change science, impacts, and mitigation.

An academic in sustainable systems engineering, Dr Ibn-Mohammed will lend his expertise to the IPCC as part of ‘Working Group III: Mitigation of Climate Change’. The group focuses on the limitation and removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and explores all areas of mitigation, from technical feasibility and cost to the environments that would enable measures to be put in place.

The environmental toll of abandoning a shopping trolley

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 09:59:00 GMT

New research from WMG has found that the carbon footprint of collecting and refurbishing abandoned trolleys adds up to the equivalent of flying from London to New York and back twice!

“Thousands of shopping trolleys are reported as abandoned in the UK every year. When you multiply the carbon impact of retrieving each one, it becomes both significant and concerning,” explains Neill Raath, Assistant Professor at WMG, University of Warwick, who led the research.

Despite supermarkets introducing a range of methods to stop shopping trolleys leaving their premises, including coin slots and wheel-locking mechanisms, over 520,000 are still reported as abandoned in the UK each year, according to global trolley and retail equipment manufacturer, Wanzl.

Supermarkets rely on commercial collection services, typically using diesel vans to survey suburban areas, to collect and return the trolleys. Researchers at WMG assessed the environmental impact in order to tally the true cost of abandoning a trolley.

Professor Kerry Kirwan appointed new Dean of WMG

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 09:12:00 GMT

Professor Kerry Kirwan has been announced as WMG’s new Dean, effective 1 August 2025. He succeeds Professor Robin Clark, who was appointed Dean of WMG in October 2020. Professor Kirwan comes to the appointment with over 30 years' experience at WMG, University of Warwick. He has been a part of the department since he completed his second-year project as part of his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering.

WMG partners with Tata Steel UK to advance green steel technologies

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 14:09:00 GMT

Academics at WMG, University of Warwick, have partnered with Tata Steel UK on a major new research initiative: Accelerating the Development of Automotive and Packaging steel Technology for Electric Arc Furnace production (ADAPT-EAF). The £7m project, which is backed by Tata Steel UK, WMG, Imperial College London, University of Cambridge, and the EPSRC Prosperity Partnerships programme, will develop a new generation of advanced steel products to transform the future of automotive and packing applications, from car bodies to food cans.