Skip to content

Episode 14 – David Greenfield of Tech Takeback

We hear from David Greenfield about Tech Takeback, a partnership he set up to collect end-of-use consumer technology and get it back into the loop. 

David Greenfield Tech Takeback Circular Economy Podcast“Tech-Takeback” is a partnership between SOENECS, Freegle, EraseMydata and Brighton & Hove City Council to collect stranded resources through pop-up shops. 

We talk about how it got started, the complexities of secure data removal, lessons learned, and David’s plans for the next phase of the project.  David tells us about his favourite circular economy example: Biohm, in London – and I’ve saved some more of David’s examples for the next ‘Best Bits’ episode (#20).

SOENECS

David is the Managing Director of SOENECS, the independent environmental research and innovation practice he set up in 2014, after 15 years in leadership roles in local and regional government.

SOENECS provides strategic advice and support to the public and private sectors and specialises in the creation and support of innovation in circular economy, resource- and waste-management.

David supports the Circular Economy Club (CEC), with several roles,  as a Mentor, as the organiser of CEC London and co-organiser, with my colleague Peter Desmond, of Circular Brighton & Hove

Podcast host Catherine Weetman advises businesses, gives workshops & talks, and writes about the circular economy. Her award-winning book, includes lots of practical examples and tips on getting started.  Catherine founded Rethink Global in 2013, to help businesses use circular, sustainable approaches to build a better business (and a better world).

Stay in touch for free insights and updates…

Read on for a summary of the podcast and links to the people, organisations and other resources we mention.

You can subscribe to the podcast series on iTunesGoogle Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, or search for “circular economy” in your favourite podcast app.  Stay in touch to get free insights and updates, direct to your inbox…

Links we mention in the episode:

Dr David Greenfield FCIWM FRSA CEnv

David is the Managing Director of SOENECS, the independent environmental research and innovation practice he set up in 2014 following 15 years in leadership roles in local and regional government. SOENECS provides strategic advice and support to the public and private sectors and specialises in the creation and support of innovation in circular economy, waste management and resource management. SOENECS offer energy opportunity assessments to the faith and private sector. David has also spent over 20 years advising local and regional government on major procurement, renewable deployment & partnership delivery. In 2018, he authored a chapter for the UK Chief Scientists report.

In the last two years David has co-created and is managing:

  • The Department for Transport (DfT) funded research project “Pothole Spotter” – using existing assets (RCVs’) to prevent potholes using HD cameras and the potential of AI.
  • “Tech-Takeback” – a partnership between SOENECS, Freegle, EraseMydata and Brighton & Hove City Council to collect stranded resources through pop-up shops.
  • “The Hove Trinity Trust” – a revolving fund for investment in energy efficiency and community access in churches in Hove.

David is responsible for External Affairs in Europe for the “Circular Economy Club (CEC)”, he is also a Mentor and the organiser of CEC London and co-organisers Circular Brighton & Hove. The Circular Economy Club (CEC) is the international network of over 3,100 circular economy professionals and organizations from over 100 countries.

He is an experienced board director and advisor, being non-executive Chair of the CIWM Enterprises Board, Trustee and Director of Freegle, Chair of the ICE Resource Management Panel, Non-Executive Director of Biohm, past non-exec Chair of ADBA, Government Adviser to DEFRA as part of the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) working group and MHCLG as National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) advisor on waste and design. He is an advisor and past chair to the local authority National Waste Network Chairs (WNC). He guest lectures at 5 different universities.

He is a Chartered Waste Manager, a Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) and a Chartered Environmentalist.

What we talk about

[04:00] David tells us how he and Cat Fletcher started Tech Takeback, and some of their experiences so far with pop-up shops to collect end-of-use consumer technology and get it back ‘into the loop’ using circular economy principles.

[09:00] David explains how Tech Takeback complies with the European GDPR regulations, using special software to remove data from hard drives and other storage devices.

The business ‘ecosystem’ around Tech Takeback

[13:10] We talk about the ‘ecosystem’ around the project, including charities and local governments, and David talks about using a ‘Meanwhile’ lease for an empty high-street shop.

Tech Takeback – the next phase

[17:15] The sixth pop-up shop was in London, in September 2019, aiming to provide circular economy solutions for people businesses in the ‘Square Mile’, collecting their consumer technology for re-use. When we recorded, David was planning for this.

[18:26] David tells us about his plans for the next phases of the project, and outlines some of the challenges of running pop-up events.  At the moment, he is on the lookout for ‘pre-loved’ mobile libraries!

[22:18] We talk about the possibility of offering repair services, and dig into the detail of why it’s so important to get your data properly erased.

Exciting times for the circular economy

[27:46] David tells us about his favourite circular economy example, Biohm in London.  David has lots more great examples, and we’re saving some of these for the next Best Bits episode (#20).

[31:05] Finally, David tells us how we can get in touch with him, and we remind everyone about the (free to join, non-profit) Circular Economy Club – get involved!

To find out more about the circular economy, listen to Episode 1, read our guide: What is the Circular Economy or buy the book: A Circular Economy Handbook for Business and Supply Chains

Why not sign up for the latest episode and insights, straight to your inbox?

Want to find out more about the circular economy?

If you’d like to learn more about the circular economy and how it could help your business, why not listen to Episode 1, or read our guide: What is the Circular Economy

To go deeper, you could buy Catherine’s book, A Circular Economy Handbook for Business and Supply Chains This comprehensive guide uses a bottom-up, practical approach.  It includes lots of real examples from around the world, to help you really ‘get’ the circular economy.  Even better, you’ll be inspired with ideas to make your own business more competitive, resilient and sustainable. 

Please let us know what you think of the podcast – and we’d love it if you could leave us a review on iTunes, or wherever you find your podcasts.  Or send us a Tweet: @Rethink _Global.

Podcast music

Thanks to Belinda O’Hooley and Heidi Tidow, otherwise known as the brilliant, inventive and generous folk duo, O’Hooley & Tidow for allowing me to use the instrumentals from the live version of Summat’s Brewin’ as music for the podcast. You can find the whole track (inspired by the Copper Family song “Oh Good Ale”) on their album, also called Summat’s Brewin’.  Or, follow them on Twitter.

Ep126 Ruth Taylor – closing our circular values gap

126 Ruth Taylor: closing our circular values gap

Ruth Taylor of the Common Cause Foundation guides us through the field of social psychology, to explore how our personal values drive behaviour, and what that means for sustainability and the circular economy. I recently completed ‘Values 101’, a short course run by the Common Cause Foundation. It opened my eyes to a whole new way of thinking about our…
Ep125 Walter R Stahel – signs of circular progress

125 Walter R Stahel: signs of circular progress

Professor Walter R Stahel, widely acknowledged as a circular economy pioneer, talks about progress, barriers and missed opportunities. Walter is the founder and director of the Product-Life Institute in Switzerland, founded in 1982 and now Europe’s oldest sustainability-based consultancy and think tank. These days, his is a keynote speaker and author on sustainability and circular economy and says he has…
Ep124 Mirella Ferraz – Share Shed

124 Share Shed: the world’s first travelling library of things

Mirella Ferraz is co-founder of Share Shed, the world's first travelling library of things. The Share Shed van visits rural communities, so people can borrow a wide range of useful things, including tools, household appliances, camping and gardening equipment, sewing machines, suitcases and much more! Share Shed aims to • Help people save money, space and resources, and reduce clutter…
Ep123 Topolytics making waste visible, verifiable and valuable

123 Topolytics: making waste visible, verifiable and valuable

We explore why it’s important for business to map, and understand their waste flows: what it is, specifically; where it comes from and goes to; how much there is – and why!; and to understand the opportunities for wasting less and circulating more value. Topolytics is a data analytics business that is making the world’s waste visible, verifiable and valuable.…
Ep122 Iain McKechnie – steps to a services-led strategy

122 Iain McKechnie: steps to a services-led strategy

Iain McKechnie of the Advanced Services Group helps clients develop services-led strategies, improving circularity and outcomes for the businesses and their customers. The market for services, including rental, subscriptions and ‘X-as-a-service’ is growing rapidly, both for business to business and business to consumer markets, and services can be a gamechanger for businesses looking to shrink their footprint and adopt circular…

Leave a Reply