Oakdene Hollins

Plastic recycling maestro takes over the reins of boutique sustainability & circular economy consultancy Oakdene Hollins The ownership of one of the UK’s most established and prestigious boutique environmental consultancies, Oakdene Hollins, has been taken on by plastic recycling aficionado Simon Scholes. This move cements Simon’s commitment to helping businesses from a wide range of different sectors get clarity around the often complex and confusing regulations governing recycling and sustainability in everyday operations. Simon initially joined the organisation in February 2023, bringing with him over 20 years of board level expertise in plastics recycling. Previous to joining the consultancy Simon was managing director for VEKA UK Recycling where he established a trusted route for PVC window waste. “For many companies the desire to make operational changes that will have a positive impact on the environment are top of their agenda, but the route to get there can be fraught with convoluted directives and conflicting guidance,” commented Simon Scholes. “Oakdene Hollins is perfectly placed to get up close and personal with a business, inserting itself into everyday operations and gaining a deep understanding of their particular challenges to integrating sustainability and a circular economy, laying out the pathway to implementing this in a viable and profitable manner.” Simon also brings with him his knowledge and experience gained as vice chairman of the Recycling Group at the British Plastics Federation, working with UK plastic recyclers to inform on industry, political and economic initiatives and changes. Simon recently received a 75@75 award from Interplas UK for being in the top 75 influencers within the plastics industry.

Oakdene Hollins has extended its team of sustainability and circular economy consultants with the appointment of Dr Pelin Yilmaz as managing consultant. Pelin brings her extensive academic and commercial knowledge of the application of material science and engineering in the energy and automotive sectors, to the company’s wider scope of client industries, including textiles, furniture, construction and plastics. Before joining Oakdene Hollins Pelin was a senior business analyst for a Technology Strategy team at Ricardo Strategic Consulting. She contributed directly to a wide range of sustainability projects within the transportation sector, conducting reviews of regulations related to sustainability as well as identifying key trends in materials, processes and technologies driving sustainable development. With a PhD in Materials Science from Queen Mark University in London, Pelin has also worked in research projects across Europe, including TNO in the Netherlands, and the Italian Institute of Technology. In these post doctoral research positions, she specialised in the development of functional nanomaterials for energy applications such as photovoltaics, solar hydrogen production, smart windows and sodium-ion batteries.” “A primary focus for businesses in all industry sectors these days is sustainability which is largely driven by growing legislative expectations around carbon neutrality and the circular economy,” commented Dr Pelin Yilmaz. “One effective approach to advancing sustainability is using Carbon Accounting and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) to assess their products and processes, identifying key areas of environmental impact, and them implementing strategies to mitigate those impacts”. As a boutique sustainability and circular economy consultancy Oakdene Hollins is perfectly placed to provide in-depth science based research which supports sustainability understanding & a positive evolution - especially with LCAs and how they impact on a business’ daily operations. Oakdene Hollins has 30 years of extensive experience working with businesses across a wide range of sectors, including construction, automotive, insurance, textiles and furniture. 

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐄𝐔 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐄-𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 European Parliament and Council accepted a #righttorepair plan (R2R) on the 30th May 2024 and the UK government had a similar strategy put through in 2021. The objective of these new rules is to widen the access and affordability of repairs. The R2R is anticipated to have a huge impact on manufacturers design and production process as providing a cheap repair will reduce the impact of planned obsolescence. Read our article below to see more of our thoughts on right to repair. https://lnkd.in/e6TeDpwh #waste #wastemanagement #electronicwaste #circulareconomy #sustainability #consultancy #circulareconomyconsulatancy #repair #EUpolicy #policy

Simon Scholes, our new director at Oakdene Hollins, was thrilled to receive his 75@75 award from Interplas UK for being in the top 75 influencers within the plastics industry. Interplas hosts the UK’s leading plastics event every 3 years to showcase the latest innovations in materials and it celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2023. Read our small exert on Simon’s remarkable achievement below. https://lnkd.in/gZmfWrhY #achievement #history #Inteplas #plastics #recycling #celebratinghistory

𝑮𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 Simon Scholes 𝒂𝒏𝒅 Sonia Sánchez Torres 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒋𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚 2024 🎉 🎉 We are excited for what they have brought and will bring to the company. Simon Scholes joined Oakdene Hollins as a Principal Consultant and our new Head of Operations before becoming the new owner in late June. Meanwhile, Sonia has joined the company as a Senior Managing Consultant. Both have done great work already and have been brilliant additions to the office environment. We look forward hearing more of Simon’s dad jokes and seeing Sonia’s stylistic outfits. Get to know them both more in the article below. #newteammembers #welcome #knowledgeable #celebration #circulareconomy #consultancy #sustainabilityconsultancy 

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐑𝐌𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. Critical raw materials, CRMs are raw materials which are important for our economy both from an economical and strategic perspective. As of 2020, the list of CRMS includes 30 materials such as antimony, bismuth, cobalt, graphite, phosphorus and lithium, to name a few. Within our household products such as electronics, CRMs can be found, as well as wider systems to support transport and energy such as renewables and electric vehicles. In this way, CRMs are increasingly becoming integrated with the way in which we live and operate. With such reliance, the critical in CRM truly comes to light. To delve further into this topic with us, have a read of our article below. #criticalrawmaterials #circulareconomy #circulareconomyconsultancy #electronics #critical #consultancy #valueretention #CRMs https://lnkd.in/eGU_8s2Y

At Oakdene Hollins, we strive to move towards a circular economy where we prioritise prevention, designing out waste and value retention. Moving away from a bottom-heavy process relying on landfill requires support in policy, creation of evidence bases, identifying research gaps, infrastructure needs, changing product design and more. But we must also be conscious that it considers processes beyond recycling. With so many factors and so many types of products and materials to consider, understanding how we move from a linear to a circular economy is more complicated than we think. More information on what to expect from this transition is provided below in our latest article. #circulareconomy #sustainability #recycling #valueretention #sustainabilityconsultancy #circulareconomyconsultancy #reuse #sustainablethinking https://lnkd.in/erExuJEY

As GHG emissions in our atmosphere increase each year largely in response to our use of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, the impact on various sectors of the economy becomes increasingly evident. The insurance sector has a unique exposure to these changes and is one of the first to witness the real world consequences. As the frequency and intensity of climatic risks increase, insurers may need to adapt their practices to address emerging challenges. You can read more about the interplay between climate change and insurance companies in our article below. #insurance #climatechange #risingpremiums #extremeweather #climaterisk #sustainability #flooding #emissions #insurers https://lnkd.in/dEh-2Mwt

🌐 The ‘Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation’ (ESPR) has officially entered into force in the EU🎉 ➡️ The regulation allows for the setting of performance and information requirements, such as repairability and durability, for almost all categories of physical goods. Concrete product rules will be decided over time on a product-by-product basis. 📝 It also introduces digital 'product passports' containing performance, traceability, and compliance information. Consumers can access this data via a public web portal. ⛔️ The regulation prohibits the destruction of unsold clothing, accessories, and footwear, with the potential to extend to other product categories in the future. Producers and sellers will be required to disclose the quantity and reasons for product discards. 🌱 EU public institutions will have to follow mandatory Green Public Procurement criteria when purchasing products. This is a major milestone for the circular economy in Europe and serves as an example for other regions to follow. Discover the full overview of policies enabling the circular transition in our policy briefs: https://lnkd.in/ezW3-YJJ Source: European Commission

Simon Scholes, our director and principal consultant, is speaking at ASBP's 2024 reducing plastics in construction summit today. With a wealth of expertise within the industry, Simon is well placed to provide valuable insights on the topic. #reduce #plastics #recycling #circulareconomy