Emma Hardy is now the UK Minister for the Circular Economy and Waste Crime at Defra. This matters for anyone working on waste, recycling and circular business models, because there is finally a named minister with a portfolio that matches the work we do day to day. Until recently, circular economy responsibilities sat under Mary Creagh within a broader "Minister for Nature" brief that combined waste, biodiversity, and other environmental topics. With Hardy's appointment, circular economy and waste crime are given a more focused role, alongside her previous experience in handling water and flooding. That combination of responsibilities is important in a country where waste systems, water quality and climate resilience are tightly linked. For practitioners, the signal is clear. Expect more attention on how products are designed, how materials flow through the economy and how enforcement tackles waste crime. The article also notes delays to the government's Circular Economy Growth Plan, which means there is still a window where evidence and lived experience from the field can influence what that plan eventually looks like. *If you work in the UK waste sector, circular design or ESG, this is a good moment to ask: are your projects and data ready for a future where circularity and waste crime sit at the heart of Defra's agenda, instead of at the edges?*
