Katherine Adams

Katherine has over 20 years’ experience in sustainability and materials, mostly in the construction sector. She has recently completed a PhD at Loughborough University, looking at how a circular economy can be embedded in the building sector. She is the Technical Director and provides her expertise to the development and implementation of projects, working groups and to members. Recent and current activities with the ASBP include working on the Plastics in Construction Group, Innovate UK Projects on Steel Reuse (DISRUPT and ARMOUR), the Ecosurety funded ZAP project on plastic packaging waste in construction. She was also joint author on embodied carbon guidance for social housing organisations for Woodknowledge Wales.

Katherine, in her own capacity, works with Defra and the Green Construction Board Resources, Waste and Circular Economy Group by developing an interpretation of ‘zero avoidable waste’ in the construction sector and a roadmap on how to get there.  She undertakes consultancy projects for a number of organisations in the building sector to assist in their journey towards a circular economy. Much of Katherine’s experience was gained at BRE, where she managed the resource efficiency work area, including many projects for public and private clients, in the UK and abroad, for the provision of advice, consultancy and research in relation to the waste hierarchy. She has also been responsible for the software platform, SmartWaste, which enables the collection and analysis of environmental data on construction sites. She was also seconded to Government, to assist in the development of waste management policy and regulation. 

Katherine throughout her career, has been instrumental in raising the importance of construction resource efficiency within the UK through the development of research and the provision of data and has developed influential partnerships and networks and encouraged collaboration across the supply chain. She has also started to work at a local level and leads the Circular Economy Club for Milton Keynes, working in partnership with Clubs in Bedford and Northampton.