Repairing the Economy
Here is why: Manufacturers in general do not design products to be reused, repaired, or culled for valuable parts at their end of life. This isn’t nefarious – it is the result of decades...
Policy: The Circular Designer's Secret Weapon
Since its inception in 2010, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has placed design as crucial to achieving a circular economy. In fact, the very first initiative from the Foundation was Project ReDesign,...
Recognising Resources Are Limited by Granting Them an Identity
Material Matters, The Importance of Matter – An alternative to Overexploitation by Thomas Rau and Sabine Oberhuber offers a critical and thoughtful perspective on how to take advantage of raw ...
The Circular Economy Club: A "Glocal" Project
As Founder & CEO of the Circular Economy Club (CEC), Anna Tarí, has had the opportunity to develop a unique perspective on the evolution of the circular economy movement, leading her to the bel...
Sustainable Shipbreaking: A Pending Issue
In 2018 alone, 518 ships ended up on beaches in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan – amounting to over 90% of the gross end-of-life tonnage dismantled globally.(1) According to the NGO Shipbr...
Keeping Track of Ice
Until recently, the very effects of climate change could be described with tables and scientific papers, but at the same time it was hard to offer a clear picture. How can a century-long global phen...
Circular Seaweed
Just over 10 years ago Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, vowed to donate over $3 billion to fight global warming by developing low carbon fuels, and in particular a seaweed-based bio...
A Full Boost Bioeconomy
Australia is the world’s sixth-largest country by surface area. Rich in natural resources, and driven by a strong and dynamic economy, the country, led by Prime Minister Scott John Morrison, d...
The Right to Repair
A washing machine is not forever, there’s little doubt about this. But, if buying an appliance used to be a long-term investment, nowadays this is no longer true. Whether obsolescence is planned, ...
Reuse and New European Directives: Basic Guidelines
Trading in second-hand goods is one of the world’s oldest professions, but the ecological value of reuse has only recently been recognised. The circular economy package provides tools and targ...
Bio-on's Rapid Rise
A new generation of high-performance biodegradable polyesters has arrived, made from sugar co-products or waste, derived from beetroot, potatoes, glycerol and extracts from fruit and veget...
Turning Cork Ethical
Cork is a valuable material: more than 40 years are needed to obtain a single cork. It is a noble material that embodies the history of its native land. It can be 100% recovered and recycled, to be ...
Nà¸rrona: Outdoor Fashion Changes Clothes
For Jørgen Jørgensen, CEO of Nørrona, sustainability is a life goal. In the business world there is often talk of a “value proposition” to be made to customers throu...
Cruz Foam: Making Packaging from Shellfish
Name: Cruz Foam Sector: New materials Pros: Biodegradable and compostable material made from chitin obtained from waste shrimp shells Characteristics: The patented process c...
Ioniqa: Virgin PET from Non-recyclable Packaging
Name: Ioniqa Sector: Recycling technologies Pros: An intelligent magnetic separation process transforms low-quality plastics into virgin PET Characteristics: Magnetic materi...
Yescapa: Private Campervan Hire
Name: Yescapa Sector: Collaborative use service Pros: Campervan, caravan and van rental for private individuals, with insurance and 24-hour assistance included Characteristics:&n...
Subscription Electronics with Grover
Name: Grover Sector: Product as a Service Pros: By signing up to the service, users have access to all the most innovative technology through a pay-as-you-go system Characteristi...
What a Waste
The circular economy is needed now more than ever. The USA alone produces around 260 million tons (US short tons) of municipal solid waste per year from homes and businesses, amounting to around 2.0...
The Circular Economy Makes Progress, Climate Actions Stall
The Action Plan for the Circular Economy includes approval of the directives on waste in force as of 4th July 2019, regulation on fertilizers pushing for recovery of organic waste, agreed on 12th De...