Resources & Publications

Circular Gasglow:  facilitating today’s change, shaping tomorrow’s business.

Today (November 16th) sees Circular Glasgow embark on a recruitment campaign designed to facilitate 50 Glasgow based businesses to prepare for the future. Circular Glasgow, hosted by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, will connect with companies across the city helping them to open up new revenue streams, increase competitive advantage and realise financial savings using a range of practical tools. The team aims to complete 50 Circle Assessments by the end of 2018 using an online tool created by Circle Economy, global market leaders based in the Netherland’s. Circle Economy supported Glasgow Chamber of Commerce in the production of the Circular Glasgow Circle City Scan during Phase One, and their continued input will play a key role in inspiring businesses to assess and implement circular strategies in Glasgow. They will continue supporting the project by providing expertise in the circular economy both through knowledge, their expansive network and through the powerful circular economy business tools that they have developed.The initiative will look at different ways businesses can innovate and incorporate new design and technology, thinking through the adoption of new business models, including circular economy strategies. A circular economy is one in which every product is created with the intent of extending its life span - a direct challenge to the ‘take, make, dispose’ mentality. Alison McRae, Senior Director of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce said: “We are delighted to be at the implementation stage of Circular Glasgow where we can start to get more businesses across the city involved to help them innovate and future-proof their business. Glasgow’s ambition is to position itself as a leading circular city. With Circular Glasgow’s programme of practical engagement tools, and with the ongoing support of Zero Waste Scotland, we aim to inspire organisations to embrace new business models helping them to design for the future.”

"We are delighted to be at the implementation stage of Circular Glasgow where we can start to get more businesses across the city involved to help them innovate and future-proof their business."-Alison McRae, Senior Director of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce

Circular Glasgow complements Zero Waste Scotland’s and the Scottish Government's nationwide support for SMEs to develop circular economy business ideas, including its £18million Circular Economy Investment Fund and Circular Economy Business Support Service. Both are supported by the European Regional Development Fund through the £73million Resource Efficiency Circular Economy Accelerator Programme.Iain Gulland, Zero Waste Scotland’s Chief Executive, said: “Circular Glasgow is an innovative approach to maximise circular opportunities on a large scale. This is about connecting businesses in Glasgow across sectors to find opportunities in materials once thought of as waste. Simply put, for businesses this can mean turning a cost into a possible revenue stream. Working together in innovative ways will set the foundations for a future where economic buoyancy is achieved through inclusive, sustainable growth. I’m delighted Glasgow is set to become a front-runner in these efforts and look forward to what’s to come.”

“Working together in innovative ways will set the foundations for a future where economic buoyancy is achieved through inclusive, sustainable growth. I’m delighted Glasgow is set to become a front-runner in these efforts and look forward to what’s to come.”-Iain Gulland, Zero Waste Scotland’s Chief Executive

Whether an organisation has already started to implement circular strategies, or has just begun its transformation, the online Circle Assessments create a simple way to diagnose how current practices match up to circular objectives, while identifying new opportunities, at no cost to the business. A collaboration, already set up as part of the campaign, resulted in the first ever Scottish beer to be made from leftover bread, using Aulds unsold morning rolls to create Jaw Brew’s Hardtack beer. Aulds supplies its bread on a sale or return basis to retailers, and through the new partnership surplus is now given to Jaw Brew to ensure any waste is reused. The team will also be hosting Circle Workshops across the year, focusing on specific industry sectors. Interested businesses are invited to attend a Circular Glasgow information event on Wednesday, December 6 to understand how they could benefit directly. Register at www.circularglasgow.comFor more information please contact Laura Connell on +44 141 333 9585 / laura.connell@bigpartnership.co.uk

Text by: Circular Glasgow

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About Glasgow Chamber of Commerce

• Glasgow Chamber of Commerce is a membership organisation with a membership of 1200 businesses from Glasgow and its wider metropolitan region. The Chamber’s mission is to support its members in the growth of their businesses and to champion the economic success of Glasgow; supporting members, championing Glasgow.
• The Chamber specialises in events and training to support its members in addition to driving forward a number of key policy agendas to improve the city of Glasgow.
• Glasgow Chamber of Commerce has a strong history of supporting public sector agencies to engage with private sector clients and is viewed as the go-to agency for delivering this engagement in Glasgow. The organisation currently supports programmes with Glasgow City Council, Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government and work extensively with the employer base in the city on issues directly related to employment and skills.

About Zero Waste Scotland

• Zero Waste Scotland exists to create a society where resources are valued and nothing is wasted. Our goal is to help Scotland realise the economic, environmental and social benefits of making best use of the world’s limited natural resources. We are funded to support delivery of the Scottish Government’s circular economy strategy and the EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy.
• The Resource Efficient Circular Economy Accelerator Programme Fund is administered by Zero Waste Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government. It is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
• The Scottish Government is the Managing Authority for the European Structural Funds 2014-20 Programme. For further information visit the website or follow @scotgovESIF.
• More information on all Zero Waste Scotland’s programmes can be found at www.zerowastescotland.org.uk.

You can also keep up to date with the latest from Zero Waste Scotland though via their social media channels - Twitter | Facebook | Google Plus | LinkedIn #gocircularnow Tweets

[cta link="https://hva.mediamission.nl/Mediasite/Play/0d261c9af59846c891867427d7c0e0321d"]Watch the full stream[/cta]

On the 20th of October, in partnership with the Amsterdam Fashion Institute, Circle Economy held the 2017 edition of their signature circular textiles event, Beyond Green, at HEMA’s beautiful headquarters in Amsterdam North. Beyond Blah Blah: 5 Steps to Circularity took the 400 students and industry guests in the room on an inspirational - and educational - journey towards a circular fashion industry, with speakers as bold, creative, and international as Walt Disney’s Vanessa Belleau, Reformation’s Kathleen Talbot and Futerra’s Laura Hunter - among others. In the afternoon, CSR Managers and other senior executives met their match in a select few students, as they hacked together to solve company challenges in three-hour long workshops, guided by the 5 steps to circularity we have been sharing with our audience over the last few months.Travis Rice, Project Leader at the Alliance for Responsible Denim, shared his key takeaways from the day:

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By Travis RiceInspirational, confrontational, emotional, and as keynote Vanessa Belleau from Walt Disney stated, magical, the road to circularity is not a simple one. We know this well. Yet, it is time for action and collaboration: there is power in numbers and power in knowledge to take on the challenge of circularity as a united front.Savor below my key takeaways from BeyondBlahBlah's eight keynote speakers:[caption id="attachment_13738" align="alignnone" width="1024"]

Photo credit: Nina Albada Jelgersma Photography[/caption]HEMA | Eva Ronhaar, Head of SustainabilityAn influential brand and a staple in The Netherlands, HEMA sees "sustainability [as] a priority, not an afterthought - as everything we do has influence." With over 30,000 product assortments, this couldn't be more true. To ensure a circular mindset, HEMA has established some ambitious goals in regards to sustainability and eagerly communicates their actions to consumers.[caption id="attachment_13740" align="alignnone" width="1024"]

Photo credit: Nina Albada Jelgersma Photography[/caption]Walt Disney | Vanessa Belleau, Head of Fashion & Home Shopper MarketingIn stark contrast to the usual doom & gloom tales regarding the state of the world, Vanessa instead exuded of joie de vivre (joy of living). A true gem, Vanessa painted a whole new world of magic and disruption that had the audience rolling.For Vanessa, it is "not about buying something, it's about being something." Thinking along the path of Now-New-Next, she outlined the need to deconstruct the current, be brave, and disrupt to ultimately make our dreams a reality. Although the path will leave you vulnerable to discouraging failures and defeats, take some advice from the Disney classic Mary Poppins, “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and—snap!—the job’s a game!” A game we're here to win.[caption id="attachment_13741" align="alignnone" width="1024"]

Photo credit: Nina Albada Jelgersma Photography[/caption]DICK MOBY | Robbert Wefers-Bettink, Co-FounderShowing that there is a sunny side to plastic, Dick Moby co-founder Robbert led us on his company's journey from initial idea to present day and beyond. As a constantly evolving entity, a brand morphs and adapts just like the people running it. For him, sustainability is not an additive, or an afterthought, but a key aspect of every stage, from concept, to design, all the way through to getting it to the customer. If you haven't caught on yet, that is why it's called circular, you have to think in 360 degrees.[caption id="attachment_13744" align="alignnone" width="1024"]

Photo credit: Nina Albada Jelgersma Photography[/caption]REFORMATION | Kathleen Talbot, VP Operations & SustainabilityReformation has come a long way in its short lifetime. From selling 1-of-a-kind tailored and customized vintage clothing in an L.A. storefront to a cultural eco-chic influencer of our times. Un-phased by the fame, their growth spurt only aided them in their circular mission. "Fighting for the product is key," Kathleen emphasized, for "every piece counts." Echoed in their buy lean mentality, "we see every style as a test." Simply put, less production = less waste.Continually seeking to improve their already top-quality standards, Reformation is launching their own 100 percent recycled denim line. "The first 46-piece collection will offer sustainable denim, made either with 100 percent recycled materials, deadstock fabrics or sustainably sourced fibers. Ref's production techniques eliminate the usual toxic dyes and water waste that denim is known for — saving 1,460 gallons of water for each pair."[caption id="attachment_13745" align="alignnone" width="1024"]

Photo credit: Nina Albada Jelgersma Photography[/caption]LENA| Suzanne Smulders, Co-FounderAs one enthusiastic audience member stated in reference to LENA the fashion library, "We buy too much AND why buy, when you can borrow?" We couldn't agree more. We need to focus on access over ownership. When one-third of a Dutch person's wardrobe consists of 50 unworn items, it raises the question, what are we buying for anyways?[caption id="attachment_13747" align="alignnone" width="1024"]

Photo credit: Nina Albada Jelgersma Photography[/caption]FUTERRA | Laura Hunter, Head of Copy

"To change the world, first imagine a better one." - Futerra

Taken from Futerra's homepage, the above quote captures their refreshingly optimistic approach to consulting brands. "People are who they are, not who you want them to be," Laura commented in reference to the usual narratives spun to convince & guilt-trip consumers to become more sustainable. "Be brave, creative and remember to have fun, because hope beats fear." In need of a little hope? Watch 140 Seconds of Optimism video by Climate Optimist.[caption id="attachment_13748" align="alignnone" width="1024"]

Photo credit: Nina Albada Jelgersma Photography[/caption]A TRANSPARENT COMPANY | Neliana Fuenmayor, Founder"What do YOU care about?" Neliana's question hit home in a room of brand representatives. Who is deciding the limits of your sustainability as a person or as a brand? If we care about something, why are we not acting? Winner of the Kering Award, Neliana is a huge endorser of blockchain. In an industry plagued with hazy supply chains, the path forward requires an industry wide adoption to ensure quality assurance at every level-from farm to factories to final purchases and beyond.Time to shape up and act like the world is watching, because soon they will be.[caption id="attachment_13749" align="alignnone" width="1024"]

Photo credit: Nina Albada Jelgersma Photography[/caption]CIRCLE ECONOMY | Gwen Cunningham, Circle Textiles Programme Lead

"All is well, yet all is hell." - Gwen Cunningham

#youdoyou is perhaps an innocent hashtag to most, but for Gwen, this hashtag epitomises the complacency and narcissism plaguing the industry. For far too long, we as people allow, excuse and therefore condone the actions of others simply because “it's in their nature”. No more! We no longer have the time nor the luxury to sit back and give others a pass because, you know, “to each their own”. Time to go back to the drawing board as a collective and reconfigure. As creatures of contact, let us insure that our impact is for the betterment of us all, and completely eliminate the #youdoyou mentality.In closing, "we tell ourselves stories in order to live..." wrote author Joan Didion. These imagined realities manifest themselves into cultural norms and practices that are dead set on sticking around for the long run. The circular textiles arena is, as we speak, writing its very own story, creating our very own reality. A reality full of hidden surprises, hurdles and roadblocks, BUT is just as equally a reality of discovery, magic and endless possibilities. It's time to go #beyondblahblah.

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We will be publishing the keynote speeches, as well as more in-depth insights from the afternoon workshops in the next few weeks. Sign up for updates on Beyond Green to get them straight in your inbox.

[cta link="http://circle-economy.com/beyondgreen2017"] Yes, please![/cta]

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You can find out more about the Alliance for Responsible Denim at www.denimalliance.org

A systemic transition is necessary for the textile industry to reclaim the human, economic, and environmental value lost in today’s linear system. Brands, retailers, innovators, and governments are looking for solutions to reduce the negative impact of textiles, and they have begun to focus on creating a circular industry to displace the use of virgin fibers upstream and eliminate textile waste downstream. Increasing consumer awareness has also lifted the curtain on the unpalatable practices of apparel manufacturing, adding pressure to brands and retailers to find better solutions. The moment for incredible transformation has come, and it's time to address infrastructural developments to widen the bottlenecks standing in the way of a new, circular textile industry.A garment's life cycle has many stages: resource extraction, product design, manufacturing, distribution, use, and end of life. The first five are the most accessible for brands and retailers, and as a result, much of the industry's sustainability efforts have been focused here. This has left end of life, where the value of these items is lost, largely unaddressed. Today, take-back programmes are the primary instrument for brands and retailers to reclaim their used products, but these efforts are only collecting a small fraction of unwanted garments. In an effort to find more solutions to a rapidly escalating global problem, the industry is shifting into action: during the first two quarters of 2017 the Fashion for Good initiative launched, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation announced their Circular Fibres Initiative, and the Copenhagen Fashion Summit (quite literally) put circularity on the global fashion agenda.Innovators are another important enabler for circular textiles, and they are deeply engaged in the research and development of new chemical recycling technologies. If these researchers and entrepreneurs succeed in introducing their groundbreaking processes into the textile supply chain at a commercial scale, the current range of textile recycling options would expand, and significantly more textile could be returned to the supply chain. This would enable garments that have reached the end of their useful life to become garments once again.Governments are beginning to recognise their role, as well. In 2015, 193 global leaders in the UN unanimously agreed on a single agenda, set forward in the document “Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) articulated within are now the common roadmap for efforts and programmes across multiple sectors, including textiles, to mitigate human impact on the planet. The European Commission has also just released a new policy document (1) focused on sustainability in the garment sector. These recent developments show that governments are beginning to understand the importance of maximising the human and environmental value of the textile industry, and they are starting to take action.Until recently, consumers have had little exposure to the product creation side of the textiles industry. Because information is now highly accessible – 70% of Europeans now acquire the bulk of their news through the Internet (2) – and because the environmental and social repercussions of the textile industry are increasingly gaining exposure, the consumer blindfold is finally falling away. Engaging consumers in the conversation is now both easier and more important than ever.This growing awareness coupled with a global focus on climate change, the increasing threat of resource scarcity, and the promise of new chemical recycling solutions has allowed circularity to gain significant ground in the textiles arena. These are incredibly valuable steps toward transformation, however, a systemic bottleneck still exists.A critical success factor for circular textiles is often overlooked: infrastructure. Circularity in textiles has been labelled a “chicken and egg” problem, and which element should come first is a common discussion. The reality is, two critical components of a circular system, post consumer consumer textiles and a range of re-processing methods and technologies, already exist. The development of next generation of recycling technologies is also beginning to accelerate. Unfortunately, a transparent and connected infrastructure of automated textile sorting capabilities, matchmaking between feedstocks and recycling technologies, and logistics to move the materials between stakeholders does not yet exist. As a result, the textile industry has a very limited volume of circular products on the market.From an environmental perspective, this is a massive missed opportunity. The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) estimates that collecting 1 kg of used clothing (as opposed to incineration or landfilling) reduces 3,6 kg of CO2 emissions, 6000 liters of water consumption, and 0,5 kg of fertilisers and pesticides used in raw material production (3). If we recycled just 10% of the 20 million tonnes (4) of post consumer textiles thrown away in Europe and the United States, we would save 7.2 billion tonnes in CO2 emissions, 12 trillion liters of water, and 1 billion kg of fertilisers and pesticides every year. Recycling technologies can return non-rewearable garments to the supply chain, and a transparent infrastructure to connect recyclable garments to recycling technologies is the missing link in a new, circular system. Circle Economy’s Textiles Programme is addressing this challenge head on with three important and related projects: Interreg funded Fibersort, Circle Market, and the Denim Alliance. All tackle core infrastructural innovations that are needed to achieve a circular textiles industry and are being developed in close collaboration with the necessary eco-system of collectors, sorters, chemical and mechanical recyclers, manufacturers, and brands. Textile recycling innovations are getting more attention and investment, forward thinking brands are proactively looking for ways to address post consumer textile challenges, and governments are exploring policies that will help mitigate further impact. Unfortunately, a lack of infrastructure can only amount to incremental change. Now it is time to collaboratively develop transparent, market-driven solutions to connect the players and facilitate the movement of materials back into the supply chain. These are the digital tools and technologies that will help us to overcome bottlenecks, streamline processes, and accelerate the necessary and burgeoning transition to a new industrial paradigm.Change is inevitable. Falling behind is optional. [cta link="http://circle-economy.com/fibersort]Get ahead of the curve.[/cta][hr](1) European Commission, Sustainable Garment Value Chains Through EU Development Action (2017)(2) Eurostat (2016)(3) Bureau of International Recycling citing University of Copenhagen study (2008)(4) Environmental Protection Agency (2013), Eurostat (2016), Friends of the Earth Report (2013)This article was originally published on Renewable Matter.

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Climate change mitigation and circular economy policies are attracting significant attention from European and national policymakers. 2015 saw two milestone accomplishments with the Paris Agreement and Circular Economy Package. These two policy fields are complementary and, together, they could deliver on the transformational change that is needed to decarbonise our economic system. Yet, their integration is far from complete, and current climate change policies largely overlook the mitigation potential of circular economy strategies. The report explores policy levers to accelerate the transition to the circular economy, and provides policy recommendations to create a tipping point whereby a transition to a low-carbon circular economy is not just necessary but also inevitable.

It is based on legal policy mapping and stakeholder consultation, providing a broad European perspective combined with insights into a selection of member states, and focusing on two value chains (housing and mobility) and four material streams (aluminium, concrete, plastic and steel). It forms part of a broader project led by the European Climate Foundation's (ECF) Industrial Innovation for Competitiveness initiative (i24c).

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“A Future-Proof Built Environment” is a report co-launched by ABN AMRO and Circle Economy. The facts are clear: Currently, 40% of all extracted minerals worldwide are used in the built environment. Luckily the sector has started to wake up and some companies are now leading the way. This report highlights real-life and practical examples on how to rethink the way we create the built environment that surrounds us. The report takes a systematic view on the sector, identifying clear levers for circular change. Circle Economy and ABN Amro now published all the insights gained during the built of the first fully circular building in Amsterdam’s financial district: ABN AMRO’s CIRCL pavilion. CIRCL was planned and built as an example of “how to walk the circular talk”. The philosophy and ambition was: “doing nothing is no longer an option and that now is the time to create inspiring examples showing that circular business models and building standards are the future. This report captures and analyses the insights that all parties involved in the planning and construction process have gathered – and cross-referenced with “best circular practices”.

This is the fourth step of our 5-step plan to circularity. Catch up on step 1, step 2, and step 3 first.Consumers have never been in a better position to leverage their agency in influencing the brands around them. As they are increasingly take on even more of an active role on the way to a circular economy - remember that they’re the ones to become suppliers to closed-loop systems and hence essential agents in retrieving precious resources -, it is more crucial than ever for brands to actively educate, engage, and empower these consumers on their journey to circularity. Doing so provides them not only with the opportunity to reinvent the narrative around sustainability (and circularity!), but, more importantly, to effectively redesign, strengthen, and improve the brand-consumer relationship so it no longer revolves around empty promises, but value.

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Mindlessly complicit at worst, an educated and empowered consumer, on the other hand, could drive the transition to a circular economy- so why have similar enterprises failed in the past?Sustainability initiatives abound and have been trying - and failing - to appeal to the mainstream consumer for as long as they have existed- and not for lack of goodwill. Global consumers are increasingly aware of the socio-environmental impact involved in the products they buy; they not only expect brands to act responsibly, but they are also willing to forego some of their own convenience for the sake of the greater good. Getting them to act on these good intentions, however, is a different story.Two important barriers come to mind:

• Greenwashing. Companies have long misused and abused marketing and communications strategies to make unsubstantiated claims about and adorn their commitment to sustainability, undermining their relationship with their consumers in the process, breaking their trust, and causing widespread cynicism over eco-labels and other certifications and standards meant to signal a company’s good corporate citizenship.
• Green marketing myopia. Good marketing understands and satisfies customer needs first and foremost, and marketing sustainability is no different- only it also comes with environmental perks. Green marketing myopia occurs when these environmental benefits are overemphasised at the expense of customer needs, and unfortunately, as of now, few brands have succeeded in framing their sustainable value propositions beyond simply being sustainable- emphasising collective, planetary benefits instead of individual ones, and oftentimes forcing the consumer to compromise between functionality, cost efficiency, and environmental responsibility. When a socially responsible product comes at a fraction of the functionality and at double the cost- the choice is easily made.

The mainstream consumer often makes an easy target. However, the onus should not be on them to wade through the unattractive and lazy marketing, the greenwashing, and the systematic lack of resources they need to translate good intentions into appropriate purchases and behaviours. This is where the creative industry comes in. These are the creatives, marketers, and communication gurus that have sold us everything from washing machines to the American dream, and circularity is finally offering them the exciting opportunity to do away with traditional narratives and reinvent the way we communicate and think about those brands that are good for people, profit, and planet. Because where sustainability has long focused on doing less- emitting, producing, consuming less - circularity challenges us to do differently. It reimagines, rather than restricts, the way we consume, and opens up new venues for brands and consumers to interact and redefine their relationship. By prioritising access over ownership, for example, circular business models afford brands additional touch points to renew and strengthen their relationship with their customers. Akin to the connection library card holders build with their local library, leasing, rather than buying, provides brands the opportunity to build an emotional connection with their consumers unlike any other, ensuring continued loyalty from “an increasingly fickle audience”.

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So how should we communicate circularity? How do we overcome these barriers, and how do we redesign the brand-consumer relationship to revolve around trust, and value?Change the narrative.And use storytelling to your advantage.The decision to return resources back to the supply chain starts with awareness. Many consumers, however, are still unaware of the embedded value of resources in clothing, and as such may never become the loyal suppliers brands will rely on in the future. Educating these consumers is critical to the transition, but it is also the opportunity for brands and marketers to finally unsubscribe from the guilt-inducing, patronising, and boring narrative that’s become a cornerstone of the way we talk of environmentalism. Circularity is exciting, and we need to translate the exciting possibilities it offers businesses into equally exciting creative campaigns and equally exciting stories. Perhaps best to look to for inspiration are those brands working towards destigmatising topics like menstrual health: Thinx and Yoni, for example, are both making great strides in opening up the dialogue and turning the tide over the long-standing and widely accepted narratives on periods- with humour, beautiful aesthetics, and content that educates, entertains, and doesn’t bore.Be bold, vulnerable, and transparent.And share both your ambitions and your limitations.As customer relationships continue to prove more valuable than traditional brand power, it is important for brands to learn how to lay bare both their accomplishments and their shortcomings. In a marketplace where “consumers demand transparency as the return on their emotional and economic investment in a brand”, authenticity and honesty in sharing a brand’s ambitions and successes as well as its limitations and failures is no longer optional if a brand is to regain and retain its customers’ trust. Some of the largest companies are already doing it- to varying extents. When TOMS’ original buy-one-give-one model came under scrutiny, for example, they commissioned a study to evaluate the true social impact of their business model, openly revising their strategy along the way. Apple recently committed to the bold objective of using 100% recycled materials to make its iPhones, Macbooks and other electronics products, openly admitting to a lack of a roadmap but holding themselves accountable to the public. Beyond brand value and consumer loyalty concerns, admitting to our weaknesses and owning up to our mistakes will allow for other key players to openly engage and contribute to the industry’s efforts to move towards circularity.

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While honesty, authenticity, and transparency are all important values to commit to, ultimately, even those consumers who are aware of and acknowledge the need for their purchases to reflect their values won’t always compromise convenience and functionality for a guilt-free purchase. So what gives?Emphasise value.And put your consumer first.Change agency Futerra is very clear on this: the three driving factors that should never be compromised on are the functional, emotional, and social benefits a consumer derives from a product:“As a brand, whether you are trying to motivate behaviours or sell products, you need to start by asking “what’s in it for my customers?” Although vital, the question is an overlooked and under-explored component of successful behaviour change and marketing. By showing consumers what sustainability can do for them (rather than what they can do for sustainability), marketers can close the values-action gap a lot faster.”  – Solitaire Townsend (Futerra) and Elisa Niemtzow (BSR)In fact, some even argue that responsible products can only be successful if consumers perceive their attributes as better than those of conventional products. Rather than relying on consumers’ goodwill to pay a premium for less-than-functional products, brands should adopt a consumer-first approach in creating circular products, keeping their consumer needs in mind at every step of the loop.[hr]

Tickets to Beyond Green are now sold out, but you can still join the movement.

[cta link="http://circle-economy.com/how-do-you-go-beyondblahblah"]Learn more[/cta]

[embed]http://vimeo.com/236947996[/embed]It’s not all blah blah in the circular fashion world. Initiatives and efforts to move beyond intent already exist - brands, recyclers, collectors, sorters, and consumers are all actively taking a role in closing the loop in fashion.

LET'S SHOUT IT LOUD AND CLEAR!

Whether you’re a brand sourcing recycled content, a charity collecting post consumer textiles, or a consumer who buys secondhand clothing, we want to hear from you!Use the hashtag #beyondblahblah on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and let the world know how you’re going beyond the blah blah and moving beyond intent to action. Be creative!We’ll be showcasing your solutions at Beyond Green, and the top 3 most innovative solutions will get a guaranteed spot at the event!**For Amsterdam residents only as we cannot cover transportation costs. Tag your post #ams so we know to take you into consideration!

What do we expect?

An answer to the question: how do YOU go beyond the blah blah in contributing to closing the loop in fashion? (on an individual level or at your company/brand's level!)

In what format?

Photos, videos, tweets, blogs- whatever medium works best for you!

When?

Preferably before October 20 (when Beyond Green takes place), but we welcome submissions at any time!

Why?

We want to shine a light on those initiatives, technologies, and good consumption practices that are contributing to closing the loop, beyond our own circle, and we want YOU to be part of this growing community of trailblazers.

Who can join?

Everyone is welcome to participate!

• Brands/companies/organisations working on closing the loop in fashion
• Recyclers or other innovators working on making technology a driving force for circular fashion
• Designers incorporating circular design principles into their work
• Students exploring circularity in their course
• Consumers promoting conscious consumption habits
• etc.

So tell us...

How do YOU go #beyondblahblah?

What exactly lies in the average Dutch closet? How often do the Dutch buy new items – and do they actually wear them? Or do new jackets and jeans just lie around in the bottom of their closets, gathering dust? The survey Measuring the Dutch Clothing Mountain; carried out by Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS), explored these questions (and more) and found that a Dutch closet typically contains 173 items of clothing, of which at least 50 have not been worn at all in the past year. Because unnecessary purchases only worsen the impact of our shopping habits on the environment, the study also provides recommendations and best practices on how best to reduce and avoid these unnecessary purchases altogether.Little information is currently available on what 'The Clothing Mountain' in the Netherlands looks like. Figures from the GfK market research institute reveal that on average, the Dutch buy 46 new items of clothing, shoes, and accessories every year. The Dutch also throw out 40 items a year, according to figures from CSR Netherlands, Statistics Netherlands, and the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management. However, little information is available as to why they throw away the clothes they do; how they dispose of them; how early after purchase a piece of clothing will find its way to the incinerator; and in what condition (i.e. do the Dutch throw away clothes before the end of their useful life, or are their clothes so worn out that they can’t help but throw them away?)Field research creates new data and insights This lack of information led Saxion, CSR Netherlands, Sympany, Circle Economy, and Modint, to join AUAS, to undertake an initial exploration of the 'Dutch Clothing Mountain'. The researchers interviewed various textile waste collectors and sorters and analysed 200 kilos of clothing waste by type (man, woman, child, or unisex), colour, material composition, and condition (rewearable or non-rewearable). The researchers also carried out a closer inspection of the closets of fifty individuals. Though not representative of the entire Dutch population, the results nevertheless painted a revealing picture of the ‘average’ Dutch closet.

Underutilised and underappreciatedOf the 173 items in the average Dutch closet, roughly 50 items have not been worn in the past year. Of the forty items of clothing thrown away by each person every year, only nine are suitable for re-use. The rest either no longer fulfils the quality requirements necessary to be resold on the market or are not separately collected, and end up with the domestic waste.So where do we go from here? According to the researchers, we can significantly improve our relationship with the environment by reducing the volume of clothing we accumulate behind closed doors, and the study presents a number of low-threshold and effective recommendations to get there:

• Increase awareness: both consumers and the fashion industry must understand that fewer items of clothing contributes to a better environment.
• Encourage visualisation: Have consumers visualise their closets more often: what do I already own and what do I no longer need to buy?
• Take a fresh perspective: Take a new look at your clothing. What kind of new combinations can you create with the items you already own?
• Promote second-hand: Shopkeepers can add second-hand clothing to their offerings. By promoting second-hand purchases, items can be given a second life and will less frequently end up adding to the clothing mountain.

“We hope that the research will have a positive impact on the clothing mountain in the Netherlands”, says researcher Irene Maldini from AUAS’ Fashion, Research and Technology research group. Maldini is further studying the possibilities of reducing the Dutch clothing mountain for her doctoral research and considers these recommendations to be a great first step to effectively combat pollution of the environment.

September 28, 2017 -  Circle Economy is excited to announce the launch of its Built Environment programme.On September 27, Circle Economy hosted a Deep Dive into the built environment, where key industry players in the Netherlands - including Wim Beelen, Renewi, Architecten Cie, and BeingDevelopment - explored the solutions and action plans that the sector can already start working on to move towards circularity. Insights throughout the session were shared on Twitter and will be published in a recap shortly.  

The built environment  sector is one of the largest consumers of raw materials in the world, accounting for almost 50% of total resource use, 40% of CO2 emissions, and 30% of all water use in the Netherlands, for example. As of now, a staggering 41 billion tonnes of raw materials is extracted every year to serve the global construction sector, and this number is only bound to increase in coming years. As (mega)cities in countries like China and India continue to rise, and with 75% of the world’s population expected to live in urban areas by 2050, sustaining our housing and infrastructural needs will demand massive amounts of building materials. No supply will match this growing demand, however, unless we deconstruct and reimagine the terms and conditions of our built environment. Building on the experience Circle Economy has gained in the textiles industry, financing circular business models, and implementing circularity across cities, the Built Environment programme will now translate the bold vision that Circle Economy has been developing alongside its partners over the last few years into even bolder solutions and implementation plans.

“Circular construction is beyond the start-up phase. Companies and cities now need  practical and scalable solutions to reshape and create a future proof built environment.” — Harald Friedl, CEO at Circle Economy

The new programme will focus on two key strategies:

1. Preventing lock-in through thoughtful design
2. Optimising (material value) through transformative re-design

Circle Economy and ABN AMRO recently published the report “A Future Proof Built Environment”, where they explored how circularity in the construction industry is beginning to take shape, identified examples of how circular business models are being applied to the industry, and highlighted circularity's potential to future-proof the built environment. You can download the report here.Learn more about the Built Environment programme and get in touch here.[hr]

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