After years of development, testing and tireless innovation, the FIBERSORT consortium has received funding support from the European Commission INTERREG NWE programme to optimise, validate and launch the FIBERSORT technology in the global market. The FIBERSORT technology is the world's first automated sorting technology that is able to sort large volumes of mixed post-consumer textiles based on fiber composition of fabric. Commercialisation of the new technology will bring us one step closer to the closed-loop textiles industry that we so desperately need.
In November 2015, the FIBERSORT partner consortium, led by Circle Economy, submitted a phase 1 proposal for the ‘Market demonstration and validation of FIBERSORT technology’. Almost a year later, on Thursday September 15th, the FIBERSORT project was announced as one of the few projects that will be funded by the INTERREG NWE programme for the next three years. With the support of INTERREG in the form of EUR 2 million, the consortium will further optimise the machine and demonstrate and validate this pioneering technology in the market. The project partners will add an additional EUR 1.5 million in funding to the project.
"This funding is an essential to bringing the FIBERSORT technology to the next level.We are thrilled to be able to bring a key, enabling technology, for a closed loop textile industry, to the market” - Gwen Cunningham, Lead Circle Textiles, Circle Economy
The textiles industry is the second most polluting industry in the world and second largest consumer and polluter of water. That is why, over a year ago, Wieland Textiles, Valvan Baling Systems, Worn Again, Salvation Army ReShare and Circle Economy joined forces to address these issues through the Textile Sorting Project.In North-West Europe alone, 4.650 kt of textiles are discarded every year. That is the equivalent of 700 times the weight of the great pyramid of Giza! Of these discarded textiles a meagre 30% is collected, of which 40% is not suitable for re-wear and currently being downcycled. An initial analysis shows that 50% of the textiles collected ,that are not suitable for re-wear, could be diverted from downcycling into high-value recycling routes as a result of the FIBERSORT technology.To enable large scale, high-value recycling of textiles, there is a need for an effective technology that can sort textiles based on fiber composition; is capable of dealing with the complexity of the materials in circulation; and is able to process large volumes quickly. The FIBERSORT technology delivers exactly that. This unique technology is positioned to deliver two things. First, it reduces the need for virgin textile materials by enabling high-value (textile to textile) recycling. This will alleviate the environmental pressure of producing virgin materials. Second, it creates additional market value and business opportunities by developing a business case out of waste that currently would go to landfill, be incinerated or downcycled.
"We started the FIBERSORT after a visit to India, where I witnessed firsthand the incredible amounts of landfill, chemicals and child labour involved in dealing with our waste, I decided we needed to change the way we handle our discarded textiles. The FIBERSORT offers us the solution to find an alternative, high-value destination for our waste"- Hans Bon, Director, Wieland Textiles
Essential to the success of this project is the collaboration between the various stakeholders in the textile value chain. Within the partner consortium, the three value chain stakeholders that are needed to achieve the main objective and outputs are represented:
Always keeping in mind their motto, "The End of Trash!", RePack tackles packaging waste associated with e-commerce. It offers returnable and reusable packaging that rewards its users for every order. RePack sleeves are designed to be used for at least 20 times. Comparing one RePack to 20 disposable packages showed that RePack has a 50 % lower carbon footprint then throw away packages.
“Circularity and reuse are core values of RePack. We hope that together with Circle Economy we will be able to connect and partner with other like-minded companies that have circularity at the heart of their organisation. As a company based in Helsinki we sometimes feel removed from Europe's hotspots. That is why we look to partner with forward thinking organisations like Circle Economy to share our message about reusable packaging."- Jonne Hellgren, CEO RePack
Deliveries are packaged and shipped in reusable RePack sleeves and consumers return the sleeves by simply dropping them into any mailbox, anywhere in the world, free of charge. Once returned, customers are rewarded with a discount voucher to use at any company that uses RePack's sleeves.
“We are very happy to welcome RePack to our Membership! In addition to reducing packaging waste, their beautiful and simple designs are perfectly suited to support circular business, take-back schemes and reverse logistics models. In particular, we see these types of solutions as key to enabling a circular fashion industry. We look forward to working with RePack through the Circle Textiles Program and beyond.”- Gwen Cunningham, Lead Circle Textiles
Around 25 retailers are already using RePack! All participating stores, including our member MUD Jeans, can be found here. To learn more about RePack visit their website or watch their company video below.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arA_fGLh74g
The 2015 Paris Agreement united 195 countries behind a commitment to limit the rise of the earth’s average temperature to no more than 1.5C. In order to achieve this, global emissions must be cut by 26bn tonnes annually by 2030, according to UNEP. Unfortunately, the climate policy packages proposed thus far can only deliver about half the emission reductions that are needed. However, a recent report published by Circle Economy and Ecofys, illustrates how implementing the circular economy globally can help to reduce the remaining emissions by half.There is no doubt that climate change poses a significant risk to society, our planet and the ability for future generations to thrive. Increasingly, investors are moving funds and implementing mitigation strategies but in order to truly alleviate climate change, new paradigms must be explored. We must move beyond incremental improvements and reimagine the ways we generate and deliver goods and services. The focus on climate change and the reduction of emissions so far has rightfully been on renewables and efficiency improvements, yet the circular economy shifts our attention to retaining value and making efficient use of the resources we already have by re-entering them into a system that is continuous and long lasting. The shift away from fossil fuels to renewables has engaged investors, industry players and pioneering entrepreneurs. The next step requires a similar transition. One which addresses our material use and draws inspiration from companies like Spotify, Zipcar and Peerby.Here are the top five ways the circular economy can play a part in fighting climate change.
Roughly 60bn tonnes of raw materials are extracted from the earth annually. That is the equivalent of 22kgs per person per day. Half of these materials are the fuels we burn and the food we eat and a significant portion of the other half is used to build our homes, offices and roads. The remainder is used for a variety of products from cars and clothing to cleaning agents and personal care products. Of all these raw materials used by the global economy only 7% are reused. The circular economy, as a principle, promotes the reusing of materials through repair, refurbishment and upgrading. If a car engine can be taken out, upgraded, and installed back into the car as good as or even better than new, the opportunities for saving on materials is significant.
The cement industry alone is responsible for approximately 5% of current emissions globally. In order to incentivise energy efficiency measures, typical climate policies focus on reducing emissions per tonne of cement produced. This mentality only lessens the amount of emissions instead of finding a safe alternative for the product and too often ignores other solutions such as substituting concrete or designing modular buildings.An example of this forward thinking approach is Park 20|20, a business estate in Amsterdam that strives for closed material, energy, waste and water cycles. During the construction of the building, modular materials were used so that they can be reused indefinitely. Alternatively the use of low-carbon alternative building materials like Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) are being used to construct skyscrapers such as the proposed 35-storey Baobab tower in Paris designed by Vancouver architect Michael Green.If cement and construction companies can take these innovative approaches into account, they can engage in the circular economy while future-proofing their business.
In developed countries, 55% to 65% of greenhouse gas emissions are related to the extraction, transport and processing of raw materials, according to the OECD (pdf). Increasing circularity means reducing our dependence on raw materials and results in a reduction in the amount of energy needed to extract, transport and process these materials. As energy needs in these stages decrease so too does the need for energy infrastructure, pipelines, coal terminals and refineries. Although we’re far from ending our reliance on fossil fuels, this would free up material embedded in our fossil energy infrastructure for other purposes and create a positive domino effect from one sector into another.
An often heard counterargument is that although improved efficiency reduces costs it also leads to increased demand. This rebound effect has been studied in detail in regards to energy efficiency and it has been found that only 5% to 30% of the efficiency gains are lost through greater use. This rebound effect is likely to be similar for resource efficiency.
Established business models are beginning to be replaced and the circular economy is adding to the increased momentum of this new, disruptive age. Physical services are being replaced by online equivalents, effectively dematerialising services. For example, in the music industry, compact discs have essentially been replaced by unlimited access to music online, thanks to iTunes, Spotify, and even now obsolete websites such as Myspace. This reduction in material use due to service delivery is optimising resource use and maximising value.This article was originally published on The Guardian.
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