Can circular business models like resale and rental deliver the radical change the apparel industry needs?
In this episode of the 'Big Closets Small Planet' podcast, host Michael Schragger invites our Circle Textiles Programme Lead Gwen Cunningham, Jeff Denby (The Renewal Workshop) and Sam Gilick (WRAP) to cast a critical eye on circular apparel business models.
Are you interested in the challenges and opportunities facing circular fashion? Then this episode is for you: https://lnkd.in/d6-rmji
The Hague, the Netherlands, June 3rd 2020: All countries must measure and share data on the circularity of their economies if the world is to prevent global climate disaster, warns Circle Economy as it publishes its latest report, The Circularity Gap Report, the Netherlands.
Earlier this year, Circle Economy’s study The Circularity Gap Report 2020, found that the global economy is only 8.6% circular. This means that over 90% of the resources that enter the economy—100 billion tonnes per year—are wasted. The report made clear the vital importance of countries as key change agents—they have the power to correct the negative trend.
Today’s new report takes this further by looking in detail at the Dutch economy—already leaders in the circular transition—in a way that can provide a blueprint for how any country can assess and make progress towards circularity. Global circularity can only increase if more countries conduct similar studies, say the report authors. This can foster global collaboration to collect and share data needed to measure and track circular performance, and provide the necessary infrastructure and alliances to collectively implement a circular future.
The goal of a circular economy is to establish an ecologically safe and socially just operating space for humanity. It reinforces the climate agenda because it ensures all materials stay cycled in the economy and does not allow for the use of fossil fuels. And 2020 is a key year for progress. The covid-19 pandemic has swept the world and further exposed the limits to linearity; an economy that is fragile and not resilient to shocks and crises. In building back the economy, circularity must be firmly on national and global agendas.
We can achieve a great deal for our planet and society with an overhaul of our economic systems. Whilst global circularity is low and going in reverse, countries have the power to correct the negative trend. National governments, NGOs and academics must grasp the opportunity to evaluate how circular their local contexts are, and then share this knowledge. We risk global disaster if resource consumption continues to spiral unchecked. The time for action is now.
– Marc de Wit, lead author of the report and director of global alliances at Circle Economy.
When it comes to a circular economy, we are all developing countries. No country, as of yet, satisfies the basic needs of its citizens within the ecological boundaries of the planet, warns Circle Economy.
The report shows how countries can power the transition to circularity. They have the mandate to develop national legislation which creates an enabling environment. Alongside this, as lead investors in infrastructure, government buildings and assets, their procurement strategy can kick-start circularity at scale. They are also the leading actors in supranational and multilateral coordination, via alliances such as the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union.
But in principle, all countries are unique when it comes to their ecological footprint and ability to provide for their people. The authors say that tailored blueprints for action based on the analysis of national material footprints will deliver the best results. This will enable countries to translate global climate mitigation goals into national pathways for action. A tailored Circularity Metric allows for measurement of progress and goal-setting.
The Dutch government currently has one of the most ambitious goals for circularity—aiming for a fully circular economy by 2050. Its progress can help inspire others and provide ideas for action.
Today’s report finds that the Dutch economy is currently 24.5% circular. Whilst this number may appear to be better than many other countries around the world, major overhauls to the framework of the national economy will be necessary to achieve the government’s ambitions. Crucially, the report identifies four key recommendations that would result in reducing the materials consumption of the Netherlands by over 128 million tonnes, and help the economy to go from 24.5% to 70% circular. The recommendations include:
Circle Economy calls on governments, businesses, NGOs and academics around the world to conduct their own Circularity Gap Reports to facilitate the deep, but urgently needed, transformation. In a major move forward for its sustainability agenda, Norway is collaborating with Circle Economy to launch The Circularity Gap Report Norway later in 2020.
The figure of over 90% of materials being ‘wasted’: This includes resources that are never reused by the economy (fossil fuel emissions and incinerated resources), lost (rubber and plastic that wears off car tyres with use), and embedded in the built environment.
Circle Economy assesses the volume of waste that is recycled by using the most recent national figures on volumes of waste generated, collected and treated, or extrapolating them from demographic and economic data when information is not available. It uses reported treatment shares to quantify the volume that is recovered, recycled, sent to landfill and incineration.
The report was made possible due to funding from the Goldschmeding Foundation for People, Work and Economy.
The report has garnered the support of multiple high profile endorsers including:
“What gets measured, gets managed. And what gets managed, gets done. This illustrates the importance of this study. Although it is practically impossible to be 100% complete and accurate, this study gives a clear signal that our efforts to create a new, circular economy needs to step up because we are still missing out on a lot of business opportunities with a societal benefit.” Maria van der Heijden, director at CSR the Netherlands.
“The transition to a circular economy is much needed: from a sustainable and socio-economic perspective. This report provides valuable insights and inspiration to spark the necessary discussion of what a circular future for the Netherlands could look like and the skills needed to make it a reality.” Mariette Hamer, chairwoman at the Social and Economic Council.
“The Dutch government’s ambitious target to be fully circular by 2050 means that policymakers and businesses must join forces; we have to do this together. The baseline assessment and future scenarios sketched in this report provide a good starting point to drive both the discussion and collaboration needed to enable a circular Netherlands.” Dimitri de Vreeze, co-ceo at DSM.
“The insights in the Circularity Gap Report demonstrates why it is important to strengthen our circular economy. Together with the larger cities in the world, Amsterdam should be a leading example and a driving force in this transition. To achieve our sustainability goals we must look further than city limits and country borders.” Marieke van Doorninck, deputy mayor at City of Amsterdam.
“This report introduces a much-needed national yardstick for the transition towards 50% circularity in 2030. It also highlights the urgent need to start thinking differently about ‘work’ in the circular economy. The fact-based scenarios provide an interesting outlook on circular jobs and skills, and highlight the need for new training and education programs. Goldschmeding Foundation is proud to be the funding partner of Circle Economy for this first edition of the Dutch Circularity Gap Report.” Michiel de Wilde, member executive board at Goldschmeding Foundation for People, Work and Economy.
For more information, please visit: www.circularity-gap.world/methodology
Further information and interview requests:
Laxmi Haigh, press@circle-economy.com
Interviews available with:
Marc de Wit, Director of Strategic Alliances, Circle Economy
In January 2018, the first Circularity Gap Report was published during the World Annual Forum in Davos. This first report established that our world is only 9.1% circular, leaving a massive circularity gap. It also provided a framework and fact-base to measure and monitor progress in bridging the global circularity gap. In January 2020 the third edition of the Circularity Gap Report was launched, reiterating that our global economy is stuck in reverse and failing people and the planet.
Today, our efforts to measure the circular economy have grown into the Circularity Gap Reporting Initiative. The Initiative delivers an annual global circularity metric that measures the state of the world economy and identifies key levers to transition to global circularity. It also provides insights into the circularity gap of individual countries and sectors. In 2019, we launched the first investigation into a national economy with the Circularity Gap Report for Austria. To improve the analysis and recommendations of all reports, the Initiative will form a Global Data Alliance focused on using data as a force for good.
The Initiative will continue to bring together global, cross-sector stakeholders from academia, businesses, NGOs and governments to input, evaluate and endorse the authoritative annual report.
www.circularity-gap.world
We work to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. As an impact organisation, we work to identify opportunities to turn circular economy principles into practical reality. With nature as our mentor, we combine practical insights with scalable responses to humanity’s greatest challenges. Our vision is economic, social and environmental prosperity without compromising the future of our planet. Our mission is to connect and empower a global community in business, cities and governments to create the conditions for systemic transformation. More than 50 businesses are now part of our membership community (from large multinationals to active SMEs and innovative start-ups) with whom we co-create practical and scalable solutions, making the circular economy happen. In addition, we work with cities, governments, CSOs, NGO’s, advisory boards and intergovernmental bodies.
Follow us on social media:
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Circleeconomy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/1671305
Twitter: https://twitter.com/circleeconomy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/circleeconomy/
New CEO announced at Circle Economy
Amsterdam, May 28, 2020 – Today, Circle Economy announced Martijn Lopes Cardozo as its new Chief Executive Officer. Martijn has been a board member of Circle Economy since 2015 and has led the organisation as interim CEO over the last 4 months.
Robert-Jan van Ogtrop, Chairman of the Supervisory Board: “We are very pleased that Martijn has accepted our offer to join the organisation full-time. In the last couple of months he has shown his leadership skills during these uncertain times and has gained the trust from the organisation and its partners. We are very much looking forward to working with him and the team for the next chapter of Circle Economy”
Martijn Lopes Cardozo: “I am thrilled to join an international high performance team to accelerate the practical and scalable implementation of the circular economy. We are now at a unique point in time to build back better an economy and society that is resilient and regenerative and that serves people and the planet.”
Martijn is a serial entrepreneur who has built a number of successful companies in software, mobile and digital media in California. After he came back to the Netherlands he decided to focus his energy on transitioning the world from a “take, make and dispose” linear economy to a circular economy in which materials can be upcycled and re-used. The last six years he has served as the CEO of Black Bear, a circular economy company that retrieves high value materials from end-of-life tires. Martijn is also an entrepreneur-in-residence with YES!Delft and serves on the boards of Circle Economy and Parkbee. He is a frequent speaker at conferences such as TEDx and Start-up fest. Martijn holds an MSc in Applied Physics from TU Delft and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Circle Economy is launching the “Circularity Gap Report” for the Netherlands on June 3rd after launching the global report in January during the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Circle Economy is pleased to be collaborating with Tevi to support the business community in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly with the tools and expertise for the region to implement a circular economy!
The collaboration is structured around three projects:
Tevi (Cornish for ‘grow’) is a business support project operating across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly seeking to help enterprises integrate environmental growth and circular economy thinking into their business activities in order to drive business innovation and improve resource efficiency.
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Through this collaboration, we aim to build the knowledge and skills required to support the transition to a circular economy in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, increase local SME awareness of the circular economy and create a path towards sustainable ways of living for society, economy and the environment.
Keen to learn more about this project? Contact us through our general contact form.
Back in July 2019, together with Circular Norway, we kick-started a Circle Scan of the Kongsvinger region. Today, we share preliminary results of the first two phases of the scan, where we scoped the inner material workings of the region and pinpointed the sector that holds the greatest potential for impact in the circular transition: the built environment.
We are now entering the last two phases of the scan, where we co-create an action agenda for the region’s circular transition and look to establish pilot projects around it. Would you like to play a role in the creation of a more circular built environment chain in the Kongsvinger region?
Do you know what's in your clothes?
As Fashion Revolution Week unfolds with a new campaign this week, it turns out the answer to the question is not as straightforward as it might seem!
We were commissioned by the Dutch Ministry for Infrastructure and Waterways to investigate the accuracy of composition labels in clothes. Using the #Fibersort machine, we tested over 10.000 garments: in 41 percent of cases the garment composition labels did not match the composition of the garment. Only 34 percent of clothes we tested claimed the right amount of cotton content– the rest either overestimated or underestimated this amount.
Read the full report.
Learn more in this blog written by Hilde van Duijn, Project Manager at Circle Economy.
We stand in solidarity with everyone affected by the pandemic. Covid-19 has plunged the entire world into a state of flux. Today, we are more aware than ever of the interdependencies binding our natural, social and economic systems. We are all connected and only as strong as our most vulnerable citizens.
Business as usual is failing both people and the planet. The covid-19 pandemic has further exposed how the linear economy cripples economic resilience, exacerbates social inequality and depletes natural resources. Under the collective experience of the pandemic, there has never been a more salient time to imagine a more sustainable ‘new normal’.
The circular economy allows us to collectively reimagine and redesign our world. As we reflect on what this redesign could mean for a post-pandemic world, one critical question is: How can the circular economy shape a more resilient, socially just and environmentally safe world?
This is an open invitation to share your reflections. As the situation continues to unfold, we call on our readers, partners, stakeholders and community to join us in an open dialogue and together navigate the transition to a safe and just post-pandemic world. We will be using the hashtag #circularpostcovid to share our thoughts, questions and ideas around the subject, and invite you to do the same.
If all the world’s a stage, now is a time to retrain the actors, adapt the script and rewrite the story.
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Following this open letter, we published a series of reflections on covid-19 and the circular economy, which you can find below.
An overview: Opportunities and reflections In light of rising inequality, climate breakdown and fragile economies, how could the circular economy shape a more resilient, socially just and environmentally safe world?
What has the pandemic unearthed about the labour market and the circular economy? Widespread lockdowns have been devastating for many sectors and workers have felt the brunt of this. A just transition for workers must drive post-covid recovery.
Beyond the pandemic, a new materialism awaits fashion The fast-paced mass production in fashion has been hit hard as consumer spending has abated. Could this influence responsible consumption in the long-term?
How circular design can help us in times of crisis
Reuse, repair and refurbish have the potential to alleviate shortages in healthcare.
Where are we coming from and where are we going in the post-pandemic age? We have seen green initiatives being both fast-tracked and paused during the pandemic: what does this mean for renewable energy?
The tragedy to end all tragedies of the commons? Could the crisis accelerate value shifts toward the environment that were already underway in many societies?
Transforming cities into thriving circular societies: Five lessons from covid-19 Impacts of the pandemic have not been distributed equally among communities and this has been starkly exposed in cities.
All business can benefit from resilience, regardless of size The covid-19 pandemic has shown that value chains can be disrupted by surprise. How can SMEs build a buffer against future crises and threats?
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