With our partners ABN AMRO, AMFI, HEMA and the City of Amsterdam, the festival jointly hosted four challenges on themes of urgent importance: promoting access over ownership, the role of fashion education, single-use plastics, and organic waste recovery.
In preparation for the event, from December 19 to January 21, we crowdsourced more than 400 ideas and insights from a global community of students, citizens, entrepreneurs, and countless other industry professionals. The Circle Economy team identified and clustered all submissions into key areas of opportunity that served to inspire and support the development of new solutions at the Beyond Next challenge workshops.
Below are the four solutions that were presented on stage at the festival:
This is the story of why Balloons Blow and Straws Suck. 3/4 of three to twelve year old kids in the Netherlands throw a birthday party every year. Because most of the party necessities out there today are made of single-use plastic, these parties produce an estimated one million kilos of plastic waste. The production of this amount of plastic alone creates the same CO2 emissions as a full Boeing 787 flying between Amsterdam and New York 25 times!
What if HEMA would provide us with the opportunity to rent a party? This would not only be good news for the environment, it would also be a great service. Imagine — you go to HEMA’s website, and you just order the party you like: a kid’s birthday party, a BBQ party, a HEMA wedding! Of course you can customise your party: you pick your kid’s favourite theme, such as “Princess”, “Badman” or “Ajax”, and you click on what you need, and on the amount you need: 6 banners, 25 cups, 15 plates, 10 dresses, 10 hats, 50 balloons. You can get it delivered, or you can pick it up yourself at a HEMA in your neighbourhood. At the end of the day you just put all the cutlery and party props back in a box, and you have it brought back to HEMA.
Check out the other solutions that were developed at Beyond Next for this challenge on Circle Lab >
On average, children have 70+ toys and parents spend over €6,000 on toys over the lifetime of their kids. Children demand different toys at different age levels, and the experience is that they outgrow their toys quickly. Next to this, many kids have a few favourite toys and the majority of their 70+ toys is never used. A real cost to the environment.
To save the environment, to unburden parents and free up space in the house and to shift mindsets as early as possible, Toybox provides a toys-as-a-service proposition where parents can subscribe to starting from €20 a month. Storage, logistics, cleaning, refurbishing/repair when needed is all taken care of by Toybox. Parents can decide themselves how long they would like to keep a certain toy. Both online and via pop-up location toy exchanging can take place. Sharing toys will teach children the circular mindset!
Check out the other solutions that were developed at Beyond Next for this challenge on Circle Lab >
For current and next generation fashion professionals (AMFI students, AMFI staff and AMFI alumni), who are lacking the latest knowledge on circularity and sustainability, and the skills to put that knowledge into practice, the Leadership Learning Circle is a training and re-training programme that builds leadership skills and expertise on circular innovation, via workshops, masterclasses, field trips and real life case studies.
Neither students, teachers nor present day fashion professionals are equipped to deal with the new fashion reality. We must all go back to school. Instead of siloed efforts to educate and re-educate, we should be conducting this future-proof training at once, with students, staff and fashion professionals around the same table. In addition to hard skills and content knowledge, we also recognised that leadership skills are critically needed to activate this new found expertise in a practical way and incite change within a project, classroom, or brand.
The LLC will combine the two. The LLC is an intensive 1-year programme in AMFI that jointly retrains a collective of students, educators and fashion industry professionals, therefore enabling life-long learning. The reality school concept remains core to the programme, as students and staff will be imbedded in the brands that are participating (1 day per week) and the fashion professionals will be embedded in AMFI (1 day per week). In addition, the group will ‘learn by doing’ through continual experiential field trips and masterclasses.
Check out the other solutions that were developed at Beyond Next for this challenge on Circle Lab >
70% of restaurants throw out 50% of their organic waste, 65% of food SMEs in Amsterdam don’t know how to close the loop, and, according the the AMEC, the number of small scale food associated producers are rapidly increasing.
To connect supply and demand, divert organic waste, and close the loop on organic waste for Amsterdam’s small independent food businesses by 2025, Afval Afhaal (“Waste Collection”) uses local street sweepers (an existing infrastructure in Amsterdam) to pick up organic waste from small scale food producers and SMEs and deliver it to producers who need it. An online database or marketplace enables registered businesses to list their resources and find raw materials for their own production, and incentive schemes with partnering organisations would encourage adoption.
Check out the other solutions that were developed at Beyond Next for this challenge on Circle Lab >
We are currently developing roadmaps for each of these solutions with our challenge partners and will keep you up to date on progress made over the next year through Circle Lab, but we encourage you to start your own project around one of these themes!
Keen to work on one of these ideas in your own city? Get in touch with us! >
Together with the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) we welcomed a host of circularity frontrunners to Amsterdam on the 7th and 8th of February during Beyond Next, the first circularity festival.
True to our style, we designed the event with an emphasis on practical steps to accelerate the transition to the circular economy. Beyond Next brought together a great mix of industry professionals and the next generation of young talent for two days of speeches, panel discussions and challenge workshops.
The festival created a unique blend of inspiration and problem-solving. Half of the 650 tickets were reserved for students, whose contributions made the forum so unique. Our theme of ‘Shifting Mindsets’ attracted wide support. We are especially grateful to our four partners, ABN Amro, HEMA, AMFI and the City of Amsterdam.
The programme kicked off with a series of industry workshops at ABN Amro’s circular ‘living lab’ in Amsterdam’s business district, also known as the Circl in the Zuidas district. The pavilion itself is constructed entirely on circular principles. For example, the insulation consists of fibres re-purposed from 16,000 pairs of old denim jeans donated by the bank’s employees. The lift is leased from the manufacturer on a pay-per-use basis.
The second part of Beyond Next took place at HEMA headquarters in north Amsterdam. In response to the alarming plastic pollution in our oceans, the Dutch retail chain has set itself a mission to become a part of the solution in tackling the problem. HEMA has banned plastic straws, coffee spoons and stirrers from its stores and aims to reduce plastic packaging in their store by 25 per cent in 2025 and 100 per cent recycled or bioplastic in 2025 for all products.
In the same spirit, we wanted to walk the talk at Beyond Next. For our event, we took a number of initiatives to reduce plastic and organic waste from the festival. Catering company Catering Lokaal supported our goals. Not only did they ensure that participants were fuelled by delicious, locally-made and sustainable foods, but they also created an on-site marketplace for leftover ingredients that we could bring home to reduce food waste at the end of the event. Participants were invited to bring their own water bottles to refill, as no bottled water was supplied.
More than 40 speakers joined our keynote sessions and panel discussions — a sequence of inspiring, motivational, and at times jaw-dropping speeches on themes related to the circular economy and sustainability.
Kate Raworth, bestselling author of Doughnut Economics, highlighted the importance of shifting from the 20th-century extractive mindset — focused on extracting financial value — to a 21st-century generative mindset focused on qualitative benefits for people and planet.
Frans van Houten, CEO of Phillips, explained that circular principles have transformed customer relationships in the medical equipment sector. By retaining ownership of its devices, Philips is now in the business of selling benefits instead of machines.
With our partners ABN AMRO, AMFI, HEMA and the City of Amsterdam, the festival jointly hosted four challenges on themes of urgent importance to each partner. These were: product-as-a-service, fashion education, single-use plastics, and organic waste in a circular city.
In preparation for the event, from December 19 to January 21, we crowdsourced more than 400 ideas and insights from a global community of students, citizens, entrepreneurs, and countless other industry professionals. The Circle Economy team identified and clustered all submissions into key themes that served to support the development of new solutions at the Beyond Next challenge workshops.
Once again, we would like to give our heartfelt thanks to all participants for making the circularity festival a huge success. We hope that the ideas generated from Beyond Next will be taken beyond Beyond Next! Watch this space for more on the winning ideas of the workshop challenges, key learnings from the Exploration Track and of course more pictures from the event! Please, stay in the loop!
The Limburg Energy Fund (“LEF”), a regional investment fund established by the Province of Limburg, is the first of its kind to join Circle Economy's membership community.
LEF has a mandate to support sustainability in or for Limburg. The fund has received €90 mln from the Province of Limburg and the European Investment Bank. It provides subordinated and senior debt, and equity financing, to projects that contribute to CO2 reduction, renewable energy, energy efficiency, resource efficiency, waste or asbestos reduction.
"We are very proud and happy to welcome LEF as our latest member. They lead by example, currently financing various circular projects. Their ambition, specific circular focus and experience will be of great value for the work we do within Circle Economy"
- Fieke de Haan, Lead Circle Finance Programme
With this mandate, LEF is the first regional investment fund with a specific circular focus, stimulating retention of value from residues of biological, technical and energy cycles and improving the efficient use or re-use of resources.
“The Limburg Energy Fund pledges to contribute to further growth of the circular economy. LEF has financed more than €20 mln in circular projects, mobilizing more than €100 mln in private sector funding. By joining other members of the Circle Economy community, we will share knowledge and hope to step up our financing of circular projects”
-- Philip Tan, Director Limburg Energy Fund
Four examples of circular projects financed by the Limburg Energy Fund
Its time to wake up to the opportunities of the circular economy. In the 12 months since we launched our first Circularity Gap Report, resource extraction and greenhouse gas emissions have continued to increase.
Key indications confirm that the problems of the linear economy are engrained in our global system. We are headed in the wrong direction.
Today we have launched the second annual Circularity Gap Report in which we position the circular economy as a tool for the paradigm shift we so desperately need. It offers the prospect of a global economy which is regenerative and abundant.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGZK_uSvjfA
The 'Building Value' report launched today demonstrates the radical potential in the built environment to accelerate the circular economy. The industry should re-think how to calculate value in buildings and how to finance them.
This report identifies key reforms to current methods of valuation and financing to stimulate circular construction. An alternative pathway is mapped from a case study of the Fridtjof Nansenhof social housing project in Amsterdam, due for redevelopment in 2020.
The report is a collaboration between Circle Economy, Sustainable Finance Lab, ING, Allen & Overy, Eigen Haard, The Royal Netherlands Institute of Chartered Accountants (NBA), Alfa Accountants and Advisors, Madaster, Arcadis, Arup, and DOOR architecten, co-funded by Nederland Circulair! The participants formed a Community of Practice (CoP), to develop relevant, transferable tools to guide circular construction.
Rethinking Construction: one building, six layers
The report argues that each building should be conceived as six individual layers, each with their own lifespan. Applying circular principles, strategies can be developed to maintain the value of each layer.
The EPM hierarchy
Value can be maintained within each of the six layers by prioritizing reuse in this order: elements, products, materials (EPM). New business models, such as Product-as-a-Service, enable effective reuse of EPMs.
Market for reusable elements
Prioritizing reuse will require a developed market for building elements. Technology has enabled actors within the built environment to increasingly collect, store and exchange data. Reliable governance of EPM data is essential to respect privacy, security and transparency.
The business case
Accurate valuation of individual layers and EPMs is key. The Community of Practice conducted a scenario building exercise to compare the long term (financial) performance of circular features for two building layers. The business case is shown to be highly dependent on assumptions for factors including depreciation, discount rates, lifespan and market development.
Valuing circular construction
Distinguishing between building layers, when realizing the value on the balance sheet, is necessary to explicitly show the value of layers and EPMs as part of the overall value. The traditional emphasis on location value as part of the total value has eclipsed the importance of building layers and EPMs. These factors should be reported separately on the balance sheet to guide investment decisions.
"Separating location and building elements on the balance sheet should result in a different way of valuing and financing buildings when the developing market for repurposed building elements is more established.”
Jan van der Doelen, Sector Banker Building & Construction, Real Estate at IN
Bringing future value into present financing
Financiers play a crucial role in identifying and mitigating risks in the transition to a circular economy. Circular business models capture value over a longer time horizon, reflected in higher future values. Investment decisions should assess this future value: "The business case of a circular construction project is based on the ambition to reduce our demand for natural resources. If a small extra investment results in increased flexibility of the building in the long-term, then it is a smart investment. This long-term investment vision could be further incentivised if financiers make circular construction an investment criterium.” says Dries Wijte, Manager Back Office Finance at Eigen Haard.
Next steps
On the 16th of January the Community of Practise hosted an event, inviting industry professionals to further the conversation and challenge the report findings with the market. Several of the CoP partners have already committed to continue to build on the knowledge and support the implementation of a circular built environment.
Interested in winning a free trip to Amsterdam and attend Beyond Next, including travel and accommodation? Interested in contributing to a circular economy with your research and ideas? Well read on, because we have partnered with Amsterdam Fashion Institute, ABN AMRO, Gemeente Amsterdam and HEMA to run challenges to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.
You can now submit existing research, facts and figures, inspirational examples, and other key insights related to these challenges. The challenges cover four major themes of education, product as a service, organic waste in a circular city, and single use plastics.
We will synthesise and openly share the results of this crowd-based exploration on Circle Lab, the online platform for the circular economy, for everyone to find inspiration in, learn from, and use in developing new solutions.
These results will also support attendees of the Beyond Next Challenge Track as they ideate and prototype new solutions to the challenges throughout the two-day festival.
THE PRIZE
Send in some research and you could win a free trip including entry tickets worth €150 and accommodation and travel expenses up to €1,000!
Eight winners will be chosen based on a combination of the number and the quality of their contributions.
For more information on the challenges and how to contribute, check out the challenges below:
Beyond Ownership >
How can we promote access over ownership in the household?
Brought to you by ABN AMRO
Beyond Plastics >
How can we transition to a system free of single-use plastics?
Brought to you by HEMA
Beyond Education >
How can fashion education equip students for a ‘new reality’?
Brought to you by the Amsterdam Fashion Institute
Beyond Leftovers >
How can we effectively collect and use organic waste throughout the city?Brought to you by the Gemeente Amsterdam
Cities and regions hold huge potential for circular disruption. Their secret weapon? Policy! Circle Economy is excited to share 300+ examples of circular policies from over 40+ countries to the Knowledge Hub - the world’s largest open-access case study library of circular initiatives, technologies, and now, policies. By sharing practical examples of circular policies, cities and policymakers throughout the world can share their knowledge and expertise to overcome the barriers towards a circular future. The collection of inspiring cases have been collected in collaboration with ICLEI, and with the support of the Goldschmeding Foundation.
Visit the Knowledge Hub for Cities
Breaking down the barriers to circular knowledge
In 2017, Circle Economy recognised the huge need for a single location that assembles practical knowledge, expertise and example of circular solutions that are proven to work. The solution? The Knowledge Hub - the world’s largest case study database of circular businesses, initiatives - and, now, circular policy is added to that list. The platform provides an open-access platform for cities and policymakers to connect and further share their experience and expertise on circular policy.
Throughout the world, successful circular policies are blooming. Yet, all too often, this knowledge and experiences of these circular policies are held in silos, hidden away. Now, the Knowledge Hub for circular policy aims to break down these walls.
300+ circular cases across 40+ countries
Building upon the policy framework created by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2015, the 300+ circular policies span 25+ policy instruments that are boosting the transition to a circular economy throughout the world; from circular procurement to collaboration platforms; landfill bans to green bonds. To give a taste of some of the innovative circular policies that can be found on the Knowledge Hub, here are three inspiring examples from European cities and regions;
As the recognition of the circular economy continues to grow, globally, so too will the library of circular policies in the Knowledge Hub. Open-access and collaborative, this digital platform will continue to empower and inspire a global community of circular changemakers. We invite cities and policymakers to share their knowledge, experiences and best practices on circular policies to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy.
There is an abundance of theoretical knowledge on the advantages of new disruptive emerging technologies such as blockchain, but it is much harder to prove the actual benefits in practice. In the next 3 - 6 months, a consortium made up of Circle Economy, Sustainable Finance Lab, Nederland Circulair!, Rabobank, Bundles, Allen & Overy, ING,ABN Amro, Leystromen and De Lage Landen are bringing together enabling knowledge, technology and experts to test the possibilities of Blockchain for circular pay-per-use models in a Community of Practice. This Community of Practice (CoP) will explore how Blockchain technology can facilitate circular pay-per-use models. The CoP, co-funded by NederlandCirculair!, will pilot Bundles, a circular company that offers pay-per-use washing machines, on a Blockchain platform developed by Rabobank. Access instead of ownership is seen as one of the potential drivers for the transition towards a circular economy. Pay-per-use models are facilitating this shift and are widely seen as an important tool to put a circular economy into practice. In pay-per-use models, customers pay for the use of a product instead of possession. This model creates incentives for products that last, stimulates value chains to work together and places more responsibility on producers for the collection, processing and reuse of products.The challengeHowever, financing pay-per-use businesses is a challenge as the product is not sold, the payback period is longer, creating higher (upfront) capital requirements. In addition, transaction costs for each 'use' of the product are often high due to the high administrative burdens. And as a large number of (chain) partners are involved in the complex material, information and money flows, there is an urgent need to establish a fluent operational payment infrastructure.Bundles is such a circular company that tries to cope with all these challenges. The company offers clean laundry in a 'hybrid use model' in which the user pays 40 cents per wash on top of a fixed monthly fee. Ideally, however, Bundles would offer its customers a greater variety of prices for the use of short, long, cold or warm wash programmes, or the ability to differentiate between sustainable or unsustainable, loyal or flexible users. This way, sustainable use and maintenance of the washing machine can be even further incentivised.The potential solutionTo facilitate this need, Rabobank has set up a platform with the functionality of a virtual currency that allows for micro-payments and smart contracts for pay-per-use models. If this enables 'real-time' micro-payments at low transaction costs, Bundles' circular ambitions can become a reality. Moreover, financing would become easier because payments are automated and more reliable... Follow the challenge virtually on www.circle-lab.com!We also invite other entrepreneurs, financial institutions, blockchain experts, and other interested parties to contribute to this effort on Circle Lab, Circle Economy's open-source platform for cities, businesses, and citizens to learn more about and engage with the circular economy. The contributions collected during the online challenge will bridge insights from the crowd with those of the CoP. If the pilot is successful it could be groundbreaking for Bundles, and therefore for the circular economy. [cta link="https://circle-lab.com/group/25/ideas"]Explore the Challenge[/cta][hr]For more information about the CoP Blockchain for Circular Pay-per-Use: elisa@circle-economy.comFor press inquiries: melanie@circle-economy.com To stay updated: sign-up for our newsletter. [hr]
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