ALL NEWS & UPDATES

POLICY INTERVENTIONS THAT HELP FINANCE THE CIRCULAR TRANSITION

In 2016, The Dutch government set ambitious goals for a transition to circularity, aiming for a fully circular economy by 2050 and halving the use of raw materials by 2030.In a joint policy paper, Sustainable Finance Lab and Circle Economy outline the monumental task that the Dutch government is facing, including the financial bottlenecks that are impeding the circular transition and what the government can do to remedy this.Four bottlenecks that block the financing of the circular transitionFour main bottlenecks that slow down the financing of the circular transition have been identified:

1. Externalities. Producers and users of non-circular products do not pay the full price for the costs they incur, although these costs have a real price tag. At the moment, these expenses are not covered by the polluter, leading to a perceived lower financial return for circular initiatives.
2. Innovation risks and -spillovers. Innovation is indispensable for the circular transition. Innovative products and projects are associated with higher risks, which are hard for investors to calculate. In addition, there is a lack of equity (risk capital) in the Dutch financial landscape to finance innovative circular initiatives.
3. Transition risks and coordination problems. Besides the 'normal' risk of innovation, there are the further increased risks of system innovation in which many parties are interdependent. From product design to retail, the entire value chain must be geared to the circulation of components and materials. This requires a high degree of coordination and thus a system change.
4. Lack of knowledge and wrong incentives in the financial sector. Financial professionals must understand and adapt to the new circular way of working, products, services and business models. In addition, the financial sector has its own dynamic with incentives that  lead to short-term strategies that are often related to the linear system.

A selection of the promising roles for the Dutch government

The government can partially remedy these bottlenecks with the financial instruments at its disposal. With these instruments, the government can influence the innovation and transition system and thus create a better circular climate for businesses.

Inspired by foreign circular policy, and the lessons learned from the energy transition, Sustainable Finance Lab and Circle Economy have identified promising policy interventions that the Dutch government can take. Interventions that are currently not, or only partially, fulfilled. A selection of possible policy interventions include:

• Pricing externalities by increasing existing taxes on waste handling and energy usage, or introducing a Waste Trading Scheme (WTS) such as the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) implemented for the energy transition. Such a WTS is a trading system that introduces a maximum (ceiling) to waste generation, ideally determined by the capacity of the earth for absorbing (different types of) waste. These tradable rights determine the market price for negative linear external effects. Similar tradable rights can be issued for the use of resources, where the ceiling should be based on the renewable nature of the resource in question.
• Competitions to evoke circular innovation. The government can encourage circular innovative breakthroughs by writing out competitive rewards. There are still a lot of circular challenges to come up with, just think of the enormous challenge we have to prevent, process and ‘circularizing’ plastic.
• Enforce minimum guarantee periods.The government can give direction to market parties through rules and regulations, reducing uncertainty for financiers. For example, in France penalties can be incurred when designing products for 'planned obsolescence'.
• The government as a financier. With the establishment of InvestNL, the Netherlands will have a public investment institution. This too can become an important tool for achieving circular objectives.
• The financial sector itself. It is important to recognize the financial sector itself as an indispensable part of the innovation system. It is crucial that financial professionals have sufficient knowledge of circularity. The government can stimulate circular investment decisions through knowledge development and dissemination of circular business models, circular opportunities and linear risks. The financial sector can be steered towards a more long-term vision through rules and regulations.

For a comprehensive list of circular policy instruments, the associated advantages and disadvantages and the research questions that must be answered in order to come to concrete recommendations, download the report here (In Dutch only).[cta link="https://circle-economy.com/financial-policy-interventions"]Download the Dutch report[/cta]

A practical toolkit for Product-as-a-Service models

Amsterdam, 08.01.2018.Today Sustainable Finance Lab, Circle Economy, Fairphone, PGGM, ING, ABN AMRO, NBA,  Allen & Overy, and Circularise, have teamed up within a Community of Practice and launch the report The Circular Phone that provides practical answers to common financing pitfalls for circular businesses, using Fairphone as the real-life example. All learnings and contract templates created during the project are now available open-source and ready for other companies to apply to their products.Shifting ownership to design better productsWhile the circular economy is gaining momentum all across the world, the urgency to actually implement circular business models remains a challenge. One of the most promising ideas to bring circularity to life, is the “Product-as-a-Service” models. They focus on use and service, rather than on the product itself. To help propel businesses in their journey to implement circular business models these frontrunning companies and organisations have teamed up within the Community of Practise to solve the barriers encountered by these companies.This report will give companies the tools to jumpstart and run their circular business, especially those, that have built models of retaining ownership of their products. This incentivises companies to create high-quality and durable products, while customers enjoy the performance of a product without the hassle. So far, businesses striving to implement "Product-as-a-Service” models have had the challenge of reconciling the need to find financing parties with the complexities of their own business model.The difficulty in finding financing for “Product-as-a-Service” modelsIt has proven to be very challenging to create a financial model for complex "Products-as-a-Service" models. This is especially true when the product involved has components that can be cycled infinitely, because current reporting tools are not equipped to deal with this circular way of thinking. Businesses often lack the expertise to provide financiers with the financial impact of their circular business model, leaving them unable to convince financiers of its soundness. The lack of a proof of concept of the business model leaves difficulties for financiers four sound decision making.

The work with Fairphone is going in depth into the challenges the transition to a circular economy poses. All experts of this Community of Practice have contributed energy and knowledge to solve a concrete problem at hand. We use this to build open source tools - for example a first circular service contract - that can be used to all those interested to implement and scale their circular impact.

- Harald Friedl, CEO Circle EconomyA Circular Fairphone Service for CompaniesThis report highlights the learnings generated during a six month project with the Amsterdam based company Fairphone, known for its ethical sourcing and circular practices, as the real-life example.

Fairphone 2 was a breakthrough in the industry for circular product design; its modularity provided ease of repair and upgradability. But a real transition to the circular economy requires new business models that detach profit from the use of resources. With Fairphone-as-a-Service, we are taking a new and exciting step in our journey to change the industry.

- Miquel Ballester, Resource Efficiency Manager at FairphoneThe First Circular Service Contract & Cash Flow ToolTo achieve a financeable model for the Circular Fairphone Service, the Community of Practice created a blueprint for Fairphone's business model. Through the creation of a legal template - a 1st Circular Service Contract- and a financial cash flow tool, the group has proven that the gap between the businesses and financiers can be bridged. One of the other concrete and practical outcomes was a 5-year cash flow projection that enables financiers to assess the benefits and risks of their investment.Fairphone is currently exploring opportunities to start a pilot project to offer the world's first Circular Fairphone Service for companies.[cta link="https://www.circle-economy.com/the-circular-phone"]Download the report[/cta]

[hr]

Note to the editor

Open Source Access to all LearningsSustainable Finance Lab and Circle Economy have created a model with all the learnings gained during the Community of Practice. Following their open source ethos, all learnings and the Circular Service Contract can be downloaded here. The financial modelling tool developed for Fairphone is replicable and can be applied to any other "Product-as-a-Service”.About The Community of PracticeTo tackle the financing challenge for "Product-as-a-Service” models, several stakeholders and experts were connected in a ‘Community of Practice’ (CoP). Fairphone (the future PaaS provider), PGGM (the intended launching customer), ING and ABN AMRO (financial experts), NBA (accounting experts), Allen & Overy (legal experts), Circularise (data experts), Circle Economy & Sustainable Finance Lab (project and content management). With special thanks to NederlandCirculair! that co-funded the Community of Practice together with the above-mentioned organisations. Thanks to the input of all these parties, in an open learning environment of several workshops and thematic deep dives, we were able to create the launching pad for the Circular Fairphone Service.For additional information and interview requests, please contact: 

FairphoneFabian Hühne: fabian@fairphone.com. Tel: +31 20 788 44 02Circle Economy Melanie Wijnands: melanie@circle-economy.com Tel: +31(0)652650156

Digital technologies are pivotal in creating a circular economy.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is in full swing. Enormous leaps in computing, connectivity, and nano-, digi-, and bio-technologies are not only radically changing how we go about our daily lives, but fundamentally opening up new possibilities to propel the transition to the circular economy. The increasingly ‘smart’ world that we find ourselves in is allowing us to track and process vast quantities of data about our appliances, homes and grids, dramatically increasing the material and energy efficiencies of our cities. Blockchain technology is enabling fully decentralised and sustainable systems and our constant connectivity is a breeding ground for sharing platforms. From modular smartphones to modular buildings, the circular city is rapidly taking shape around us. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is fueling this transition, and the unwavering progress we’re making is only broadening our circular horizons.However, they are also creating volatility in the job market.The very same technological developments that are expanding the possibilities for circular cities are also significantly destabilising labour markets the world over. With each passing year, the surging advancements of technologies are encroaching on our roles within the job market and labour, once exclusively performed by humans, is increasingly becoming automated. This volatility also comes at a time when broader patterns of globalisation and demographic changes are compounding these structural shifts in employment and fundamentally transforming the type of work to be done, where it is done, and who it is done by. In the changing landscape of the working world, anxiety surrounding our place in the labour markets of the (near-)future is mounting. With these macro movements showing no signs of slowing, we must pay concerted attention and ensure that we evolve with the changing landscape.Decision and policy makers must prepare for this growing employment shiftWhile it has never been more difficult to predict the future of work, this unavoidable shift serves to underline the importance of adaptability and resilience. In order to effectively traverse the transition these factors are vital. Appreciating this, policy and decision makers must be proactive in maximising the benefits and ensuring the stability of our labour markets. Naturally, it is difficult to prepare for a job market that may only exist in 20 years. Yet, stemming from this uncertainty is a growing recognition of the importance of ‘future-proof’ skill-sets; tailored to flexibility and adaptability, rather than rigidly teaching to the moulds of today’s jobs (which may not be there tomorrow!). Topping the list for most desirable skills for the future, according to the World Economic Forum, are creativity, social and people skills, and complex problem solving.[1] To keep up with our rapidly evolving economic landscape, we must re-skill and align our labour force with the future of employment.So what skills does a fully-fledged circular economy need?Systemic shifts in the way we do business will ultimately require a similar re-skilling of our labour force. A deeper understanding of the activities needed to support a circular economy is therefore an important first step in identifying the skills that urban policy and decision makers should be cultivating and investing in.Beyond what is typically thought of as a ‘circular’ or ‘green’ job - commonly associated with waste management or renewable energy installation - labour in a circular economy also reflects the design principles and new forms of collaboration that a circular ethos fosters, and as such, includes occupations that are as varied as they are connected.

Naturally, different types of circular activities require different skillsets. A recycling operative, for example - a core occupation of the circular economy - requires appreciably different skills than those of the director of a trade association - who can encourage greater collaboration between companies and help enable the circular economy as a result. Interestingly, the skills required for ‘enabling’ activities are often similar to those presented as the valuable skills of the future- creativity, complex problems solving, and people skills, amongst others. As the number of ‘enabling’ jobs continues to grow over time [2], so too will it become clear that the transition to circularity is not an isolated pursuit, but one that goes hand in hand with the development of a prosperous and resilient labour force. There is still much progress to be made for the future of circular employment. Undeniably, there is substantial room for the circular economy to grow, as only ~8% of jobs within the Netherlands [3] are currently contributing to this transition. Nevertheless, there is no blueprint for a circular city and each will have to venture down its own pathway to circularity. Ultimately, each city's unique ‘fingerprint’ of skills and jobs must be acknowledged and understood in order for them to effectively maximise the benefits of the transition. We must continue to measure and monitor circular employment within each nuanced context, understanding skill strengths and gaps. While technology will facilitate circular cities of the future, we must ensure that cities are still places for people. Decision and policymakersmust steer and align their labour force with the skills for tomorrow in order to be resilient in the uncertain future of our world of work. The circular revolution is in full swing, and the tools to create a prosperous transition are in our hands.

Circle Economy has developed a standardised and replicable methodology to qualify and quantify circular employment in cities around the world. Find out more in the report: “Circular Jobs: Understanding Employment in the Circular Economy in the Netherlands".

[hr]

References[1] Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2017). ‘Cities in the circular economy: The role of digital technology’. Retrieved from: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/Cities-in-the-Circular-Economy-The-Role-of-Digital-Tech.pdf [Accessed: 04/11/2017][2] World Economic Forum. (2016). ‘The future of jobs: Employment, skills and workforce strategy for the fourth industrial revolution’. Global Challenge Insight Report. Retrieved from: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs.pdf [Accessed: 04/11/2017][3] Circle Economy & EHERO (2016). ‘Circular jobs: Understanding employment in the circular economy in the Netherlands’. Circle Economy and the Erasmus Happiness Economics Research Organisation. Retrieved from: https://www.circle-economy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/goldschmeding-jobs-report-20170322-lite.pdf

This article was originally published in Circulate News, and written by Shyaam Ramkumar, our Knowledge and Innovation Manager.We are entering an exciting time in the evolution of technology: The Fourth Industrial Revolution. This revolution will fundamentally change the way we live, work and interact with each other. It introduces a whole new range of opportunities for societal transformation, with breakthroughs in fields such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, and blockchain that are further embedding technology into our daily lives to improve how we function as a society.Incorporating digital technology is essential for our society to accelerate the systemic shifts needed to create a circular economy, as highlighted in Circle Economy’s 7 Elements framework (see below). Utilising technology allows for greater knowledge sharing and collaboration, better use of assets and resources, and improved well-being for all, so we can achieve our economic, environmental and social development goals.

At the core of digitisation is the infrastructure necessary to connect everyone and everything, the Internet of Things. This involves deploying a network of sensors that collect data and provide greater insights into the flow of materials, products, and information. This data can be analysed to make smarter decisions on how we consume resources and how we design our systems.Take, for example, the Finnish company Enevo. The company builds and installs sensors that collect and analyse data from waste bins. These sensors provide information on when trash bins are full, allowing Enevo’s systems to optimise pick-up routes for trucks. As a result, Enevo’s customers report savings of 20 to 40 percent, thanks to a reduction in fuel consumption and costs related to truck maintenance and labour, due to fewer collections being made.Once such infrastructure is in place and large amounts of data are gathered, technological breakthroughs utilising big data analytics and artificial intelligence algorithms are enabling deeper and more detailed insights. These technologies bring together and process vast amounts of information to generate models and highlight issues that would not have been uncovered normally – or at least not without serious investment in time and resources.Another example is highlighted in the Dutch city Zaanstad. The city is built on reclaimed land and therefore the repair of foundations of buildings is a serious and costly problem. To tackle this issue, the housing authority Parteon worked with data scientists from Berenschot Intellerts to develop an algorithm to predict which foundations are in need of immediate repair. The project linked over 135 million data records on housing from the municipality and Parteon, data on infrastructure from Kadaster, weather data from the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, and satellite data from SkyGeo. This data was fed into a machine-learning algorithm, which enabled Parteon to identify over 11,000 homes which are at risk, saving significant time and resources to repair these homes.Artificial intelligence at a more advanced stage has led to breakthroughs such as autonomous vehicles, which can fundamentally alter not only how we move, but also how we build and design where we live. Cars today are largely owned and are parked 94% of the time. With autonomous vehicles, cars would no longer be owned but shared across different owners. These cars would also be constantly driving around cities to pick up and drop off passengers, significantly increasing their utilisation, reducing the need for more cars, and minimising congestion in cities.Cities around the world are already piloting autonomous vehicle programs in partnership with various technology companies. One such example is nuTonomy, a spin-off from MIT, which has piloted autonomous vehicles in Singapore since 2016. Their initial pilot program had six autonomous vehicles, modified Renault Zoes and Mitsubishi i-MiEVs, offering rides from predetermined pick-up and drop-off points within a 2.5-square-mile radius. Since then, nuTonomy has partnered with local ride-sharing company Grab to conduct further tests and plans to launch a commercial service in 2018.[caption id="attachment_13935" align="aligncenter" width="458"]

Source: Nutonomy[/caption]The last example is an emerging technology that is getting increased attention in the media and hashuge potential to accelerate the transition to a circular economy – blockchain. Beyond being the foundational technology for cryptocurrency, blockchain has the power to transform supply chains across a variety of industries.Blockchain essentially works by providing everyone with a public ledger, a record of all transactions that have occurred between different parties. Every time a new transaction occurs, the public ledger is automatically updated and everyone is instantly notified. The technology primarily aims to address issues of trust and transparency between parties. When applied to supply chains, this technology can fundamentally transform how various actors interact.To give you an example of how transformative this technology can be, we can look at Bext360. The company is utilising the Internet of Things, Blockchain, and Artificial Intelligence to make the coffee supply chain fair and transparent. Coffee farmers who harvest beans place them into a BextMachine, which uses artificial intelligence to analyse the beans and grade them on quality standards. These are then recorded on the blockchain to instantly track and monitor which farm and which farmer should be paid and how much. The farmers are then paid digitally via a mobile app.From there, the beans are tracked and traced all the way from the farm to roasters to retailers to consumers. Each of these transactions is recorded on the blockchain and made available to all parties, allowing the entire chain to use the data to optimise supply chain inefficiencies, increase compensation to farmers, and enable consumers to truly understand where their products come from.When applied to other industries, this technology has the ability to dramatically increase transparency, reduce transaction costs for verification and certification, enable smart contracting and inventory accounting, and ensure fair payments across the value chain.More examples of how digital technology is advancing the circular economy can be found on Circle Economy’s Knowledge Hub. However, while technology has a massive transformative power to advance the circular economy, proper planning is needed. Technology is by no means a silver bullet, but merely an enabler.As we increasingly utilise and incorporate digital technologies, various policies, ethical questions, and unintended consequences need to be discussed and evaluated. We need to consider the use and consequences of digital technology in the long-term so we ensure that these technologies truly lead to circular outcomes and do not just improve linear efficiency.Catch up with Shyaam's Disruptive Innovation Festival's session, available online until January 4th

The countdown to Christmas is almost over, and while we have been good this year, we are not going to ask for a lot this holiday season- only this: put circularity at the top of your shopping list, and join us in our movement to go #beyondblahblah.

Our gift to you: an Instagram advent calendar to showcase circular products as gift ideas for your loved ones, share inspiring stories of how others are moving straight to practice, and hold exciting giveaways from circular businesses!We are already a week away from the big winter celebration, so here are 10 circular holiday gift ideas for those of you still looking for inspiration!

1. Giveaway: Wolkat. The innovative, international group of recycling companies. Wolkat contributes to a happy and cleaner world by creating new products from old materials! controlling the entire recycling chain. Their business is based on 4 pillars: reduce, re-use, recycle and recreate; “where others see waste, Wolkat sees a new raw material”.

This holiday season we partnered up with our Circle Member to help our community go #beyondblahblah. You could be the owner of a beautiful and warm, 100% recycled scarf. Head over to Instagram for instructions on how to participate! See Wolkat’s projects.

2. Giveaway: Recover. Recover enables a closed-loop and sustainable fashion industry, through the creation of ‘Recover’ (recycled) yarns that go into long-lasting and high-value products. Christmas is all about giving, so we teamed up with Recover and RePack for another Xmas giveaway!

Here's your opportunity to win a Recover’s R blue shirt: a classic t-shirt made with a blend of Recover Upcycled Cotton and post-consumer RPET bottles. Your gift will be shipped with RePack’s innovative and reusable package. Visit our Instagram account to participate!

3. RePack, offering zero waste packaging for all! RePack saves the world from trash with its innovative reusable and returnable packaging! It allows you to shop online guilt-free as no packaging materials will be wasted in the delivery (or return) process.

”Find out which brands have already made the choice to “Pack. Unpack. Repack and Repeat”, and order your gifts online- no need to return the package until after the holidays!,When you do, you will get a discount voucher to spend at any of their partner brands,including: Mud Jeans, Filippa K, Zazu Amsterdam, Supergood Store and many more! Find out who is #RePacking

4. MudJeans, keeping unworn denim out of your closet. MudJeans CEO’s, Bert van Son, introduced the ‘Lease A Jeans’ approach in 2013; allowing individuals around the world to enjoy denim without waste. Mud Jeans customers can either buy or lease modern jeans that are manufactured with circularity in mind. You can give your loved ones a year subscription of MUD Jeans for only €7,50 a month!

Find the perfect pair of jeans.

5. The Next Closet, the sustainable marketplace for second hand designer clothes. This Christmas, be circular and gift vintage! The Next Closet allows you to shop responsibly by extending the life cycle of high-quality items.

See their Christmas collection for inspiration.

6. Hulaaloop, parent’s ideal solution to baby clothes. Babies grow in a blink of an eye, outgrowing their clothes in -what it seems - seconds! Hulaaloop has the perfect solution for all parents out there: a subscription-based model where you can switch your baby's clothes once they don't fit anymore!

Explore Hulaaloop’s gift packages.

7. C&A, “the world’s largest provider of organic cotton”. One garbage truck of textiles is thrown away EVERY second. To tackle this issue, the C&A Foundation, C&A, and Fashion For Good developed the 'BioCotton' line collection- on sale at C&A. The collection includes over 200 different products that are Cradle-to-Cradle certified, and can be recycled or added to your home compost!

Shop the BioCotton collection!

8. Brightloops, true circular clothing. Their clothes produces zero waste and is made from 100% recycled materials. This winter, say goodbye to winter blues with Brightloop’s knitted denim scarf. This circular goodie is made of recycled denim yarn from old Amsterdam jeans and PET bottles. A great holiday gift this season to keep your loved ones warm. Brighloops

Find your winter scarf.

9. Fairphone, the modular phone that’s built to last. With Fairphone, not only will your loved one be able to easily replace their screen or battery, but you will also contribute to creating positive social and environmental impact. Their products are designed to be long-lasting, facilitating the re-use and recycling of their materials- which also happen to be gathered and assembled in good, fair working conditions! This holiday season, give the power of connectivity!

Start exploring Fairphone2.

10. Auping nights, better days. Auping is a Dutch bed manufacturer. With circularity in mind, they have the ambition to become Cradle-to-Cradle certified by 2020 through the implementation of three key pillars into their organization.

Give the gift of a good night’s sleep with Auping!

[cta link="www.beyondblahblah.com"]Make the wish for a circular world[/cta]

Make the wish for a circular worldMake sure to follow us on Instagram to stay updated! [hr]Together, we can make this Christmas circular. Happy holidays!

Who is making the world a better place?

We are thrilled to announce we have been selected as a Finalist in The Award for Circular Economy Public Sector for The Circulars 2018.The Circulars, an initiative of the World Economic Forum and the Forum of Young Global Leaders, run in collaboration with Accenture Strategy, is the world’s premier circular economy award program. The awards are open to individuals and organizations from commerce and civil society in seven distinct categories and are designed to recognize and celebrate, on a prestigious global stage, all facets of the circular economy movement. Now in its fourth year, The Circulars event will be held at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos on 22nd January 2018.The Circular Economy Public Sector award category recognizes cities, regions, education establishments, NGOs, local or national government bodies and programmes or public procurement initiatives which best enable an environment for the circular economy to develop and flourish. We are very proud to be a finalist in this category alongside our fellow nominees including Sitra and four other inspiring public sector initiatives. We also want to take the opportunity to congratulate our fellow finalists and Circle Economy Members ABN AMRO, Fairphone, PGGM and Frans Van Houten (CEO of Philips) as well as our partner Instock, and our collaborator C&A for their dedication to implementing circular economy principles in their businesses. We are honoured to work with so many like-minded businesses that are making the circular economy a reality and are happy to see your hard work being acknowledged. Collaboration is the key to unlocking a sustainable, circular future for our world. Learn more about The Circulars 2018 finalists here.

[hr]

About Circle EconomyWith scalability in mind, Circle Economy seeks to inspire governments, municipalities, corporations, entrepreneurs and innovators to adopt circular initiatives. From textiles, to finance and the built environment we foster the acceleration of the circular economy across industries through research, collaboration, and shared knowledge.Our tools and services are designed to facilitate decision making and implement action plans. These tools and services can be applied to a wide range of sectors and can be utilised by everyone from investment portfolio managers to textile manufacturers. Circle Economy's tools and services provide organisations with tangible directions to set up circular projects and provide endless possibilities to integrate circularity into their strategies.Circle Economy has identified the actionable, global levers necessary to implement the circular economy and activated relevant stakeholders while maintaining an open source ethos. We have created an open platform to share insights, best practices and research on the circular economy and helped to spearhead circular pilot projects with our members and partners. Circle Economy has executed 7 city and region scans, grown and are still adding to our open source knowledge hub of more than 750 circular case studies. In the last five years, we have worked with over 150 companies and created 15 knowledge papers to guide organizations to accelerate their circular journey.

Giving buildings a second life – circularity in the build environment and construction sector

“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”.

‘‘Circl is a perfect fit with ABN AMRO’s sustainability goals, entitled Mission 2030. The bank is going all out to make its real estate portfolio more sustainable. In applying and facilitating circular business models, we aim to make even more of a contribution to a future-proof society.”   -Kees van Dijkhuizen (CEO, ABN AMRO)

With this report, Circle Economy wants to highlight the possibilities in the built environment sector – with all positive economic, social and environmental consequences that a circular building and planning process entails.

“We are passionate about bringing circularity to life. The built environment report is a great example of what is possible with committed leadership and great execution. We showcase the first real life examples of what is possible and we are proud to work with the early adopters within this field. The built environment sector has a huge potentially to create more liveable cities, a low-carbon economy and a more circular society."- Harald Friedl (CEO, Circle Economy)

Currently, only 3-4 % of the materials in residential and non-residential buildings are given a second life. Progress in civil engineering projects show there is room for improvement: here, an estimated 50 percent of the materials are recycled. A large part of the materials from residential and non-residential buildings still end up as rubble underneath roads or in biomass plants. We can do better. By applying material passports now, the efforts to improve on these numbers will become a reality. Together with the entire value chain we need to make the transition towards the circular economy, so sharing best practices and learnings, fully open source, is the first step! To further help accelerate the transition towards a circular construction industry, Circle Economy recently launched it's Built Environment programme together with several frontrunner businesses.

To learn more about the built environment programme, sign up here.

[cta link="http://circle-economy.com/future-built-environment"]Download the report[/cta]

For press enquires contact us at: press@circle-economy.com

[hr]

To support businesses on their circular journey, Circle Economy has developed a 10 step model on how to start and finance circular business. Read how to here. Looking for further circularity examples in the built environment sector? Visit our Knowledge Hub.

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

[hr]

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