When we initiated the Netherlands Circular Hotspot (NLCH) campaign back in 2016, along with Compazz,Delta Development, and SER, our goal was not only to position the Netherlands as an international frontrunner in all things circular, but to clear the way for other countries to take up the torch and collectively light the way for a global, circular economy. By no means did we lay an exclusive claim to the Circular Hotspot title, and so we are eager to welcome our neighbors in Luxembourg into the (closed) loop as they showcase their own progress throughout the coming days!
“The Netherlands is an ideal country for experiments or pilots, which is why the transition to a circular economy is such a natural fit.” Guido Braam, Initiator of NLCH
Necessity is the mother of invention, and the Dutch have a long-standing history of proving just how true the saying goes. As a nation that largely sits below sea level (and gradually sinking, too!), the Netherlands have had to turn to flood control strategies that go beyond the traditional levee and found opportunities in the most challenging of places.But if innovation is indeed the key to reshaping the world, necessity cannot be alone in breeding creativity — something the Dutch understand well. Optimistic, entrepreneurial, and quick to adapt, they were and continue to be in a unique position to lead the global transition to a circular economy, especially in light of the knowledge they have accumulated over the past few years on circular solutions.And so they did.
NLCH rallied thought-, sector-, and industry leaders to outline a visionary future for our global economy through an energizing compilation of testimonials, opinion pieces, and interviews. To better illustrate this vision, the campaign also set up the Circular Expo, a futuristic exhibition that imagined what a future circular economy could look like, giving the concept the tangible quality it lacked and bringing it into the realm of the practical. By demonstrating real-life applications of circular strategies at the Innovation Expo, and by putting the spotlight on iconic circular projects in the Netherlands — from Mud Jeans’ leasing jeans model to Black Bear Carbon’s used-tires-to-carbon-black process and Philips’ lighting-as-a-service proposition — the Netherlands effectively proved circularity to be a viable (and feasible) economic model.
“You’ve got this extraordinary expertise building up here in the Netherlands. Your next big leap is export, because you’ve got a gift to bring to a lot of other places.” (Andy Ridley, CEO at Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef, former CEO at Circle Economy)
But first and foremost was NLCH an exercise in transferring knowledge, as trade and journalist missions rolled in to learn about the Netherlands’ approach to closing the loop and connect with the pioneers advancing the field. The campaign democratized the circular economy concept to the rest of the world. It laid the grounds for and asked other countries to adopt and adapt the concept — and our plea did not fall on deaf ears.
If we are to move towards the mass adoption of the circular economy, we need more countries to step into the ring and communicate their commitment to and their progress in terms of circularity as early and as often as possible. Luxinnovation, the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, and the Luxembourg government drew inspiration from the framework we provided to set up their own campaign and make Luxembourg the next circular hotspot, and we are excited to learn about the strides they’ve made over the last year at their showcase event throughout the coming days.As more countries start to follow suit (looking at you, Scotland!), we hope to continue to turn the tide and make circularity the norm rather than the exception. Circular islands in overwhelmingly linear seas are no doubt a great start, but we are eager to see the islands multiply and grow until no linear waters can ever surround them again.
Learn more about the event here.Are you attending and want to connect with us? Let Vera know!
The past quarter brought with it many exciting developments in the circular fashion and textiles arena. March saw both the launch of Fashion for Good and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular Fibres Initiative; April brought promise in the form of the EU waste policy reform; and May heralded the annual Copenhagen Fashion Summit. Spring has sprung in the circular textiles world, and the seed of change has been firmly planted. So what’s next?
The Copenhagen Fashion Summit, now a yearly occurrence, has made much needed headway with its Global Fashion Agenda — a bold and ambitious initiative aimed at mobilising the fashion industry to change its dirty ways. Its goal? Increase the volume of textiles collected, reused, and recycled by 2020 by setting forth four immediate action points for brands:
These action points give a simple direction to an immensely complicated topic and therefore can successfully rally the support and help the fashion industry needs to build critical mass on this topic. But, after signing on the dotted line, the ambitious brands that take on the GFA challenge still need support in delivering on their promises — something the current system cannot yet provide. While GFA is providing a toolbox for signatories to get started, the long term still calls for tailored guidance.
The Global Fashion Agenda doesn’t merely encourage change — it demands it, and the action points it has set forward are no doubt a great start to the conversation. To date, 30 global brands have already signed, including Adidas, Kering, and H&M. But as Livia Firth rightly articulated, “If we had to go to yet another conference where we hear pledges, promises, targets to achieve, discussions on what it will look like, we will all become old before it actually happens.” To turn intent into action and make closed-loop a reality, the current agenda should also include these two critical action points:Invest and collaborate in infrastructure. A robust infrastructure of reverse logistics, standardized input materials, and co-created best practices will support the success of viable textile-to-textile recycling technologies now and in the future. This infrastructure is the foundation for sustainable consumption and production patterns, and without such a system, increased collection and use of recycled fibres is not possible.Communicate with the consumer. In a circular economy, consumers become suppliers to the system and act as a gateway for resource collection. They are not the end of the funnel but an essential link in closing the loop — and we are only as strong as our weakest link. Increased transparency and willingness to be vulnerable in the transition towards circularity will be what sets the frontrunners apart from the laggers. Consumers need to be taken along this journey- and any triumph big or small is reason enough to shout about and set a precedent for the industry.It's imperative that brands put their money where their mouth is and help build the infrastructure needed to climb our ever growing clothing mountain — and shout about it as they're doing it, so that the cultural tide can also begin to turn.This is no easy feat, but with (sustainability) heavy weights like Asos, Inditex and M&S on board, the clout is there to make this the agenda to end all agendas. We will eagerly track the progress and support the signatories with the necessary data, tools, technologies, as they take steps towards attaining these goals. [hr]
The 2017 edition of Beyond Green cuts through the noise, the pledges and the ambitions — in short, the long-standing blah blah surrounding sustainability in the fashion industry, and moves straight to practice.
[cta link="http://circle-economy.com/beyondgreen2017"]Join us there[/cta]
Our new CEO, Harald Friedl, and senior lecturer on the circular economy, Alexandre Lemille, joined us on Twitter for our monthly edition of #circlechat last Wednesday to share their vision for an inclusive circular economy and take questions from other participants. We compiled the main insights from our conversation here.
Jump to the full conversationThe argument for the circular economy has traditionally been an economic argument first and foremost: resource scarcity threatens a healthy bottom line, so reuse, remanufacturing, and refurbishment strategies provide a sound solution for mitigating our reliance on fraying natural capital. Because the circular economy can hardly be divorced from the benefits it brings our planet, the environmental argument for it has also steadily grown stronger as a result.
We explored this idea during our latest Twitter chat — Circle Economy’s monthly initiative to bring the circular economy community together online. Here are 5 guiding principles that came out of our conversation:
Whereas economic agents have been encouraged to limit or internalise negative externalities in the past, an inclusive circular economy focuses on creating positive social externalities at every step of the way. This means making social impact the driving force rather than the afterthought.
A3:That beyond embedding environmental and economic externalities we also embed social externalities using the Circular Thinking #CircleChat
— Alexandre Lemille (@AlexLemille) May 24, 2017
For example: governments can establish laws that support and enable social inclusion; businesses can involve and empower informal workers; industry leaders can ensure smaller players are accounted for across sectors; product developers can design for all abilities; consumers can signal a demand for fairer products; and entrepreneurs can adopt work-integration business models… The list goes on.[hr]
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Poverty, just like waste, is a human construct that needs to be designed out. Ensuring everyone’s physiological and safety needs are met is an important first step in the way of empowerment, as poverty and inequality often feed into each other. It is also an important step in bringing the circular economy discourse closer to emerging countries, where inequality gaps are often extreme and environmental incentives not necessarily appropriate.
A4: @AlexLemille's workis important as brings the #CE debate 2 emerging country context. Poverty 1 of human angles to discussion #circlechat
— harald friedl (@friedlh) May 24, 2017
A universal basic income, for example, could not only help eliminate poverty, but it could also offset the job losses involved in work automation. Finland, ever the social innovator, is already experimenting with the idea.
In order for the circular economy to be truly inclusive, it needs to — at least aim to — address all of the SDGs. Alexandre Lemille’s work on circular human flows puts humans at the heart of the circular economy’s biological and technical spheres, where people profit just as much from gaining access to vital resources as they do from nurturing their skills, knowledge, and education.
A4 If we think multidimensional poverty, and not only income and take into account all targets of #SDG1, then it is close. #circlechat
— Mairita Luse (@mairitaluse) May 24, 2017
There is definitely room for economic growth in an inclusive, circular economy, as it allows for the creation of additional jobs, but we do also need to shift perspectives, redefine the notion of growth, and develop new ways to assess it.
Good Point. discarding growth as evil makes no sense. Growth is a inherently "good" societal Frame. Redefine growth! #circlechat https://t.co/ggxtNrfoFx
— Justus Kammueller (@JustusKammuller) May 24, 2017
GDP, for example, has always been a poor reflection of a country’s prosperity; employment, similarly, fails to capture the larger picture; and while indicators like Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness are a step in the right direction, we still need tools to effectively measure and benchmark the circular economy in its multidimensionality.Few are currently available, but we’re working on it.
Technology in and of itself is not deterministic, and so it is up to us to put it to good use. Just as the circular economy draws on science to mimic natural systems in order to restore balance to both our industries and our planet, so too can it use technology to cast the inclusion net wide.
Agree. Tech isn't a silver bullet. But if used effectively can be a powerful enabler #circlechat
— Shyaam Ramkumar (@shyaamramkumar) May 24, 2017
Blockchain technology, for example, could be key in enabling inclusiveness as it provides increased transparency, decentralises power, and is already being used in ensuring fair supply chains.
Technology eg #blockchain, opens up avenues to #organize #collaboration and share #risks, and collectively manage infrastructure #circlechat
— Elisa Achterberg (@ElisaAchterberg) May 24, 2017
[hr]We need to design for all three dimensions from the onset. The circular economy is a systemic, long-term, and tangible approach to both doing business and doing good. The economic benefits it brings with it make it an appealing and sound concept to rally those in power around it, and it is environmentally beneficial by definition. Let’s make it socially inclusive by design.It’s not too much to tackle at once if we all collaborate.Look back on the full conversation here:
[<a href="//storify.com/circleeconomy/designing-inclusiveness-into-the-circular-economy" target="_blank">View the story "Designing inclusiveness into the circular economy" on Storify</a>]
Circle Economy’s official Twitter chat (#circlechat) is back for a second edition, May 24, at 6pm (GMT+2). Harald Friedl, Circle Economy’s new CEO, and Alexandre Lemille, “Circular Economy 2.0” advocate and senior lecturer on the circular economy, will be taking questions and sharing their vision on designing inclusiveness into the circular economy.
Before joining Circle Economy in 2017, Harald spent 5 years in Myanmar, during which he co-founded Impact Hub Myanmar, headed the market development for the world market leader of electromechanical hydropower projects in the country and co-founded Myanmar’s first pre-incubation programme for social enterprises. Prior to moving to Myanmar, he lived in New York where he worked as the Head of Office for the Assistant Secretary General and acted as the spokesperson for the Deputy Prime Minister of Finance in Austria.
Alex is the founder of Wizeimpact, a for-purpose thrivability consultancy that leverages business-as-a-powerful-tool to find solutions to our social and economic challenges. In 2016 Alex was recognised as Highly Commended in the Circular Economy Leadership category by the World Economic Forum. He co-founded the African Circular Economy Network with the aim of promoting a socially inclusive approach to Circular Economy for the African continent.
Denim is loved across ages, genders, countries and styles. It’s the undisputed champion of garments. In the past however, the denim industry has been a large consumer of water, insecticides, pesticides, and energy as well as uses harmful chemicals in the dying/finishing processes. Now, with the incorporation of circular economy principles, the denim industry can become the sustainable, circular leader to spearhead a textiles revolution.Starting on the 17th of April, Amsterdam turned blue for an entire week. The city hosted 'Denim Days', a series of industry events, trade shows, seminars and a denim festival centred around the ever-popular indigo blue fabric. Our own Jade Wilting (Project Coordinator Circle Textiles Programme) spoke at The Blue Print Festival, on the future of denim, and explored the question, is there a future for denim without circularity? We see that while the denim industry as a whole has yet to become circular, competitive companies are moving in the right direction, with some frontrunners already firmly rooting their business models in circularity. We've collected 3 key insights about this transition below:Insight #1: The skinny on skinny jeansFrom stretch denim to rigid & raw
"We are happy to see skinny jeans slowly making an exit from the wardrobes of the masses - if not for their unforgiving silhouette, then for their stretchiness, which is a major barrier when it comes to circularity"Jade Wilting, Project Coordinator Textiles Programme
While we don't condone quick changing trends that create obsolete fashion monthly, we can't help but get excited about a growing demand for mono-material jeans and raw denim. Raw denim is the godfather of all denim. It is unwashed and characterized by its rigid structure and deep blue colour. In contrast, most of the jeans that we buy have been through a series of industrial washings to soften and add aesthetic effects to the trousers. Raw denim aficionados swear off washing their trousers for at least the first 6 months after purchase to get a natural fade, custom-made by one's own wearing. As you might have guessed, raw denim jeans need much less water in the production process, and the culture around raw denim lends itself perfectly to circularity. It's all about retaining the value of the jeans for as long as possible through repair, re-wear and less washing. The movement toward non-stretch, rigid denim is a move in the right direction when it comes to circularity. Insight #2: Salvage the SelvedgeThe latest development in closed loop denim
"Denim to denim has long been the holy grail of high-value recycling. Not only is it a compelling story for the consumer, but recycled denim also has the potential to offset the huge water impact that denim has, reutilise the indigo dye trapped in the material and reduce our dependency on virgin cotton."Gwen Cunningham, Programme Lead, Circle Textiles Programme
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MUD Jeans[/caption]Our hope for the future is for textiles to be consistently made, used, collected and reintroduced into the supply chain as raw material. In order to reach this goal, denim can’t be thrown away once it is deemed unfit to rewear. From a recyclers point of view, denim is an ideal material feedstock, as it's fairly consistent in colour (indigo blue), fibre composition (chiefly cotton) and construction (zippers and buttons are consistently on the top third of the garment, which makes cleaning more efficient).More recently, MUD Jeans and Recover, collaborated to turn old MUD jeans into new MUD jeans. They have pushed innovation to new heights by working to increase the percentage of recycled cotton that can be used to 40%. Previous research conducted by Circle Economy and G-Star showed that by including 12% recycled content in a pair of jeans, water usage decreased by 9.8%, energy consumption by 4.2% and the CO2 footprint by 3.8%. Just imagine what the impact would be with 40%, or even more, recycled content! Meanwhile, upcoming chemical recyclers are also experimenting with closed loop denim. Levi Strauss and Evrnu, a start-up chemical recycling technology company, have collaborated to turn post-consumer cotton waste into new denim. Using Evrnu's unique chemical process, cotton fibres are dissolved and reconstituted, before being spun into new yarn and made into new fabric. Insight #3: Cleaning up our actThe new production methods that improve impact Denim uses a ton of water in its lifecycle. According to Levi Strauss, 3,781 liters of water are used during the production and use phase of one pair of 501® jeans and 33.4 kg of CO2 is created throughout its lifetime. This includes growing cotton, processing the denim and washing at home. Minimizing these impacts requires producers to improve technology and consumers to think about how they care for their denim. MADE-BY created a wet processing benchmark that details the impacts from commonly used processing techniques and brings understanding and awareness to the impacts of this step in textile production. Stemming from the insights companies such as Jeanologia, a partner of MUD Jeans, have developed an Ozone technology that can be used in place of water intensive stone washing, drastically reducing the water, energy, and chemical usage in the processing phase of jean production. The result is worn or faded looks without the negative environmental or health impacts. Consistent colouration of recycled denim can be difficult to achieve and requires additional energy and water. Australian researchers have created a way to make denim-dyed denim, with help from the H&M Foundation to scale and commercialize this technology to use recycled denim as a dye source.
Wondering what you can do as a consumer? We’ve got you covered!
The denim industry has come a long way. Technological advancements continue to decrease its impact, but the next steps require the industry to adopt a more circular model. It is important to remember that true circularity requires thinking beyond decreasing the impact and considering how design, repairability, and recycling can play a role in circularity.
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Industry collaboration is key in catalyzing and implementing systemic change. Circle Economy, together with the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, House of Denim and MADE-BY are fostering collaboration through the Alliance for Responsible Denim, an initiative that brings denim brands together to collectively take steps towards improving the ecological sustainability impact of denim production.
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Though Harald is still getting used to the Netherlands’ unpredictable weather, his vision for the circular economy, commitment to scaling positive impact, and knack for mobilising the people around him have already made significant strides in renewing Circle Economy’s sense of purpose and in shaping up our future as an organization.
Harald has a keen focus on the social aspects of the circular economy, and we believe his experience working with governments and businesses around the world will support Circle Economy in its efforts to scale and internationalise. The sky’s the limit! — Robert Jan van Ogtrop, Founder of Circle Economy
Harald has spent the past five years fostering social entrepreneurship and bottom-up change in Myanmar, where he co-founded Impact Hub Myanmar. Always keen on making the most of his time and energy, Harald also co-founded the country’s first pre-incubation programme for social enterprises and headed market development for the market leader in electromechanical hydropower projects while he was there. Previously trained as a journalist, he has also served as the spokesperson for Austria’s Deputy Prime Minister of Finance and lived in New York during his time as the Head of Office for the Assistant Secretary General.Harald’s experience spans disciplines, sectors, and continents, and makes him a great fit for Circle Economy’s multi-disciplinary, cross-sector, international approach and community.To learn more about Harald’s vision for the circular economy and how society can play a role in fueling the transition, join us on Twitter for our next #circlechat, May 24th, 6pm (GMT+2). Not sure what #circlechat is? Check out our FAQ and highlights from our last chat for more information!
[<a href="//storify.com/circleeconomy/the-circular-economy-where-to-start" target="_blank">View the story "#circlechat: exploring the circularity spectrum" on Storify</a>]
Want to continue the conversation? Join our LinkedIn group and delve deeper into the topics we highlight here.
Circle Economy is launching their new Circle Design Program today. Part of a broader movement to accelerate the transition to the circular economy, the Circle Design Program aims to introduce businesses, designers, and entrepreneurs to circular design thinking and through a collaborative, on-the-ground approach, work with them to develop practical solutions to complex circular challenges.Circular design thinking is central to the transition to a circular economy.Although waste-reducing initiatives and other recycling efforts are still necessary in order to cope with the materials currently in use in linear supply chains, they are also ineffective and do not constitute a viable option in the long run. Resources can better be maintained and retrieved when products and components have been designed for disassembly, reuse, or remanufacture, for example — i.e. when they have been designed according to circular design principles. The need for retrieval is also mitigated when business models anticipate the pre-use, use, and post-use phases of their products.This is why it is critical for current businesses and the next generation of entrepreneurs, designers, and consumers to learn and adopt circular design thinking. It provides room for new perspectives, from future-proof, innovative business models, to regenerative products, services, and systems, where waste is minimised and loops are closed.Leveraging the versatility of circular design thinkingCircular design thinking isn’t exactly new. Design for disassembly, for example, is widely recognized for its direct relevance to the manufacturing industry and the benefits it provides when products are designed with ease of repair, upgradability, optimal reuse and high value recycling in mind. These benefits, however, are not exclusive to the manufacturing industry. Circular design thinking is relevant across industries and sectors and its versatility provides opportunities to any business aiming at future-proofing its activities. Understandably, it has been gaining a lot of traction.[hr]
Join our upcoming Business Innovation or our Circle Design workshops.
[hr]Circle Economy aims to introduce a wide range of industries and sectors to the advantages of circular design thinking. One of the first steps to achieving this was a recent collaboration with Dutch government-funded program Nederland Circulair! and our partners MVO Nederland, which allowed us to tackle the challenge of designing circular climate systems.Climate systems typically provide heating, cooling, and ventilation in buildings, and are traditionally not designed with disassembly, repairability, or modularity in mind. This often results in costly practices like the replacement of complete systems when only specific elements are broken. Circle Economy’s collaborative workshop approach allowed to uncover five circular design strategies that are not only applicable to the entire sector but also have the support of key sector agents to be implemented in the future.
Implementing circular design strategies in the circular economyClear, circular design strategies pave the way for and empower producers, suppliers, and designers to easily employ and apply them. Trade associations can leverage the ability these strategies have to nudge members and stakeholders along the circular economy track. Buyers, consultants, governments and clients can make informed decisions in order for their industry to benefit from circular design thinking. Industry associations (like the VLA, in the case of climate systems) and other parties in charge of developing industry standards and norms can adopt these strategies in order to set guidelines for designers and engineers to follow as part of product development standards. If circular design thinking is adapted in this sense, it has vast potential to enable positive change.Do you or your organization want to be one of the pioneers that get circular design thinking out of theory and into practice? Join one of our workshops.
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