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.
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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!
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.
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!
”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
Find the perfect pair of jeans.
See their Christmas collection for inspiration.
Explore Hulaaloop’s gift packages.
Shop the BioCotton collection!
Find your winter scarf.
Start exploring Fairphone2.
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!
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.
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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.
“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.
[cta link="http://circle-economy.com/future-built-environment"]Download the report[/cta]
For press enquires contact us at: press@circle-economy.com
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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.
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
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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
November 15, 2017 - Circle Economy is delighted to announce the publication of its latest policy report, "Policy levers for a low-carbon circular economy". The report was officially announced at the UNFCCC’s panel on the circular economy’s potential to contribute to climate action in developing countries today, and provides concrete policy recommendations to catalyse the transition and tap into the circular economy’s potential.Climate change mitigation and circular economy policies are attracting significant attention from European and national policymakers. 2015 saw two milestone accomplishments with the Paris Agreement and Circular Economy Package. These two policy fields are complementary and, together, they could deliver on the transformational change that is needed to decarbonise our economic system. Yet, their integration is far from complete, and current climate change policies largely overlook the mitigation potential of circular economy strategies.The report explores policy levers to accelerate the transition to the circular economy, and provides policy recommendations to create a tipping point whereby a transition to a low-carbon circular economy is not just necessary but also inevitable."The need for systems change will come sooner than we think. Policy makers need to engage now to transition to a low-carbon circular economy." - Matthieu Bardout, Finance programme manager & consulting lead at Circle Economy.The report is based on legal policy mapping and stakeholder consultation, providing a broad European perspective combined with insights into a selection of member states, and focusing on two value chains (housing and mobility) and four material streams (aluminium, concrete, plastic and steel). It forms part of a broader project led by the European Climate Foundation's (ECF) Industrial Innovation for Competitiveness initiative (i24c).
[cta link="http://circle-economy.com/low-carbon-circular-economy"]Download the report[/cta]
[cta link="https://hva.mediamission.nl/Mediasite/Play/0d261c9af59846c891867427d7c0e0321d"]Watch the full stream[/cta]
On the 20th of October, in partnership with the Amsterdam Fashion Institute, Circle Economy held the 2017 edition of their signature circular textiles event, Beyond Green, at HEMA’s beautiful headquarters in Amsterdam North. Beyond Blah Blah: 5 Steps to Circularity took the 400 students and industry guests in the room on an inspirational - and educational - journey towards a circular fashion industry, with speakers as bold, creative, and international as Walt Disney’s Vanessa Belleau, Reformation’s Kathleen Talbot and Futerra’s Laura Hunter - among others. In the afternoon, CSR Managers and other senior executives met their match in a select few students, as they hacked together to solve company challenges in three-hour long workshops, guided by the 5 steps to circularity we have been sharing with our audience over the last few months.Travis Rice, Project Leader at the Alliance for Responsible Denim, shared his key takeaways from the day:
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By Travis RiceInspirational, confrontational, emotional, and as keynote Vanessa Belleau from Walt Disney stated, magical, the road to circularity is not a simple one. We know this well. Yet, it is time for action and collaboration: there is power in numbers and power in knowledge to take on the challenge of circularity as a united front.Savor below my key takeaways from BeyondBlahBlah's eight keynote speakers:[caption id="attachment_13738" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Photo credit: Nina Albada Jelgersma Photography[/caption]HEMA | Eva Ronhaar, Head of SustainabilityAn influential brand and a staple in The Netherlands, HEMA sees "sustainability [as] a priority, not an afterthought - as everything we do has influence." With over 30,000 product assortments, this couldn't be more true. To ensure a circular mindset, HEMA has established some ambitious goals in regards to sustainability and eagerly communicates their actions to consumers.[caption id="attachment_13740" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Photo credit: Nina Albada Jelgersma Photography[/caption]Walt Disney | Vanessa Belleau, Head of Fashion & Home Shopper MarketingIn stark contrast to the usual doom & gloom tales regarding the state of the world, Vanessa instead exuded of joie de vivre (joy of living). A true gem, Vanessa painted a whole new world of magic and disruption that had the audience rolling.For Vanessa, it is "not about buying something, it's about being something." Thinking along the path of Now-New-Next, she outlined the need to deconstruct the current, be brave, and disrupt to ultimately make our dreams a reality. Although the path will leave you vulnerable to discouraging failures and defeats, take some advice from the Disney classic Mary Poppins, “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and—snap!—the job’s a game!” A game we're here to win.[caption id="attachment_13741" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Photo credit: Nina Albada Jelgersma Photography[/caption]DICK MOBY | Robbert Wefers-Bettink, Co-FounderShowing that there is a sunny side to plastic, Dick Moby co-founder Robbert led us on his company's journey from initial idea to present day and beyond. As a constantly evolving entity, a brand morphs and adapts just like the people running it. For him, sustainability is not an additive, or an afterthought, but a key aspect of every stage, from concept, to design, all the way through to getting it to the customer. If you haven't caught on yet, that is why it's called circular, you have to think in 360 degrees.[caption id="attachment_13744" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Photo credit: Nina Albada Jelgersma Photography[/caption]REFORMATION | Kathleen Talbot, VP Operations & SustainabilityReformation has come a long way in its short lifetime. From selling 1-of-a-kind tailored and customized vintage clothing in an L.A. storefront to a cultural eco-chic influencer of our times. Un-phased by the fame, their growth spurt only aided them in their circular mission. "Fighting for the product is key," Kathleen emphasized, for "every piece counts." Echoed in their buy lean mentality, "we see every style as a test." Simply put, less production = less waste.Continually seeking to improve their already top-quality standards, Reformation is launching their own 100 percent recycled denim line. "The first 46-piece collection will offer sustainable denim, made either with 100 percent recycled materials, deadstock fabrics or sustainably sourced fibers. Ref's production techniques eliminate the usual toxic dyes and water waste that denim is known for — saving 1,460 gallons of water for each pair."[caption id="attachment_13745" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Photo credit: Nina Albada Jelgersma Photography[/caption]LENA| Suzanne Smulders, Co-FounderAs one enthusiastic audience member stated in reference to LENA the fashion library, "We buy too much AND why buy, when you can borrow?" We couldn't agree more. We need to focus on access over ownership. When one-third of a Dutch person's wardrobe consists of 50 unworn items, it raises the question, what are we buying for anyways?[caption id="attachment_13747" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Photo credit: Nina Albada Jelgersma Photography[/caption]FUTERRA | Laura Hunter, Head of Copy
"To change the world, first imagine a better one." - Futerra
Taken from Futerra's homepage, the above quote captures their refreshingly optimistic approach to consulting brands. "People are who they are, not who you want them to be," Laura commented in reference to the usual narratives spun to convince & guilt-trip consumers to become more sustainable. "Be brave, creative and remember to have fun, because hope beats fear." In need of a little hope? Watch 140 Seconds of Optimism video by Climate Optimist.[caption id="attachment_13748" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Photo credit: Nina Albada Jelgersma Photography[/caption]A TRANSPARENT COMPANY | Neliana Fuenmayor, Founder"What do YOU care about?" Neliana's question hit home in a room of brand representatives. Who is deciding the limits of your sustainability as a person or as a brand? If we care about something, why are we not acting? Winner of the Kering Award, Neliana is a huge endorser of blockchain. In an industry plagued with hazy supply chains, the path forward requires an industry wide adoption to ensure quality assurance at every level-from farm to factories to final purchases and beyond.Time to shape up and act like the world is watching, because soon they will be.[caption id="attachment_13749" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Photo credit: Nina Albada Jelgersma Photography[/caption]CIRCLE ECONOMY | Gwen Cunningham, Circle Textiles Programme Lead
"All is well, yet all is hell." - Gwen Cunningham
#youdoyou is perhaps an innocent hashtag to most, but for Gwen, this hashtag epitomises the complacency and narcissism plaguing the industry. For far too long, we as people allow, excuse and therefore condone the actions of others simply because “it's in their nature”. No more! We no longer have the time nor the luxury to sit back and give others a pass because, you know, “to each their own”. Time to go back to the drawing board as a collective and reconfigure. As creatures of contact, let us insure that our impact is for the betterment of us all, and completely eliminate the #youdoyou mentality.In closing, "we tell ourselves stories in order to live..." wrote author Joan Didion. These imagined realities manifest themselves into cultural norms and practices that are dead set on sticking around for the long run. The circular textiles arena is, as we speak, writing its very own story, creating our very own reality. A reality full of hidden surprises, hurdles and roadblocks, BUT is just as equally a reality of discovery, magic and endless possibilities. It's time to go #beyondblahblah.
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We will be publishing the keynote speeches, as well as more in-depth insights from the afternoon workshops in the next few weeks. Sign up for updates on Beyond Green to get them straight in your inbox.
[cta link="http://circle-economy.com/beyondgreen2017"] Yes, please![/cta]
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You can find out more about the Alliance for Responsible Denim at www.denimalliance.org
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