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Meet Circle Economy at the World Circular Economy Forum 2024!  
March 4, 2024
Meet Circle Economy at the World Circular Economy Forum 2024!  

The World Circular Economy Forum 2024 is hitting Brussels on 15–18 April! 

Thousands of experts and decision-makers will come together at the SQUARE convention centre to explore practical and impactful circular solutions. This year, Circle Economy is proud to co-host the forum and co-design its programme based on insights from the Circularity Gap Report 2024! With government representatives, the finance community and labour organisations on our guest list, we’re looking forward to bringing the report’s recommendations to life. Please check our sessions below and register to participate—in person or online. 

Building sustainable solutions for used textiles trade

Up to US$700 billion could be generated by circular textile business models, which address the impacts of discarded textiles on nature and health. However, little is known about the current destinations, uses and impacts of globally traded used clothes. This workshop sheds light on this murky subject, exploring collaborations, policies and real-world examples to make the worn clothes trade more circular. 


Practical information

Date and time: 15 April 2024 at 09:30–10:45 CEST

Organisers: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Circle Economy

Learn more and register here 

Turning circular visions into actions

The Circularity Gap Report 2024 detailed tangible solutions to accelerate the global circular transition. Now is the time to act upon its insights! This opening plenary session will feature a critical discussion with global policy and thought leaders. They will define the role of governance, economics and society in building a just, circular future.

Practical information

Date and time: 15 April 2024 at 11:00–12:00 CEST

Organisers: International Resource Panel, Circle Economy and Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund 

Learn more and register here 

Shaping a global vision for circular finance 

This session will give the stage over to directors of multilateral development banks (MDBs) from different regions to discuss a shared vision for the role of finance in the circular transition. They will convene for a first-ever public talk on circular finance aimed at building a common approach to the circular economy. 

Practical information

Date and time: 15 April 2024 at 13:30–14:30 CEST

Organisers: Circle Economy, Circularity Exchange Network (Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank), UNEP Finance Initiative and Invest-NL

Learn more and register here 

The people driving change today 

In this session, you will hear from people putting the circular economy into action: entrepreneurs, policymakers, trade union leaders and business people. They will share inspirational insights on what is needed to unleash the potential of a people-centred, jobs-rich circular economy.  

Practical information

Date and time: 15 April 2024 at 13:30–14:30 CEST

Organisers: International Labour Organisation and Circle Economy, with the Solutions for Youth Employment Programme of the World Bank

Learn more and register here 

Ensuring a peaceful transition 

Circular economy approaches can support peacebuilding, community resilience and dialogue. However, shifting to less extractive and less interdependent economic systems might also stir geopolitical tension. This session will analyse the risks and opportunities of the circular economy for international relations and peacebuilding.

Practical information

Date and time: 16 April 2024 at 09:00–10:00 CEST

Organisers: Circle Economy and International Resource Panel, with Carnegie Europe

Learn more and register here 

Urban planning catalyses the implementation of circularity 

Urban planning is a key lever for the circular transition in cities. However, a common understanding of circularity in urban planning is still lacking. This session explores how cities can go from high-level policy to implementation to steer their circular development. 

Practical information

Date and time: 16 April 2024 at 10:45–11:45 CEST

Organisers: ICLEI Europe and Circle Economy

Learn more and register here 

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Ivonne Bojoh: ‘I believe that laser focus is far more effective than trying to be everything to everyone.’
February 8, 2024
Ivonne Bojoh: ‘I believe that laser focus is far more effective than trying to be everything to everyone.’

In celebration of Circle Economy Foundation’s 13th birthday, we are thrilled to introduce you to our new CEO, Ivonne Bojoh. With a background in digital technology and professional services, Ivonne brings a unique perspective to the forefront of our mission. In this interview, Ivonne shares her vision for the future, her passion for the circular economy, and the transformative impact she envisions for Circle Economy Foundation.

As a former start-up and scale-up professional, Ivonne Bojoh was always fascinated by cutting-edge technology. However, as she progressed in her career, she became increasingly aware that technology and economic growth can also have detrimental effects on nature and humanity

‘This happened when I went on a weekend trip with my husband in 2019,’ Ivonne recalls. ‘With ample time for introspection, I contemplated what truly energises me and aligns with my heart's desires. It became apparent that I wanted to do something on a global scale to address the societal and environmental challenges that I had observed in Southeast Asia, where I lived at the time.’

After this pivotal moment, Ivonne stepped down as a co-founder and CTO and came to the Netherlands in pursuit of her next opportunity. It was during this phase that she crossed paths with Martijn Lopes Cardozo, the previous CEO of Circle Economy Foundation. 

‘When Martijn introduced the concept of the circular economy to me, I didn’t immediately grasp its meaning,’ confesses Ivonne. ‘But then he illustrated it with an example from nature, where waste essentially doesn’t exist. I thought: “This is so simple, anyone can understand this! Anyone can see how a dead tree serves as a home for small animals, or that elephant dung is an incredibly energy-rich fertiliser. It’s a beautiful system. Why isn’t everyone living in this system?” This is when my admiration for the circular economy started.’  

Given Ivonne’s extensive experience in digital scale-ups, it came as no surprise that Martijn Lopes Cardozo invited her to develop a digital strategy to accelerate Circle Economy Foundation’s impact, and later to join the organisation as Director of Digital. In 2021, she also became interim COO, and in December 2023 succeeded Lopes Cardozo as Circle Economy Foundation’s CEO.

Reflecting on her new role as CEO, Ivonne points out: ‘Circle Economy Foundation has grown quite quickly in the past couple of years. What we need right now is to refine our internal structure and operations, ensuring we sustain the momentum needed to accelerate the global circular transition. At the same time, I see a tremendous opportunity for extending the foundation’s impact beyond the Global North. My roots are in Indonesia, so I have an intrinsic motivation to bring our work to Southeast Asia and the Pacific region. In addition, there are a lot of opportunities for us to support the circular transition in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.’ 

Prior to assuming the position of CEO, Ivonne played an important role in developing the foundation’s new impact strategy. According to her, while its core vision remains unchanged—building an economic system that ensures the planet and all people can thrive—the organisation's role in this systemic transformation has become better defined. Over the next eight years, it will deliver on three specific goals for the four priority systems (housing, nutrition, manufactured goods, and mobility):

  1. Ensure that decision-makers have the indicators and evidence needed to ensure accountability for their circular ambitions. 
  2. Guarantee sufficient financial capital flows to circular and just solutions.
  3. Empower the key actors with the awareness and capacity to implement circular solutions.

‘I believe that laser focus is far more effective than trying to be everything to everyone. There are far more objectives that are needed in this global transformation, but these are the three objectives we feel we can contribute to best,’ says Ivonne. 

While doubling global circularity to around 17% by 2032 may appear a daunting task, Ivonne remains optimistic in light of the growing awareness of the adverse impacts of the linear economy: ‘If humans were made without the gene that causes greed, our jobs would be easier. Unfortunately, we are who we are. During the era of industrialisation, our unchecked greed took centre stage, and we kept on producing more, thinking that more is better. We’ve unknowingly gotten stuck in a finite system—we can’t continue like this forever. But the good news is that, increasingly, policymakers and industry leaders are aware that this system is tremendously flawed. The question is “Do you know and act or do you know and look away?”’

Amidst the complexities of her role, Ivonne finds solace in the proximity of a protected dune area, with 3400 hectares, the Amsterdam Waterleidingduinen are one of the largest connected hiking areas in the Netherlands. Describing her experience, she states, ‘Being able to just take a walk in nature and hear birds, see animals… it really calms me.’ For her, the ability to connect with nature fosters creativity, allowing her to recharge and approach the foundation's mission with renewed energy.

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Dutch circular finance initiative launches Open Source Scorecard
February 7, 2024
Dutch circular finance initiative launches Open Source Scorecard

The path to a circular economy is both new and profound, demanding a different perspective, experimentation, and the courage to choose a circular future. The Dutch circular finance initiative, known as the Kopgroep Circulair Financieren, is a public-private partnership that unites Dutch frontrunners in circular finance towards a common goal: Establishing circular financing as the norm by 2030.

The circular economy aims to minimise the use of new raw materials and products, maximise reuse, and reduce waste by creating a closed loop of production and consumption. It is essential for staying within the ecological boundaries of our planet, while simultaneously reducing the Netherlands' reliance on resources from other parts of the world. Financiers, investors, and other financial sector service providers play a key role in driving the circular transition. The Kopgroep Circulair Financieren addresses the challenges in financing circular entrepreneurs in the Circular Finance Roadmap 2030 (NL), to ensure that circularity becomes an integral part of financing assessments and investment decisions.

Since its inception in 2020, Invest-NL has been actively involved in financing circular propositions. The intensive collaboration with this diverse group of financiers and investors has yielded knowledge, new connections and valuable experience. This makes us a unique transition network, and this is how we make financing a circular future possible, says Anne Mieke van der Werf, Director Business Development at Invest-NL and Chair of the Kopgroep Circulair Financieren.

Looking through a circular lens at financing


At the moment, one of the main challenges is to incorporate linear risks and circular opportunities in financing decisions (e.g. resource depletion, rising raw material costs, environmental damage). The group emphasises the importance of integrating circularity into the assessment of financing requests and investment decisions, to ensure business continuity.

The Kopgroep Circulair Financieren has collaboratively developed an open-source Circular Risk Scorecard. This scorecard aims to collect data to demonstrate that the risks of circular businesses are currently overestimated, while the opportunities are not adequately considered in financing or investment decisions. The Kopgroep Circulair Financieren calls on the financial sector to use the scorecard, providing insight into the circular risk score of the business (or project) to be financed and incorporating this score into decision-making for financing and investments.

To get started with the scorecard or for more information, please refer to this page (EN) or this page (NL).

Furthermore, the Kopgroep Circulair Financieren organises two deep dive sessions,
free to attend, on:

Tuesday 5 March from 16.00-17.00h;
Wednesday 27 March 16.00-17.00h.

Please register via Jeroen@copper8.com.

For general inquiries, contact: Hilde Sijbring (hilde.sijbring@circularfinancelab.nl).

For scorecard-related inquiries, contact: Jeroen van Muiswinkel (jeroen@copper8.com).

The Kopgroep Circulair Financieren is part of the Sustainable Finance Platform of the Dutch Central Bank.


About the Kopgroep Circulair Financieren
Established in 2021 under the Sustainable Finance Platform of the Dutch Central Bank, the Dutch circular finance initiative Kopgroep Circulair Financieren employs a project-oriented approach with core values being action, connection, and anticipation. The group operates with dedicated teams on impactful projects contributing to at least one goal on the Circular Finance Roadmap 2030. Members include representatives from financial institutions such as ABN AMRO, European Investment Bank, ING, Invest-NL, Royal Netherlands Institute of Chartered Accountants (NBA), Dutch Banking Association, Sustainable Water Bank, Rabobank, Regional Development Agencies, and Triodos Bank. Strategic partners include the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Province of Utrecht, and Municipality of Amsterdam.

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From waste to wellbeing: How to design a waste-free city 
February 5, 2024
From waste to wellbeing: How to design a waste-free city 

The Netherlands has made notable progress in recycling and waste management over the past years. However, the nation’s sheer volume of waste production hinders its goal of having a fully circular economy by 2050. On average, Dutch households produce 524 kilogrammes of waste per capita, which is above the European average of 517 kilogrammes per capita. This constitutes a total of 9.1 million tonnes of household waste generated in the Netherlands annually and underscores the need for robust waste prevention strategies. 

Waste prevention is a far more impactful circular strategy than recycling and energy recovery. That is why the Netherlands is making efforts to cut waste at its source, encouraging its citizens to practice reduce, reuse and repair—the most effective circular R-strategies. 

As part of these efforts, Rijkswaterstaat (RWS), the executive agency of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands, asked Circle Economy Foundation to investigate how cities can be designed to promote waste reduction among residents and small businesses. 

The resultant report, titled 'Zero Waste Cities of the Future,' highlighted five circular urban policy instruments to realise a vision for a waste-free city. A city geared towards waste prevention would forgo certain features to make space for new, innovative facilities and logistic networks. These instruments can reshape the urban environment, making waste prevention appealing to both consumers and producers. 

  1. Urban and Spatial Planning. To promote sustainable choices, everything should be conveniently located. Urban planning that encourages mixed-use developments and creates ‘15-minute cities’ can decrease the need for long commutes and make it easier for residents to shop locally. This will also reduce packaging waste volumes and transportation-related waste.

  1. Legislation and Regulation. Strict waste-related regulations and laws can speed up waste prevention efforts, ensuring that businesses and individuals follow sustainable practices.

  1. Business Support and Incentives. For households to adopt a sustainable lifestyle, they need convenient options. Cities can make circular products and services readily available by providing financial and economic incentives to businesses.

  1. Circular Public Procurement. Local governments can lead by example. Adopting circular procurement practices allows cities to show their dedication to sustainability, promote the market for circular products and services and set standards for responsible consumption and production.

  1. Awareness and Education. Citizens should be educated on waste prevention strategies and how they can be implemented in daily life. Effective awareness campaigns and educational initiatives can empower residents with the knowledge and motivation to reduce waste.

By implementing these urban policy instruments, Dutch cities can lead the way in sustainable, circular practices, creating an inspiring model for the rest of the world to follow.

The report can be downloaded via this link in Dutch and English.

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Global circularity rate is falling steadily every year—study pinpoints key reforms to revert this trend
January 24, 2024
Global circularity rate is falling steadily every year—study pinpoints key reforms to revert this trend

Amsterdam, 24 January 2024—Over the past five years, the number of discussions, debates and articles related to the circular economy has almost tripled in spite of the global circularity rate falling from 9.1% to 7.2%. This is according to the Circularity Gap Report 2024, launched by Circle Economy Foundation today. The report moves from theory to action by identifying how the three main enablers of policy, finance and labour can drive sustainable progress worldwide.

In the last five years, humanity consumed a whopping 500 billion tonnes of materials—nearly equal to what was consumed during the entire 20th century. The global circularity rate has fallen steadily from 9.1% in 2018, when Circle Economy Foundation began measuring, to 7.2% in 2023. This means that out of all the materials consumed worldwide, we’re consuming more virgin materials than ever—while the share of secondary materials is in decline.

Accelerating progress toward a circular economy means addressing the root causes of linear impacts and changing the rules of the game to favour circular practices. The Circularity Gap Report 2024 outlines how policy, finance and employment reforms can reshape global systems to promote circularity.

‘Leveraging the Circularity Gap Report, stakeholders are able to prioritise their circular roadmap based on a data-driven analysis. Policymakers, industry leaders, and financial institutions can agree on focus areas and work collaboratively on the systemic change needed to stay within our planetary boundaries,’ says Ivonne Bojoh, CEO of Circle Economy Foundation. ‘To ensure the transition to a circular economy is just and fair, circular solutions must be designed with the world’s most vulnerable populations in mind, then these solutions will reduce inequalities across workforces and increase job opportunities worldwide.’

Ultimately, the report proposes a strategy to break free from flawed economic practices known to be socially and environmentally exploitative. This will require unlocking capital, rolling out bold, contextually appropriate policies and closing the sustainable and circular skills gap.

Policies and legal frameworks can incentivise sustainable and circular practices while penalising harmful, linear ones. Wealthy countries could achieve the most impact by adjusting regulations in the construction and manufacturing industries. Examples include incentivising retrofitting and reusing buildings (and their components and materials), developing certification and warranties for secondary building materials, setting standards for product durability, and strengthening the Right to Repair legislation.

In middle-income countries, fostering circular agriculture and manufacturing will be a top priority. Local governments could, for example, impose and enforce public bans and limits on pollution, mandate Extended Producer Responsibility schemes and require a minimum amount of recovered materials for all new production while directing funds to regenerative farming.

Lower-income countries could prioritise sustainable development through circular policies in construction and agriculture. These include relieving debt and improving access to development and transition capital, securing smallholder farmer rights and incentivising the use of local, organic and secondary materials in construction.

To unlock finance for circular construction and manufacturing in high-income countries, the study suggests rethinking accounting standards and practices as well as rolling out taxes to increase the price of unsustainable products.


In emerging economies, governments can shift subsidies away from polluting practices in agriculture and manufacturing and towards clean, regenerative ones. In addition, they can ensure all future investments align with ecological and social wellbeing standards.

Development and transition funds could be used in lower-income countries to support circular measures across key sectors like agriculture and construction—regenerative farming and smart urban planning, for example.

Finally, the report underscores the need to enable a just transition by bridging labour and skills gaps. This means education curricula—especially for vocational education—should include green disciplines and skills. Short-term courses could be a solution to meet the immediate and growing demand for green jobs, from renewable energy technicians to repair specialists.

In addition, developing countries could formalise informal employment and focus on making emerging jobs decent, inclusive and well-paid to ensure a just transition for all.


Read the report at https://www.circularity-gap.world/2024

About Circle Economy Foundation

We are a global impact organisation with an international team of passionate experts based in Amsterdam. We empower industries, cities and nations with practical and scalable solutions to put the circular economy into action. Our vision is an economic system that ensures the planet and all people can thrive. To avoid climate breakdown, our goal is to double global circularity by 2032. The Circularity Gap Report (CGR®) is brought to you by Circle Economy Foundation.

Structured evidence about circular strategies and their impacts—economic, environmental and social—is often not available to decision-makers. Instead, decision-making is oriented around linear data that does not adequately consider the quality of life and wellbeing of people and the planet. The Circularity Gap Reporting Initiative aims to bridge these knowledge gaps.

For questions and interviews, please contact Ana Birliga Sutherland, Writer and Editor at Circle Economy Foundation, at ana@circle-economy.com.

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Deloitte and Circle Economy Consulting collaborate to help accelerate global circularity impact
January 24, 2024
Deloitte and Circle Economy Consulting collaborate to help accelerate global circularity impact

Key highlights:


  • The global Circularity Gap Report 2024, a collaboration between Deloitte and Circle Economy Foundation, finds while discussion and debate surrounding circularity have almost tripled in the last five years, this has not resulted in a decline in virgin material use.  
  • In the past six years, the global population consumed more than 500 billion tonnes of materials—nearly as many materials as were consumed during the entire 20th century.
  • Deloitte is investing in new initiatives to help drive business adoption of circular practices that reduce waste and keep materials in circulation, announcing an exclusive partnership with the newly formed Circle Economy Consulting, an impact consulting firm that is a spinoff of Circle Economy Foundation. 
  • The circular economy is projected to help reduce emissions by 40%, generate nearly 2 million jobs, and become a US$2-3 billion market in the coming years. 


NEW YORK, NY, US, 24 January 2024— Today, Deloitte and Circle Economy Foundation released the Circularity Gap Report 2024, finding the vast majority of extracted materials entering the economy are virgin, with the share of secondary materials declining steadily since the Circularity Gap Report began in 2018. The report identifies three main areas where reforms can help accelerate progress toward the circular economy: policy, finance, and employment. 

The decline in circularity continues despite the concept of a circular economy—one that aims to help reduce consumption of virgin materials and keep materials in circulation—growing in popularity, with the volume of discussions, debates and articles on the topic almost tripling in the past five years. The report outlines how governments and industry leaders can move from commitment to action by adopting policies and frameworks that incentivise circular practices while penalising harmful ones, adjusting fiscal policies and practices to help create true prices that include the social and environmental costs of a product or service, funding circular solutions so that they can replace linear norms, and helping ensure their workforce is skilled and trained to support a just transition. The report also focuses on transformative circular solutions across the food system, built environment, and manufactured goods. 

'Leveraging the Circularity Gap Report, stakeholders are able to prioritise their circular roadmap based on a data-driven analysis. Policymakers, industry leaders, and financial institutions can agree on focus areas and work collaboratively on the systemic change needed to stay within our planetary boundaries,' says Ivonne Bojoh, CEO of Circle Economy Foundation. 'To ensure the transition to a circular economy is just and fair, circular solutions must be designed with the world’s most vulnerable populations in mind, then these solutions will reduce inequalities across workforces and increase job opportunities worldwide.'


Along with the report, Deloitte also announced an exclusive partnership with Circle Economy Consulting, an impact consulting firm that is a spinoff of Circle Economy Foundation. The collaboration can help organisations realise circular economy opportunities from designing strategy, to implementing transformation, to measuring and reporting on progress.


'Successfully piloting and scaling circularity requires close coordination across business functions and supply chains. Through our relationship with Circle Economy Consulting and Circle Economy Foundation we’ll bring insights from the Circularity Gap Reports directly to businesses to unlock value. Combined with Deloitte’s end-to-end capabilities, this allows us to create new solutions to help our clients scale circular transformation at the pace and the ambition needed to realize significant commercial opportunity and enable sustainable and resilient supply chains', says David Rakowski, partner, Deloitte UK, who is leading Deloitte’s global circularity offering.


The collaboration can help businesses tap into a budding market projected to reach US$2-3 billion by 2026, and help them reduce material extraction while increasing the resilience of their supply chains. Drawing on the end-to-end capabilities of Deloitte’s Sustainability & Climate practice globally, the collaboration can help businesses with data analysis and navigating regulatory complexity to shape strategy, through to organisational transformation that places people and digital at the heart, to measurement and reporting. 


'Implementing and monitoring circularity are becoming key success factors for businesses to both remain ahead of the game and to comply with anticipated regulation. In joining forces, Deloitte and Circle Economy Consulting will help actualise circular economy principles by empowering clients to take charge of their circular performance,' says Marc de Wit, Managing Director of Circle Economy Consulting. 'We’re looking forward to combining Circle Economy Consulting’s circularity expertise with Deloitte’s breadth of experience, cutting edge technology, and subject matter, industry, and transformation specialists to help businesses reach tangible and scalable results.'


'Prioritising circular efforts today can help organisations retain a competitive advantage while accelerating progress against their environmental goals. We’re proud to help businesses around the world address their environmental footprint, adapt their value chains, and shift to a circular approach,' says Jennifer Steinmann, Deloitte Global Sustainability & Climate Practice leader. 'Together with Circle Economy Consulting, we will continue to drive market discussion and collaboration by bringing Deloitte’s technology and strategy capabilities to designing, piloting, and ultimately scaling circular solutions globally.'

To read the findings of the Circularity Gap Report 2024, visit: https://www.circularity-gap.world/2024 and to learn more about Deloitte’s collaboration with Circle Economy Consulting, visit: https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/about-deloitte-uk/articles/circle-economy-and-deloitte-partnership.html.


About Deloitte 

Deloitte provides industry-leading audit and assurance, tax and legal, consulting, financial advisory, and risk advisory services to nearly 90% of the Fortune Global 500® and thousands of private companies. Our people deliver measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in capital markets, enable clients to transform and thrive, and lead the way toward a stronger economy, a more equitable society and a sustainable world. Building on its 175-plus year history, Deloitte spans more than 150 countries and territories. Learn how Deloitte’s approximately 457,000 people worldwide make an impact that matters at www.deloitte.com.


About Circle Economy Foundation

Circle Economy Foundation is a global impact organisation with an international team of passionate experts based in Amsterdam. The organisation empowers industries, cities and nations with practical and scalable solutions to put the circular economy into action. The Foundation’s vision is an economic system that ensures the planet and all people can thrive. To avoid climate breakdown, it is the goal to double global circularity by 2032.

Circle Economy Foundation is the owner of the Circularity Gap Report (CGRⓇ). Structured evidence about circular strategies and their impacts—economic, environmental or social—is often not available to decision-makers. Instead, decision-making is oriented around linear data that does not adequately consider the quality of life and wellbeing of people and the planet. The Circularity Gap Reporting Initiative aims to fill these knowledge gaps.


About Circle Economy Consulting 

Circle Economy Consulting is a dynamic, impact consulting firm, committed to empowering forward-thinking leaders and businesses in identifying, evaluating and implementing circular solutions. To this end the firm follows a systematic and data-driven approach, supplying the practical steps and involving, inspiring and engaging stakeholders and employees along the way. The firm has more than 10 years of experience under its belt, delivering more than 100 business projects across industries and geographies working with industry leaders like Philips, Action and Rockwool.  Drawing on the expertise of an international team with over 35+ years of combined circular economy experience, the consulting services are tailored to the unique needs of private sector clients. Learn more at www.circle-economy.consulting. 


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Sorting for Circularity Europe expands to address rewearable textile crisis
January 18, 2024
Sorting for Circularity Europe expands to address rewearable textile crisis

AMSTERDAM - Fashion for Good's Sorting for Circularity framework expands to address the challenge of ensuring rewearable textiles remain in use as opposed to finding their way into global waste streams or landfills. This 18-month project tests automated sorting technologies using artificial intelligence and machine learning to optimise the sorting of rewearable garments and enable greater circularity.

A GROWING TEXTILE WASTE LANDSCAPE

Global textile production and consumption have doubled over the past 15 years, while the number of times a garment is worn has dropped by 40%, averaging only seven uses before it is tossed away. In the EU, the amount of used textiles exported has tripled over the last two decades from slightly over 550,000 tonnes in 2000 to almost 1.7 million tonnes in 2019, and their fate is highly uncertain. Many of these garments receive the designation of "fit for reuse" and are later sold to second-hand stores across Europe or export markets like Africa or Asia. However, due to the sheer volume of these exported textiles and the lack of understanding of demand and criteria for resale across the industry, many ultimately end up in waste streams, landfills or incinerated.

As legislative changes loom in the EU, including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes mandating accountability on garments placedon the market, and the Waste Shipment Regulation imposing stricter restrictions on textile exports outside EU borders, the volume of collected and exported textiles will continue to increase, underscoring the urgency for comprehensive solutions.

“As our Sorting for Circularity framework expands, we’ll be able to address the root cause of shifting the waste burden elsewhere. Addressing this requires an agreed upon framework for quality and resale potential in key export regions as well as developments in using AI sorting. This pioneering consortium will provide crucial insights for policy developments and investments towards a circular economy.” — Katrin Ley, Managing Director, Fashion for Good.

HARNESSING THE POWER OF DATA & ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE  

To address these challenges, Fashion for Good is expanding its Sorting for Circularity framework to address the challenge of sorting for rewearable textiles to understand better their resale potential and the demand across the second-hand market. While current Near Infrared (NIR) technology can determine garment composition, the task of assessing re-wearability is largely manual.


This project will test automated sorting technologies using machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to collect product information — such as colour, style, garment type, and quality. This will enable sorters and brands to make better decisions and sort efficiently based on product data and criteria from local, European, and export resale market requirements, thus optimising the flow of textiles to achieve their highest value potential.

The findings will be shared in a report with a supporting business case and implementation roadmap to inform investment decisions in infrastructure, Circular Business Models (CBM) and repair centres.

The Rewear Project builds on Fashion for Good’s Sorting for Circularity framework initiated in 2021 and subsequently launched in Europe, India and the United States harmonising the collection, sorting and recycling industries in order to advance textile-to-textile recycling technologies and the resale industry.

“With this project, we hope to clarify the myths and half-truths on post-consumer waste dumping, but also salvage those by understanding the processes and journeys these garments travel. Then we can reach true circularity.” — Marieke Koemans-Kokkelink, Head of Sustainability, ERDOTEX.

The Sorting for Circularity Europe: Rewear Project is driven by Fashion for Good with catalytic funding provided by brand partners adidas, BESTSELLER, Bonprix, C&A, Inditex, Levi Strauss & Co., Otto Group, PVH Corp., and Zalando. Circle Economy Foundation leads the creation and implementation of the methodology, with support from Consumption Research Norway, Oslo Metropolitan University and Revaluate.

To ensure accuracy and representation in capturing data on the flow of textiles within the EU and export markets, this project will focus on specific geographical regions: Lithuania (Nordic/Baltic), the Netherlands (Western), Poland (Central-Eastern), and Spain (Southern Europe). The project also brings together the largest industrial textile sorters in Europe; including Erdotex, ModaRe, Humana People to People Baltic and Wtorpol, showing how different stakeholders — brands, sorters, and innovators — can work together to comply with evolving regulations.

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Circle Economy Foundation announces leadership transition with Ivonne Bojoh as new CEO
December 21, 2023
Circle Economy Foundation announces leadership transition with Ivonne Bojoh as new CEO

Circle Economy Foundation announced a leadership change today. Ivonne Bojoh, the current Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Director of Digital, will assume the role of CEO, succeeding Martijn Lopes Cardozo. Martijn, who has served as CEO for four years, will continue as a Senior Advisor while exploring new opportunities outside the organisation. We are truly grateful for Martijn’s efforts in the last four years as CEO and before that as Supervisory Board Member and are pleased he will stay on as a Senior Advisor to ensure a smooth transition.

Ivonne Bojoh has a distinguished career, spanning professional services as Partner and Managing Director of The Valley, a leading customer experience agency in Amsterdam and co-founder of a FinTech company in Singapore, scaling and transforming organisations. Ivonne joined Circle Economy in 2020 as Director of Digital and was promoted to COO in 2022, demonstrating her commitment to the organisation's mission and ability to drive impactful change.

The outgoing CEO, Martijn Lopes Cardozo, expressed his confidence in Ivonne's ability to lead the organisation: ‘I congratulate Ivonne on her new role. I have witnessed Ivonne operate in the last three years, and with her deep sense of purpose combined with a can-do mentality and bias to action, she is the right person to head up the organisation going forward. Leading Circle Economy Foundation during the last four years has been a great honour. It has been amazing to work alongside such an incredible group of “circlers”, funders and partners and together drive the transition to a circular economy with practical and scalable solutions.’

Founder and Chairman Robert-Jan van Ogtrop conveyed his positive outlook about the leadership transition: ‘We are very pleased Ivonne will step up as CEO. She is the right person to lead Circle Economy Foundation to deliver impact at scale. I thank Martijn for his leadership, initially as a Supervisory Board member and subsequently as CEO during the last four years. Under his guidance, the organisation has grown, further professionalised and solidified several new key strategic partnerships.’

Ivonne Bojoh shared her excitement about the next phase: ‘When Circle Economy was founded in 2011, the circular economy was still a relatively new concept. Today, we see wide adoption of circularity principles, and with that comes a shift for us to provide the “how” in addition to the “why”. Circle Economy Foundation is uniquely positioned to do just that. I look forward to leading the organisation and accelerating our impact to achieve our goal of doubling global circularity by 2032.’

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