Let’s begin with a shared understanding of what the CE really is. All too many people see the CE as a recycling strategy – it is not; it is a resource optimization strategy. One way to look at the optimization challenge is to apply the waste hierarchy. Allow me to explain further:
On this page, I have attempted to provide background reading and access to applied examples of eco-innovation, closed-loop practices or circular economy networks. Admittedly, it is a pretty rough presentation but I think if you are new to the field, you will find some interesting links on this page. This is not an endorsement of these products, just something to spark your thinking.
Also please note that the promise of the circular economy is not always rosy from a profitability standpoint. Many promising initiatives fail, but the lessons learned and the strategic gains from thinking in a circular manner suggests that ignoring CE applications in corporate strategy is a mistake!
INDEX
- Eco-Innovation and Closed Loop Initiatives Around the World
- Circular Economy Initiatives Around the World
- Circular Economy Networks
- Eco-Innovation Institutes
- Useful Readings on Circular Economy / Closed Loop / Eco-Innovation
- University Programs of Relevance
- Educational Resources
Eco-Innovation and Closed Loop Initiatives Around the World
Adhesives
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- Corn and shellfish based, Purdue University (video)
Agriculture
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- Biosolutions at Novozymes, Denmark
- Closed Loop Farming in Costa Rica (video)
- Closed Loop Dairy Concept, USA
- Closed Loop Dairy: Dagenham, UK
- Closed Loop Farming: Three Mile Canyon Farms, USA
- Chicken Farm: Kipster, NL (video)
- Mobile field manager via iPad: John Deere Farm Manager, USA
- Pyrolysis of Wood Biomass to Wood Vinegar & Biochar: Biogreen Energy, France
- Vertical Farming: Plenty, USA (video)
- Web-based Irrigation Management: Lindsay, USA
Automotive
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- Circular Car: On the Road to the Circular Car
- EU End of Life Vehicles Directive
- Ink from PM pollution: Kaalink, (video)
- Integrated Auto Part Reuse and Recycling: Kaiho Industries, Japan
- REALCAR (REcycled ALuminium CAR): Jaguar, Land Rover (video)
- Short Loop Recycling: Renault
- Tires Circular Economy Strategy: Michelin Tires
- Tires to Carbon: Black Bear, Holland (video)
- Tires to Shoes: Timberland Tires, USA
- Volvo Circularity Efforts: Volvo, Sweden (video)
Building Materials
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- Carpet – Bioplastic carpet backing (C2C): Interface, USA
- Carpet – Fully Recyclable PET fibre carpets: Ege Carpets, Denmark (video)
- Carpet – PCV Free, Recycleable Carpet: Shaw EcoWorx, USA
- Carpet – Take back Carpeting (C2C): Interface Carpets, USA
- Earth to Building Materials: BC Materials, Belgium (video)
- Glass – Thermobel Glass (C2C): AGC Glass
- Insulation – Rock-based Insulation: Rockwool, Denmark/Asia
- Paint – Airlite Purelight Paint (C2C): AM Technology, Switzerland
- Pavement – Roads from Used Print Cartridges: Close the Loop, Australia
- Roofing – Clay Shingles (C2C): Komproment, Denmark
- Tools – Tool lending libraries (global search): Localtools.org
- Turf – Recycleable artificial turf: Re-Match, Denmark
- Walls – Recycleable Wallboard (C2C): Gyproc, Belgium
- Walls – Lego-like Wood Houses: Brikawood, France
- Walls – Re-use Bricks: Gamel Mursden, Denmark (Danish only)
- Walls – Self-gripping Bricks: Daas Click Brick, NL
Consumer / Retail
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- Baby Outerwear – Expandable: Petit Pli, UK (video)
- Clothing Renewal: Renewal Workshop, USA
- DIY – B&Q’s Initiatives, UK (Interview, Matt Sexton)
- Free Goods Exchange: Freecycle Network, USA
- Household Products – Lower Impact: Ifyoucare, USA
- Online Consignment / Thrift Store: Thred Up, USA
- Packaging Free Products: Tesco, UK
- Packaging – Reconceptualed: Carrefour, France
- Repurposed Post-consumer Goods: Looptworks, USA
- Sanitary Pads – Compostable: Anandipad, India (video)
- Shoes – Made from Recycled Textiles: Vaer Sneakers, Denmark (video)
- Shoe Soles – From Tires: Timberland Tires, USA
- Software & Videos Reborn: Game Stop, USA
- Worn Again: Recycled Textile Research
Electronics
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- Chargers – Foldable Solar Chargers: Engel, Australia
- Chargers – Rollout Solar Charger: InfinityPV apps
- Computer – Closed Loop: Dell, USA
- Computer – Refurbished: Refurb, DK (Danish only)
- Computer in a Box (Literally): Recompute, USA
- Computer – Reduced Footprint Computer: Iameco, Ireland
- Headphones – Circular Headphones: Gerrard Street, NL
- Ink Cartridge Re-tasking: Close the Loop, AU (video)
- Mobile Phones – Design for Disassembly and Repair: Fairphone, NL
- Mobile phone – Upgradeable Component Phone: The Puzzle Phone, Finland
- Voice Recorder – Redesign using CE principles: Philips, NL (design for disassembly video)
- Water Regulator – Smart Sprinklers: Rachio, USA
- Water Regulator – Shower Regulation Device: The Water Pebble, UK
Energy
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- Biorefinery – Circular Design: Borregaard, Norway (video)
- Heat Pumps – Heat Pump Reference Site: Star Pump Alliance, Germany (video)
- Home Energy Storage System: Toyota, Japan (video－Japanese)
- Home Energy Storage System: Tesla, USA (video)
- Pyrolysis – Mobile Pyrolysis System for Plastics and Tires to Oil: Circular Energy, Czech
Food
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- Beer – Bread Waste to Beer: Bute Brew Co, Scotland
- Beer – Potato Beer: In Stock, NL
- Beer Waste – Value from Beer Brewery Waste: N17, Ireland
- Coffee Waste- Coffee Grounds to Biofuel and Biochemicals: Bio-Bean, UK
- Food Waste – CE and Food waste: Ellen MacArthur Foundations, UK
- Food Waste – Organic Waste to Fiber: Agraloop
- Food Waste – Redistribution of Surplus Food: Food Shift, USA (Video)
- Food Waste – Rescued Food to Restaurant Cuisine: In Stock, NL
- Insects – Insect Protein for Farming: Protix, NL (video)
- Jams – End of Day Jams and Soups: Potverdorie, NL (Dutch site)
- Meatless Beef: Beyond Foods, USA (video recipe)
- Meatless Meat: Prime Roots, USA
- Meatless Meat: Impossible Foods, USA (video on Heme)
- Meatless Meat: The Vegetarian Butcher, NL (video)
- Meatless Meat: (cultured): Air Protein, USA (video)
- Mushrooms- Coffee Grounds to Oyster Mushrooms: Rotterzwam, NL
- Snacks – Beer Yeast to Grain Snacks: Regrained, USA
- Vegetables – Wonky Fruits and Vegetables: Kromkommer, NL
Furnishings
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- Tutorial: 6 Strategies for Circular Furniture Design, Design Wanted, Italy
- DfD Recycled Plastic Chair: Javier Mariscal
- DfD Office Chair: Steelcase, USA
- Ethically Sourced in Developing Nations: One Village, UK
- Furniture Sharing: Kaiyo, USA
- Kitchen Cabinets (Kungsbacka): IKEA, Sweden
- Reclaimed Wood Furniture: Thors Designs, Denmark
- Reclaimed Wood Furniture: Real Wood Studios, Scotland
- Sofa for Kids – Flip Up Recycled Material: Upparel, AU (video)
- Toward Zero Waste at IKEA
Household
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- 10 ways to use orange peels in the home (video)
- Kitchen Cleansers (C2C): Greenspeed, EU
- Kitchen Cleansers: Replenish, USA
- Kitchen Composting: Bokashi, Australia
- Kitchen Composting: Urban Composter, Australia
- Rental of Belongings: Fat Llama, UK
- Toilet, Glass, Floor Cleaners (C2C): Werner and Mertz Professional, Germany
- Tool Sharing: Toronto Tool Library, Canada
Plastics and Packaging
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- Tutorial: Bioplastic vs Biodegradable Plastic vs Biodegradable Material, Precious Plastic, NL
- Circular Polymers: SABIC, Saudi Arabia
- Compostable Dog Waste Disposal Bags: Onya, AU
- Marine Litter Remover: Asco Harvester
- Autonomous Water Drone: Waste Shark, Rotterdam
- PLAiR foamed PLA: Ricoh, Japan (video)
- Plastic from Milk Protein: Lactips, France
- Plastic Waste to Fabric: Thread, USA
- Polymers from Milk Protein: QMilk, Germany
- Modular plastic recycling systems: Precious Plastic, NL (video)
- Rethinking Plastics: Belgium
Products as Services
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- Car Sharing: Greenwheels, NL
- Car Sharing: Mywheels, NL
- Cup Re-use: Globelet, NZ/AU (video)
- Designer Clothing Rental: Rent The Runway, USA
- Lease a Jeans: MUD Jeans, NL
- Luxury Consignment Goods: The RealReal, USA
- Multi-modal Trip Planning: BMW/Daimler’s Urban Mobility Now
- Neighbourhood Car rentals: Snappcar, NL
- Pay to Ride Elevators: Biguituan Residential Complex, China
- Ride sharing: Blablacar, France (French site)
- Tool Lending libraries (global search): Localtools.org
- Women’s Clothing Rental: Gwynnie Bee, USA
Public Sector
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- Energy and Water from Hospital Waste: Pharmafilter, NL (video)
- Recovering Phosphorous and Nitrogen from Waste Water: Ostara Wastewater Technology, Canada (video)
- Recovering Phosphorous from Waterless Urinals: Fos Vaatje, NL
- Waste sorting camera: Recycleye, UK (video)
Textiles
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- Reused Baby Clothes: Vigga, Denmark
- Bags from Recycled airplane seats: Looptworks, USA
- Biodegradable Sewing Yarns: Natura Sewing Thread, Germany
- Citrus Juice Waste to Fabrics: Orange Fiber, Italy
- C2C Dyes: Dystar, Singapore
- C2C Hosiery and Lingerie: Wolford, Austria
- C2C T-Shirts: C&A, NL
- C2C Wool Yarn: Stella McCartney, UK
- Closed Loop Textile Recycling: Relooping Fashion, Finland
- Department Store CE: Marks and Spencer, UK
- Department Store – Toward 100% Reused/Recycled: H&M, Sweden
- Fashion and the Circular Economy: Fashion Positive, NL
- H&M Clothing Recycling: H&M, Sweden
- Lyocell Fabric (Tensel): Lenzing, Austria
- Microfiber Pollution Reduction: Coraball, USA
- Microfiber Pollution Reduction Bag: Guppy Friend
- Natural Dyes from Organic Waste: Archroma’s Earthcolours, CH
- PET Bottles to Yarn: Polygenta, India
- PET Bottles to Fiber: Repreve, USA
- Plant Fibers (Eco Circle): Teijin, Japan
- Orange residue to Fiber: Orange Fiber, Italy (video)
- Recycled Cotton: Circulose, Sweden (video)
- Regenerated Nylon: Econyl, Italy
- Tensel Fabric Clothing (Lyocell): Reformation, USA
- Textiles from Recycled Materials: Recover, USA (video)
- Textile Waste to New Fiber: EVRNU, USA
- Textiles – Milk Proteins to Polymers: QMilk, Germany
- Upcycled Cotton: Recover from Hilaturas Ferre, Spain
- Worn Again: Recycled Textile Research
- Yarn from PET Bottles: Karen Klarbaek, Denmark
- Zara Clothing Recycling: Zara, Spain
Transportation
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- GHG Emission Tracking: Zilchforwarding, Australia
Circular Economy Initiatives Around the World
Australia’s Circular Advantage – Scott Valentine and KPMG
Case Studies from Ellen MacArthur Foundation
C2C Biz – Cradle to Cradle Initiatives for Business
C40 Circular Economy Cases Studies – City Level
Circular Design Speed Dating in Vienna
FLOOW2 – Platform for Sharing Business Assets, Luxembourg
Kalundborg Symbiosis, Denmark
Nike’s Closed Loop Project, The Nike Grind
Planning a CE Campus at the University of Delft
Samsoe, Denmark – 10% Renewable Energy Island
The Circular Economy – And Three Companies Doing It Right
Western Cape Industrial Symbiosis Program, South Africa (Video)
Zero Waste Scotland, UK (Video)
Circular Economy Networks
Ellen MacArthur Foundation, UK
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is one of the world’s foremost organisations working on circular economy issues. Through its website, researchers can access a large number of reports that investigate different aspects of the circular economy. When someone wishes to learn more about the circular economy, I often point them to this site.
The Circular Economy Club (CEC) is an international network of over 3,100 circular economy professionals and organizations from over 100 countries. Non-for-profit, global and open to anyone to join the club for free. The site includes a directory of events, job offers, funding opportunities, and all things circular.
The gateway for Cradle to Cradle knowledge, expertise and professionals
A listing of over 30 organizations or websites that are serving coordination roles in the circular economy.
Eco-Innovation Institutes
Product-Life Institute, Geneva
The main focus of the Product-Life Institute is on practical strategies and approaches to produce higher real wealth and economic growth with considerably lower resource consumption. Create more manual and skilled jobs with greatly reduced resource consumption. Promote the business concepts of the Functional Service Economy that focuses on the performance of goods and services, the utilization value as its central notion of economic value and private-sector initiatives to finance public works.
Borderstep, Germany
An independent not-for-profit research institution, Borderstep carries out publicly funded research projects in the areas of the green economy, green innovation, and sustainable entrepreneurship.
Conferences (Past and Upcoming)
- Circularity 2022, November 24-25, Sydney Australia
- Global Sustainability Development and Circular Economy Innovation Summit, 2019, 18-19 September, Melbourne
- Powering the Change, November 2019, 12-14 November, Adelaide
- World Circular Economy Forum, Toronto, Canada, Summer 2020, TBC
CE Education
Higher Education Certificates, Diplomas and Masters
MSc in Circular Economy: Norwegian University of Science and Technology
MSc in Industrial Ecology: Leiden University, NL
MSc Integrated Product Design: Delft University of Technology, NL
Short Courses and Workshops
Circular Tayside Learning Resource page – global courses
KPMG`s Circular Advantage – 18-module (5 month) online program
McMaster University – CE Certificate Course 3 day; 20 hour
Free Courses and Workshops
Coursera – CE Sustainable Materials Management (Lund University)
Coursera – Business Sustainability in the Circular Economy (University of London)
Coursera – A Circular Economy of Metals (Leiden University)
CE Education Materials
ecoCEO is an interactive and engaging educational game for the classroom! It increases awareness and transfers knowledge about circular economy strategies and circular business models in a hands-on and fun way. Age target 15-18.
This is a great first stop when looking for teaching resources and CE education programs on the web. Scroll down on the linked page and you will find some useful short exercises and curriculum ideas for higher education.