We are delighted to launch our newly designed blog page, where you can now easily browse through all our latest articles. Don’t miss out on our discussions on the most cutting-edge topics surrounding the circular economy. We will continue to post our articles here on Medium, but you can now find our whole collection on our own Circle Economy website. Take a browse here ..read more

By Laxmi Haigh, Lead of Editorial at Circle Economy and one of the lead authors of the Circularity Gap Report 2023 This article was originally published on Illuminem. We need to talk about materials: how we extract, process, use and dispose of stuff. The sheer amount of global materials entering the global economy each year — now a record 100 billion tonnes — has repercussions. Huge ones. In only six years, global circularity — measuring the materials that are cycled back into the global economy after the end of their useful life — has dropped from 9.1 to 7.2%, revealing how heavily we r ..read more

Kuyichi’s reworked denim collection is being resold at the GreenUp space in Utrecht. Photo courtesy of Kuyichi. This article was written for FashionUnited by Gwen Cunningham, Textiles Programme Lead at Circle Economy and Andreea Theodora Baniceru, Textiles Programme Intern at Circle Economy. It is well understood that extending the life of a garment is considered one of the most effective ways to reduce the overall impact of the clothing industry. Why? Firstly, optimising the use of clothing can contribute to a decrease in production and consumption of new garments and secondly, it c ..read more

Sustainability in the Global South isn’t one-size-fits-all — here’s why As the circular economy approach gains prominence, it should be implemented with care By Jana-Chin Rue Glutting (Consultant — Labour Market Specialist, Circle Economy) and Apoorva Valli Shankar (Consultant — Labour Market Specialist, Circle Economy) The circular economy, a crucial means to an end to achieve sustainable development, offers an opportunity to change the way we live and work. It provides a pathway to live within our planet’s limits by making the concept of ‘waste’ obsolete, and drastically lowe ..read more

To reach sustainability goals at COP27, we must prioritise — and finance — circular projects Most greenhouse gas emissions come from material use — a circular economy is vital to mitigating these Megan Murdie (Writer & Editor, Circle Economy), supported by Luke Bailey (Finance consultant) and Marvin Nusseck (Finance Strategist) ‘“Show me the money’’ might seem like a crass way of summarising COP27 climate negotiations. Yet it gets to the heart of what the world must do to tackle climate change and the reason why the United Nations organises these annual climate conferences,’ notes Ak ..read more

Part two: Trade, labour and knowledge systems in global food value chains Image source: Pixbay Explore this topic at our upcoming event (27th October) on achieving social justice in a circular economy → Today’s understanding of the circular economy fails to address issues of global social equity and threatens to exacerbate the divide between high- and lower-income countries, making it clear that a global circular economy will not be socially just by default. This is the main finding of our latest paper for Circle Economy’s Circular Jobs Initiative: ‘Thinking beyond borders to ac ..read more

Part one: Corporate concentration and power imbalances in the food system Explore this topic at our upcoming event (Oct 27) on achieving social justice in a circular economy → Today’s understanding of the circular economy fails to address issues of global social equity and threatens to exacerbate the divide between high- and lower-income countries, making it clear that a global circular economy will not be socially just by default. This is the main finding of our latest paper for Circle Economy’s Circular Jobs Initiative: ‘Thinking beyond borders to achieve social justice in a globa ..read more

G-Star Head of Sustainability exclusive: Is a circular fashion industry achievable? ‘Only if we’re all on board’ The opportunities and risks for brands eyeing the circular economy By Ana Birliga Sutherland (Editor, Circle Economy) ‘We believe it’s just something you should do — not something you should brag about.’ This statement on sustainability in fashion comes from Rebecka Sancho, G-Star RAW’s new Head of Sustainability, who is quietly working to scale the denim brand’s circular economy initiatives. This is an ethos the fashion industry would do well to embrace — especi ..read more

How businesses can harness their HR department to support circular business ambitions By Duco del Mol van Otterloo Spaceship Earth. Photo by NASA on Unsplash Some time ago I read about the Overview Effect that some astronauts experience when they are in space. Seeing the Earth, that colourful ping-pong ball, hanging in an infinite black void, protected only by a thin layer of atmosphere, creates nothing less than a revelation. This insight led many astronauts — once back on Earth — to become environmentalists, and even made the late Dutch astronaut Wubbo Ockels dream of a new religio ..read more

By Laxmi Haigh (Lead of Editorial at Circle Economy) and Joel Marsden (Senior Researcher at the Circular Jobs Initiative, Circle Economy, and co-author of the paper) This article was first published by the World Economic Forum. National policies and commitments in higher-income countries to cap greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reduce waste, among other aims, are absolutely vital — but overwhelmingly short-sighted in practice. They’re often formed to reach local targets, with no thought of the impact they may have beyond borders. Especially the case in higher-income countries, such ..read more