Ecobricks such as raising awareness of the scale of our plastic habit in the Across Grundfos’ own facilities, a flagship initiative has been running for several years now to replace all inefficient pumps and motors worldwide with high-efficiency Grundfos solutions. We have gathered 10 examples of Circular Economy solutions that through practical cases illustrate how circular business models prove to be a sound business strategy that facilitates access to new markets, drives innovative solutions and saves production costs. These larvae have an immense appetite for organic One of the major causes of our linear lifestyles is the fact The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Corporate Citizenship Center has released a new case study report featuring examples of how companies are translating circular economy … It is strongly connected to the creation of the first and only symbiosis centre in the world, which works to identify and facilitate new industrial symbioses in Denmark. 2: A circular subscription concept VIGGA was born as a circular concept. In 2005, KMC began transforming residual potato fibres into a valuable protein-rich food additive for the food industry. A way is needed to stop this linear model of consumption of Enter your e-mail address below to receive our weekly newsletter. For example, when a tree is harvested, four new ones are planted. soil, this plant is consumed by an animal, which in turn is consumed by another The product life extension model helps companies extend the lifecycle of … clothing. Taking resources, making things with them and then disposing of them in various ways. But to Splitting and refining the side streams from potato starch production helps maximise output of each potato for the economic benefit of the potato growers, while the use of potato fibres allows the food industry to efficiently increase the nutritional value of its products. Water is pushed More than 2/3 of all pumps installed today are inefficient and use up to 60% too much energy. etc. The Uber pool allows the riders to reduce their traveling costs. This circular These resources are finite, meaning that they will eventually all run out. However, in more recent times, humans have developed a more linear approach to life. But on top of that, this linear model leads to many detrimental effects on the environment, whether that is plastics in the oceans, toxic chemicals in landfills or greenhouse gases released from burning fossil fuels. Scottish based firm MacRebur has found a way to do this by using plastics to construct and repair roads. the reality is many people enjoy the convenience of grabbing a coffee or are Through a circular subscription concept, VIGGA offers high-quality children’s clothes, produced under proper conditions, at an attractive price. But Some of the accessories they have produced include bags created from old firehoses they saved from landfill sites. In … The team combined waste grass, straw, tomato stems and seaweed with a biobased liquid to form a wooden material that has the same properties as tropical hardwood along with a similar deep brown color to match. Rob is the head writer at Innovate Eco sharing knowledge and passion cultivated over 10 years working in the Environmental Sector. Circular Economy Circular business models represent fundamentally different ways of producing and consuming goods and services. where we put the idea of ownership aside and therefore greatly reduce many of This has allowed us to rapidly grow global economies and living standards….but it comes at a cost. Additionally, most pumps currently installed are larger than necessary and often run continuously at their maximum speed. animal and eventually the animal at the top of the food chain dies and all the Since GoMore was established in 2005, more than 1 million users have visited and used the service. (Courtesy: VIGGA), 3: A circular travel solution Cars are by far one of the most under-utilised resources in modern life. The Global Ecobrick Alliance also point to other benefits of down over time. fashion and trends and clothing does eventually wear out and become unusable. But not only that, they flavored with cumin (for savory dishes) and sugar (for sweet dishes) making them entirely edible once finished with. Here, all unwanted materials are removed. (Courtesy: GoMore), 4: Recycling of artificial turf As the first in the world, Re-Match uses patented state-of-the-art technology to separate worn-out artificial turf into raw, clean components, which can then be re-used or recycled in the turf industry or in other industries. Lignin is the substance that forms the cell walls in trees and plants making them rigid and woody in structure. Along with coffee, another liquid we are obsessed with is in landfill. Example 1: Sustainable sourcing . (Courtesy: Grundfos), 10: Optimising side streams Danish Crown, one of the world’s biggest pork producers, is cooperatively owned by Danish farmers who are both our suppliers and owners. Everything starts with sustainable forest management and securing the future growth of this renewable resource. You’ll see… there is a lot more to it than just recycling. Three major Recyclable ROCKWOOL insulation and ROCKFON acoustic panels are then separated from the unrecyclable insulation before being granulated. In the city of Bontoc in the Philippines, the creation of Ecobricks was taken up by so many people that a local dump had to close as the reduction of waste was so high. These bricks can be slab, reducing the need for concrete which is a famously carbon-intensive The idea is that these vegan-friendly spoons made of rice, sorghum and wheat are tough and durable enough to withstand an entire meal of hot food without falling apart. In the past non-biodegradable single-use petroleum-based plastics have been used for this purpose all of which end up in landfill or burnt. Instead of drinking a soda at a café, going on summer holiday abroad or toasting in draught beer, the Danes moved the consumption of beverages home. And like with coffee the manufacturing process of beer produces waste This has led some to estimate that if the current trend towards fast fashion continues, one quarter of total climate change contributions will be due to clothing by 2050 (Harrabin, 2018). Perhaps the best thing about Ecobricks though is how it is empowering communities in poorer parts of the world. Examples could include single-use plastic bottles that end up in a landfill site or unwanted electronics that we throw away when a new shiny model is released. Food production creates a lot of waste, waste which is often The higher the quality, the more children can make use of the same piece of clothes and the higher the profit becomes. A recent study found that these days the average car spends 95% of it’s time parked, not being used. In Denmark, an average car transports 1.4 people on the road and spends about 23 hours per day taking up parking space. Thanks to the company in over a decade none of London’s discarded firehoses have ended up in landfill. on the second-hand market, this is the simplest way to prevent clothing Circular Economy in India – Importance with Example January 10, 2021 by Uma Sathwika Manda In layman’s terms, a circular economy ensures the generation of waste is at the minimum possible rather than taking the resources, making the products we need, using them, and discarding them as is done in a linear economy. 1: Kalundborg Symbiosis – the world’s first working industrial symbiosis The Kalundborg Symbiosis is an industrial symbiosis, where a by-product or residual product of one enterprise is used as a resource by another enterprise. Everyone has a role to play in moving towards a circular economy. But there is no obligation to eat the cutlery. I have spent over 10 years working as an Environmental Scientist combining a passion for technological innovation with a desire to make the planet greener. (Courtesy: Danish Crown), – Download our white paper on Circular Economy. The circular economy (sometimes called ‘CE’, ‘circularity’ and ‘circular thinking’) refers to an economic state where resources are kept in a continuous circle of use so that: Virgin resources are no longer extracted (e.g. We have gathered 10 solutions that unlock the potential of the Circular Economy. State of Green is a not-for-profit, public-private partnership from Denmark. In the beginning of 2020, Aalborg CSP A/S, a Danish renewable energy and storage specialist, received an order for turnkey delivery of a customized 1.2 MW electrical heat pump system for a Danish district heating plant in Northern Jutland, Denmark. This is clearly noticeable in the figures. They do this by combining the grains with seeds, almonds, cinnamon and honey to create what they call a breakfast for heroes…..because who doesn’t want to start the day with a beer?? Inspired by a trip to India where he saw people collecting plastic waste and melting it into potholes to repair roads, Toby McCartney brought the idea back to the UK and with his co-founders refined a method of taking waste plastic and making it into plastic granules that could be used to make roads. The technology is so effective that almost 100% of the components can be either reused or recycled. Owning our own car, our own appliances Environmental impacts of producing new clothing range from The problem is that many of those plastics don’t even reach Therefore, with this objective in mind, we are working to incorporate circular economy principles in all our processes, products and services. The aim of the fast fashion industry is to get consumers to Circular economy aims to reach the maximum efficiency in the use of finite resources, the gradual transition to renewable resources, and recovery of the materials and products at the end of their useful life. The minimal cost and the fact they are so simple to make with no need for machinery means anyone can make them and build with them. reuse and recycling of elements prevails: minimize production to a bare minimum As a result, traditional disposal methods that send waste insulation to landfill sites and crush porcelain and sanitaryware to make road fill are being replaced by a new, greener alternative jointly developed by three Danish companies. material to produce. too full after your meal you can simple dispose of the spoon and it is fully biodegradable. nutrients are returned to the soil to be used by a new plant. The circular economy is part of the answer to that question. Amid the turmoil and unpredictability caused by the Corona crisis, the filtration organization LiqTech chose to focus even more on product development. Circular Economy Examples: Reducing CO2 Emissions One thing’s for sure, circular economies can and often contribute astronomically to reducing Carbon emissions. VIGGA: A SHARED WARDROBE. Our main raw material is wood from Northern forests. prices, creating the feel of disposable clothes. throwing away last months rags and buying the next hip item for a tiny price. environmental issues at once. Circular economy principles are therefore nothing new to Danish Crown. By applying its method to two thousand bricks, “Gamle Mursten” also prevents the emission of one tonne of CO2. As a result, more than 300,000 seats have been sold in Denmark alone, making GoMore a European leader in combining ridesharing and peer-to-peer car rental, and Scandinavia’s leading business in the sharing economy. A 2016 Deloitte publication asserts that circular economies help cut down on Green House gas emissions by reducing energy expenditure. large amounts of land, usually felled rainforest in the case of soy production. Planes and cruise ships are popular holiday modes of... Electric scooters are becoming more and more popular among adults and all over the world, not only for enjoyment but for personal use for specific situations. Check your email for a link to reset your password. excrement! For example, the jobs created by the circular economy may be different from existing jobs in scope and location. This not only reduces the environmental impact from the discarded firehoses in landfill but reduces the impact of making new bags from materials such as leather. A circular travel solution. landfill and instead end up in the oceans. As a result, Grundfos’ annual energy consumption has been reduced by more than 8.000.000 kWh. With a capacity of 1.2 MW, the plant is capable of producing approx. At the Yokohama Rubber factory in Japan, Grundfos switched out the main pump delivering water to cool the factory´s production line. land-use change and inputs for growing cotton, to the high energy and toxic But we must accept that it is such a useful material that it will be around for a while to come. One of these uses is to create pellets for use in biomass which they claim are carbon neutral and reduces the need for imported wood. such as methane along with our other food waste. If you look around your house virtually every modern item you see contains plastic in some form. In 2020, 19 per cent more cans and bottles were returned compared to the previous year, an increase far beyond the usual. But there will always be a desire from people for the latest The old bricks are collected, cleaned with vibration technology, manually checked one by one and finally stacked by robots before being shipped to new sites. Additionally, for the driver, it locates … Porcelain and sanitaryware are crushed before being sent to the ROCKWOOL production facility, where they are used to manufacture new, recyclable insulation. No singular business is the circular economy. The much more important factor is the clothes don’t end up in landfill and the need for new cotton and other materials is reduced.