Circular Economy 2020 Year-in-Review

At the Circular Economy Club (CEC) We envision a new era where all cities worldwide function through a circular model, setting the end of an age of waste. With that in mind, we continue to help to bring the circular economy movement worldwide through a network of over 280 CEC local chapters in 130 countries. 

Following the “Circular Economy 2019 Year-in-Review” and the “CEC 2018 Year-in-Review”. This update has the purpose to show that the movement is certainly growing and moving forward. We hope this inspires more and more individuals and organizations to keep working towards achieving circularity. Following this, let’s have a look at the top CEC developments of the year and featured circular economy initiatives of 2020:

CEC milestones

• We created the Circular Economy Institute to ensure professionals in this field have the highest certification standards in the field.

• We have partnered with great organizations in the field, including The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) to promote the CEI circular economy certificate.

• This year we totaled 7,000+ Members in our CEC network and have launched features to energize digital communication such as our Zoom Café 

• Our CEC Chapters has grown to 280+ cities across the world.

• On the 26th of October – 1st November 2020, we joined forced to deliver our second global Circular Cities Week (CCW) with 45+ cities hosting a workshop looking at post Covid-19 strategies to build resilient cities

Banks/ Funding

• The African Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA) is a country-led platform that aims to lead advocacy projects, undertake policy research and support high-impact circular-economy projects. The ACEA was conceived by the World Economic Forum and the Government of Rwanda in 2016 and South Africa and Nigeria joined the alliance as co-chairs in 2017. As of 2020, with 10 member countries from across the African continent, the ACEA has given rise to a multi-donor trust fund with an initial capital of €4 million. This will fund circular economy entrepreneurs and circular economy activities in countries that have joined the alliance. The ACEA secretariat has already begun researching how circular economy approaches can aid sustainable economic growth across Africa and organizations researching the circular economy in Africa, are encouraged to reach out to ACEA (read more).

• In light of the European Commission’s new Circular Economy Action Plan, the European Investment Bank, as the EU bank, is supporting the transition to a circular economy, particularly in the European Union, but also in other parts of the world. It aims to increase lending by  €1 trillion to innovative circular economy projects aimed at systematically designing out waste, extending the life of assets and closing material loops (read more).

Investors

• Brussels-based Candriam, a subsidiary of New York Life global multi-specialist asset management firm and a pioneer in sustainable and responsible investing (SRI), has launched a global equity strategy targeting the ‘circular economy’ theme, which hinges on waste reduction and leverages trends such as the backlash of single-use plastic. The Candriam SRI Equity Circular Economy Fund invests in companies that use technology and other innovations to transition away from the linear economic model. Candriam claims the circular economy is a “multi-decade” investment theme with a projected value of perhaps $4.5 trillion by 2030 (read more).

Global networks

• CEC celebrated the “Circular Cities Week” global event, online this year, in 45 cities worldwide. The goal: to push, with a united voice, for the design and implementation of circular economy strategies in cities worldwide. This effort coincided with the United Nations World Cities Day on Oct. 31. The “Circular Cities Week” is an annual, decentralized global event.  During the week, CEC City Organizers in 45 cities organized webinars to discuss how circularity helps shape up resilient cities that recover from economic and health crisis, and next steps to encourage implementation of the circular economy in their cities. This effort included bringing in stakeholders from city governments, private and nonprofit sectors, and academia—and providing a multi-stakeholder call to action.

Multinationals

• The Renault Group has signed the French government’s Circular Economy Roadmap, which focuses on moving towards a 100% plastic recycling rate in France by 2025. This means that the automobile business will increase overall use of recycled plastics by 50% from 2013, or 64,000 tons for all of Groupe Renault. The group has also set up the first European circular economy site dedicated to mobility, the REFACTORY. It will recruit more than 3,000 individuals on the site by 2030 (read more).

Partnerships

• New York City is working to foster partnerships between the city and local projects, startups, local government stakeholders, academic institutions, and private sector investors. The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and New Lab announced the launch of this year’s Circular City program, an opportunity for startups to pilot their products in real urban environments in the city. The 2020 edition of Circular City focuses on advancing New York City’s sustainability vision through technology, supporting the transition to a circular economy (read more). 

Public Policy

• In 2020, the European Commission presented the European Green Deal, a “plan to make the EU’s economy sustainable”. This document establishes a plan to: “boost the efficient use of resources by moving to a clean, circular economy, restore biodiversity and cut pollution”. As the EU aims to be climate neutral by 2050, a European Climate Law was drawn up in order to turn this political pledge into a legal obligation. 

Research

• Martin Friant’s academic paper “Analysing European Union circular economy policies: words versus actions”, discusses the 25 latest CE directives, communications and regulations adopted by the Junker Commission and on the basis of a typology of circularity discourses, analyses their sustainability implications (read more).

Social media led movement

• Electronic products come with social and environmental challenges, many of them linked to today’s linear economy. Every year, since 2018, January 24 is #CircularElectronicsDay, an initiative aiming to encourage organizations and consumers to take a more responsible approach to the electronic goods they use. This year is no different with the #CircularElectronicsDay holding to increase awareness of why electronic products should be given a longer life through repairs, upgrades and reuse. The organizers of Circular Electronics Day encourage both individuals and organizations to use electronics more responsibly and inspire others to take circular action with the hashtag #CircularElectronicsDay (read more).

Startups

• Uk-based startup, Mimica has created the Mimica Touch technology to determine if food is still edible.   This solution to food waste could eliminate the problem of best before dates and aid Circular Economy initiatives. Mimica Touch is added to food packaging as a label or seal. There is a bioresponsive gel within the label that reacts at the same rate that a particular food spoils. Over time, this gel liquifies. When it has liquified to the extent where the bumps underneath can be noticed, then the food is no longer suitable for consumption. The label can be calibrated to be used on any perishable commodity and the system is reliable to within hours of spoilage (read more).

Technology

• Catadores are informal waste collectors in Brazil that collect and recycle waste materials and sell them to scrap centres. The mobile app ‘Cataki’ seeks to inform Brazilians about the importance of Catadores and connect residential households to waste collectors. Catadores can create a profile on the app, and then be contacted by residents to organise the collection of recyclable waste. One of the key features of the app is that Catadores and users are encouraged to negotiate a fee for the service. This can then help the Catadores negotiate higher prices for waste collected, where ordinarily without the app waste collectors might find it difficult to set prices for waste to be collected (read more).

We hope these examples motivate you to keep pushing, and we thank you for being a part of this important shift. Your work and support is a constant source of inspiration and we at the CEC team look forward to what the future brings. Enjoy your holidays. Onward!