According to the 2021 Circularity Gap Report from the United Nations Economic Commission of Europe, the world economy is only 8.6% circular. Four years ago, in 2018, that number was higher, at 9.1%.
In 2019, more than 23.5 billion shoes were produced yearly, but only 5 % were recycled, with nearly 95% going into landfills.
Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) are directly related to what we extract, produce and consume. So the idea is that if we apply circular strategies to materials and emissions in hotspots, the world could reduce GHG. The circular economy movement is slowly being embraced by businesses, government leaders and consumers as a way to tackle waste and pollution, accelerate climate action and maintain a viable and prosperous economy.
But is it possible?
Hasan Shafi, a partner at Arthur D. Little, says companies and organizations will need to rely on digital technologies like advanced analytics, drones and the internet of things (IoT) to measure, analyze, monitor GHG emissions and integrate complex systems.
“Digital technologies and sustainability areas will see more convergence and synergistic innovation in the future, thus accelerating decarbonization,” said Shafi. “Many new business models will be developed and delivered via digital/tech platforms such as decarbonization-as-a-service.”
Shafi says catalyzinginvestments into cleantech and future market mechanisms can contribute to a better future for people and the environment.
Tony Fadell is the Principal at Future Shape and the founder and former CEO of Nest Labs. He says the markets understand more and more that materials are finite. “Value chains can only last if they will be based on reuse and circularity.”
“Chains based on mining waste will lose their value and eventually become obsolete, so investors understand this. I think this is hopefully just the start of moving the circular economy forward,” said Fadell. “I see investment in the circular economy headed towards materials-as-a-service.
Circularity through action
BIYU is a Dutch startup with the motto own less, do more. Martijn Tjho, Founder of the company, says that BIYU gives companies a platform for circularity while consumers have access to temporary ownership of products rather than buying them. At the end of the product’s lifecycle, BIYU recycles them.
“We wanted to create a model where we only work with the best brands that create the best products,” said Tjho. “We offer brands a platform for circularity, and consumers get temporary ownership only when they need to use the product.”
But Tjho said he feels people are hard-wired to own things directly tied to their wealth and how they display that wealth. “We have all become consumption addicts, so changing that behavior isn’t going to happen overnight,” said Tjho. “On top of that behavior change, you have the fact that many products are created to be obsolete at inception, which should be illegal.”
Tjho says that we might get closer to a viable circularity market when governments create laws and tax systems that penalize waste and pollution. “I [..] believe that when [..] the consequences of global warming become so dire, people will take responsibility themselves, and circularity will accelerate to mass adoption.”
Circularity through 3D printing
An example of the circular economy in action could be 3D printing. Dutch startup Aectual is 3D printing furniture out of recycled beverage cartons.
According to Hedwig Heinsman, Chief Creative Officer and co-founder of Aectual, nearly 200 billion beverage cartons were produced in 2021, and there are an estimated five billion buildings worldwide. Sound like a strange comparison? Not to Aectuel.
“We thought, what if we were to turn those beverage cartons into high-value architectural material and decrease the need for virgin material used for furnishing our daily environment,” said Heinsman.
And that is what the company did.
More than 75% of a package can be reused cardboard, and the remainder, 25% is a polymer-aluminum mix; they could use that material to 3D print high-quality interior products, such as stools and planters; and interior systems, such as acoustic wall paneling and dividing walls. “By recycling materials, I believe we can halt the use of virgin materials and contribute to a healthier planet,” said Heinsman.
“We are dedicated to radically changing the way materials are used and introducing a fully circular solution to the built environment,” said Heinsman.
The company also provides free take-back service on all objects and systems. Like BIYU, the company can receive a deposit if they return a product after use. In the ultimate upcycling approach, the materials are shredded and reprinted into new items, which reduces CO2 in every cycle.
“What most people don’t know is that 3D printing and circular manufacturing can be a perfect match,” said Heinsman. “In our case, we link a data-driven feedback loop of smart design algorithms with a material feedback loop. Our objects can be digitally configured online, 3D printed, used, shredded and then reprinted into smarter objects that keep getting smarter with every production cycle.”
End-to-end sustainability
An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report that municipal solid waste from furniture and furnishings was 12.1 million tons in 2018, up from 2.2 million tons in 1960. Wood was the largest material category in furniture. A small amount (19.5 percent) of furniture and furnishings was combusted for energy recovery in 2018, but the majority of this product sector, 80.1 percent) became landfill.
The idea of 3D printing furnishings from recyclable materials creates an end-to-end sustainability solution. Heinsman says her company works with Tetra Pak to provide circular roll-outs that are continuously customizable and add long-term value.
Heinsman says end-to-end sustainability has a long reach. “Offices and hotels change their interiors [..] sometimes every three years. This change in user demands results in tremendous amounts of waste.”
“High-quality 3D printed products made from recyclable materials offer an easy way to implement circular use of furniture and finishes without compromising on quality,” said Heinsman.
TORONTO – Strength in the base metal and technology sectors helped Canada’s main stock index gain almost 100 points on Friday, while U.S. stock markets also climbed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 93.51 points at 23,568.65.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 297.01 points at 41,393.78. The S&P 500 index was up 30.26 points at 5,626.02, while the Nasdaq composite was up 114.30 points at 17,683.98.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.61 cents US compared with 73.58 cents US on Thursday.
The October crude oil contract was down 32 cents at US$68.65 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down five cents at US$2.31 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$30.10 at US$2,610.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents US$4.24 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain, rose 0.4 per cent to $82.7 billion in July.
The increase came as sales in the miscellaneous subsector gained three per cent to reach $10.5 billion in July, helped by strength in the agriculture supplies industry group, which rose 9.2 per cent.
The food, beverage and tobacco subsector added 1.7 per cent to total $15 billion in July.
The personal and household goods subsector fell 2.5 per cent to $12.1 billion.
In volume terms, overall wholesale sales rose 0.5 per cent in July.
Statistics Canada started including oilseed and grain as well as the petroleum and petroleum products subsector as part of wholesale trade last year, but is excluding the data from monthly analysis until there is enough historical data.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 150 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in the base metal and energy sectors, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 172.18 points at 23,383.35.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 34.99 points at 40,826.72. The S&P 500 index was up 10.56 points at 5,564.69, while the Nasdaq composite was up 74.84 points at 17,470.37.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.55 cents US compared with 73.59 cents US on Wednesday.
The October crude oil contract was up $2.00 at US$69.31 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up five cents at US$2.32 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$40.00 at US$2,582.40 an ounce and the December copper contract was up six cents at US$4.20 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
