Circular Economy

The constant stream of new models, products and processes that are helping organizations extend the useful life of resources and materials while reducing, repurposing and ultimately eliminating waste in all its forms

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
ASU, Nature Conservancy Study Highlights Economic Benefits of Forest Thinning
ASU, Nature Conservancy Study Highlights Economic Benefits of Forest Thinning
Published on April 16, 2014
About a 3 minute read

A recent study by Arizona State University's Sustainability Solutions Services (S3) and The Nature Conservancy reveals that forest thinning could benefit the state by making its forests more resistant to environmental extremes and also strengthening ... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
Dutch aWEARness Creating the First Circular Supply Chain for Textiles
Dutch aWEARness Creating the First Circular Supply Chain for Textiles
Published on April 14, 2014
About a 5 minute read

“If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it,” enthuses Rien Otto, the charismatic founder of Dutch aWEARness, speaking from an international showcase of corporate clothing in Birmingham, UK. For him, Einstein’s famous quot... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
Unilever Fines Helping Improve Water Quality in Connecticut
Unilever Fines Helping Improve Water Quality in Connecticut
Published on April 11, 2014
About a 2 minute read

In December, Unilever pled guilty to two counts of violating the Clean Water Act, for an incident on December 5, 2008 in which it illegally discharged thousands of gallons of wastewater from its former Clinton, CT, manufacturing facility.The company ... View More

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Circular Economy
Sustainability and Multicapitalism — Together at Last!
Sustainability and Multicapitalism — Together at Last!
Published on April 10, 2014
About a 7 minute read

Late last month, the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) and the Global Initiative for Sustainability Ratings (GISR) announced their signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in which the two groups pledged to work together to prom... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
Over 75% of Unilever's Factories Achieve Zero Waste to Landfill
Over 75% of Unilever's Factories Achieve Zero Waste to Landfill
Published on April 9, 2014
About a 3 minute read

Unilever announced today that all of its European factories have joined those in North America in achieving zero non-hazardous waste to landfill. Along with similar achievements in countries from Argentina to Indonesia, this means more than three-qua... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
Portuguese Researchers Developing Waterless Process for Biofuel Production
Portuguese Researchers Developing Waterless Process for Biofuel Production
Published on April 9, 2014
About a 2 minute read

According to the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), the global production of biofuels has increased by over 600 percent in a decade, to more than 100 billion litres in 2011. Sounds like good news, except for the fact that the overall sustain... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
The Newest Rule of Green Marketing And Why I've Decided to Help Consumers 'Live Lean'
The Newest Rule of Green Marketing And Why I've Decided to Help Consumers 'Live Lean'
Published on April 7, 2014
About a 5 minute read

In 1988, my antenna tweaked toward an emerging trend soon to be called ‘green consumerism.’ A hole in the ozone layer was discovered over Antarctica, nightly newscasts tracked the daily wanderings of the Mobro garbage barge, and air pollution cl... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
SC Johnson Achieves Zero Landfill Status at 8th Manufacturing Facility
SC Johnson Achieves Zero Landfill Status at 8th Manufacturing Facility
Published on April 4, 2014
About a 4 minute read

SC Johnson announced this week that it achieved zero waste-to-landfill status at its eighth global manufacturing facility, demonstrating progress toward its ambitious goal of reducing its global manufacturing waste by 70 percent by 2016. From 2000-20... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
Lowe's Must Pay $18 Million in Hazardous Waste Lawsuit
Lowe's Must Pay $18 Million in Hazardous Waste Lawsuit
Published on April 4, 2014
About a 2 minute read

Lowe's has been ordered to pay $18 million for illegally disposing hazardous waste, including pesticides, batteries, fluorescent bulbs and other toxic materials, as a result of a civil enforcement action filed Tuesday in Alameda County Superior Court... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
Desso Joins Healthy Seas Initiative
Desso Joins Healthy Seas Initiative
Published on April 1, 2014
About a 3 minute read

Desso, the global carpets, carpet tiles and sports pitches company, today announced its participation in 'Healthy Seas, a Journey from Waste to Wear,’ the multi-industry initiative aimed at removing marine waste, particularly fishing nets, for the ... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
How to Redefine Capitalism-as-Usual (or 8 Steps to Becoming a Truly Sustainable Brand)
How to Redefine Capitalism-as-Usual (or 8 Steps to Becoming a Truly Sustainable Brand)
Published on April 1, 2014
About a 10 minute read

When Patagonia launched its Responsible Economy campaign last fall, VP of Environmental Initiatives Rick Ridgeway eloquently summed up the ‘elephant in the room’ of capitalism: Growth is not sustainable. Ridgeway accepts that evolving from our cu... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
ASU Partners With Dutch City to Develop First ‘Circular Economy’ Regional Plan
ASU Partners With Dutch City to Develop First ‘Circular Economy’ Regional Plan
Published on March 25, 2014
About a 3 minute read

Arizona State University (ASU) and the Dutch Municipality of Haarlemmermeer, along with private partners in the Haarlemmermeer region, have come together to create the world’s first regional plan based on the principles of a circular economy.The pr... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
New Feasibility Studies Using Social Innovations to Tackle European Food Waste
New Feasibility Studies Using Social Innovations to Tackle European Food Waste
Published on March 20, 2014
About a 4 minute read

European food-waste prevention project FUSIONS (Food Use for Social Innovation by Optimizing Waste-Prevention Strategies) — a four-year project (July 2012 – August 2016) funded by the European Commission framework program 7 — is working towards... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
Disrupt or Die: Brand Leaders Talk Logistics of a Circular Economy
Disrupt or Die: Brand Leaders Talk Logistics of a Circular Economy
Published on March 20, 2014
About a 4 minute read

No one can deny that the emergence of circular economy thinking is throwing up some fascinating dynamics right now. This urgent need for systems-level redesign requires an experimental cocktail of innovation and imagination, not to mention open platf... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
Levi's Water<Less Jeans Have Saved 770 Million Liters So Far
Levi's Water<Less Jeans Have Saved 770 Million Liters So Far
Published on March 18, 2014
About a 0 minute read

In celebration of World Water Day (March 22), Levi Strauss has released new stats about how much water can be saved by changing the way it makes its products: A new infographic illustrates the amount of water the company has saved through the product... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
On Top of Everything Else, Palm Oil Production Creating Methane-Rich Wastewater
On Top of Everything Else, Palm Oil Production Creating Methane-Rich Wastewater
Published on March 10, 2014
About a 4 minute read

The fact that palm oil production — as the biggest driver of deforestation in Southeast Asia and parts of Africa and South America — is responsible for the rampant release of carbon emissions and the destruction of vital habitats for endangered s... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
Hershey Achieves Zero Waste, Exceeds Water Reduction Goals Years Early
Hershey Achieves Zero Waste, Exceeds Water Reduction Goals Years Early
Published on March 5, 2014
About a 2 minute read

The Hershey Company today announced it has surpassed its water consumption target three years early and its zero waste to landfill (ZWL) and recycling targets two years early. Last year, the chocolate maker announced that it was on track to do just t... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
New Report Maps Size, Scope, Disruptive Potential of Sharing Economy
New Report Maps Size, Scope, Disruptive Potential of Sharing Economy
Published on March 3, 2014
About a 5 minute read

Crowd Companies, a brand council primarily focusing on the collaborative economy movement, and Vision Critical, a consultancy that specializes in helping companies glean pertinent stakeholders insights, have partnered on a new report, Sharing Is the ... View More

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Circular EconomyCircular Economy
Diamondbacks Hosting First Zero-Waste Spring Training Event in Arizona
Diamondbacks Hosting First Zero-Waste Spring Training Event in Arizona
Published on February 25, 2014
About a 3 minute read

The city of Phoenix has partnered with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Republic Services and Salt River Fields at Talking Stick to host Arizona’s first zero-waste Spring Training event as part of an effort to bring awareness to recycling and composting.T... View More

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Circular Economy
Reimagining Phoenix: A Citywide Campaign to Turn Trash Into Resources
Reimagining Phoenix: A Citywide Campaign to Turn Trash Into Resources
Published on February 24, 2014
About a 4 minute read

Imagine a future where there is no such thing as trash — there are only resources. Where residents of a large metropolitan region routinely reduce, reuse, recycle and reconsider their consumption patterns by imagining the opportunities that come fr... View More

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