This article was originally published as an Industry Opinion piece on Smart Cities World.

By Noah Baars (Cities analyst) and Laxmi Haigh (Lead of Editorial)

The built environment is responsible for a significant share of environmental degradation: from soaring greenhouse gas emissions, to intensive resource use and biodiversity decline. Buildings are often developed without regard to the ecosystems of which they are a part. And in our civilisation’s history, we have built a lot: the mass of human-made things, from pavements to apartments to phones, now outweighs all natural biomass, such as our oceans, trees and animals. Building with, as opposed to over, nature has long been perceived as more of…

By Claudia Alessio (Research Analyst, Cities)

Cities have an incredible opportunity to realign human interests with nature and its biodiversity. Due to the lockdowns of the past year, many people have found a renewed appreciation for green public space and blue skies. Now, some cities are leveraging the opportunity of stimulus measures to access resources to move towards a green and just recovery. Integrating the principles of circularity and custodianship of biodiversity can help achieve this goal.

The relationship between biodiversity and the circular economy is not entirely clear cut, as our previous blog explored. Although we may need biodiversity…

New research suggests we need more nuance in discerning what is circular and what is sustainable

By Olga van Meeteren (Circular Metrics Researcher at Circle Economy)

Decoupling circularity and sustainability: why your circular business may not be sustainable

Becoming circular is an increasingly popular business idea — and while this is a positive development, companies wrongfully advertising themselves as contributors to a circular economy — ‘circular-washing’ — must be avoided. Nonetheless, companies that truly incorporate more circular practices can both economically and socially profit from such a sustainable business model, including a spark in GDP growth and an increase in job availability, as well as contributing to climate breakdown prevention. Keeping materials…

By Laxmi Haigh, Lead of Editorial at Circle Economy, commissioned and published by Convergences in their Social Entrepreneurship Barometer Ebook (in French).

Since 2011, Convergences has published the Social Entrepreneurship Barometer which presents the key issues and trends in the social entrepreneurship sector in France and internationally and promotes good practices in the sector.

In 2015, nearly all nations signed the Paris Agreement, vowing to limit temperature rise to well below 2-degrees, and ideally 1.5-degrees. But by 2025, there is a 40% chance of at least one year being 1.5-degrees hotter than the pre-industrial levels; in other words, we’re at…

Collaboration is essential for accelerating the transition to a circular economy, but it’s not without its challenges

By Ana Birliga Sutherland (Communications Officer and Editor) and Caspar von Daniels (Project Manager Circular Business)

A shift in the status quo: traditionally built on secrecy, businesses are increasingly collaborating to tackle sustainability challenges

Arguably, the terms ‘business’ and ‘collaboration’ may appear contradictory — even oxymoronic — placed in the same sentence. Traditionally, business has been based on competitive self-interest, driven by disparate purposes: ‘the pursuit of competitive advantage is ingrained in the managerial psyche’. But while collaboration seems to work against the…

This article first appeared at Fashion United UK and Fashion United NL

Written by Natalia Papú Carrone (Research Analyst) and Lena Bäunker (Communications Officer), edited by Ana Birliga Sutherland (Communications Officer and Editor) from Circle Economy

Countries around the world are racing to make plans to curb climate breakdown by 2050 — with some spotlighting the circular economy as a means to this end. …

By Laxmi Haigh (Lead of Editorial) and Esther Goodwin Brown (Lead of the Circular Jobs Initiative)

Three major trends — greening economies, digitalisation and longer working lives — have been moulding the shape of our labour markets for years already, and now, compounded by the pandemic, their impacts are accelerating. As governments and businesses race to green their economies and put in place green recovery plans, circular economy strategies and policies are being brought into play, leading to new ways of working and the need for new combinations of skills.

Skills development is now recognised as essential for achieving the…

But consumer habits need to be supported by government action

By Laxmi Haigh, Lead of Editorial at Circle Economy

Over a year on from the start of global lockdowns, many of us are still living with restrictions, with limited family visits and a small walk around the block being our most exciting daily activity. But what can we learn from our lockdown lifestyles, and can they bring a more circular future? …