A Circular Economy?

Creating a circular economy as a standard practise, I think, is one of the most important things that businesses can do going forward. By lessening the need for large-scale manufacturing that we see in: fast fashion, plastic production and food produce could majorly decrease the amount of stress we are putting on the planet.

So what is a circular economy??

The phrase circular economy is seemingly thrown around a lot usually by companies that are trying to seem more environmentally friendly. *Greenwashing alert*

Well, a circular economy is more than just a buzz phrase. With the global population predicted to approach 9 billion people by 2030, we are using more resources than the planet can provide. Our future depends on reusing what we have in a sustainable way. Fortunately, one resource that is unlimited is innovation, and many companies are developing ingenious ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. The key goal for creating a circular economy is to decouple environmental pressure from economic growth.

So which companies are championing a circular economy at the moment?

Recently we have been seeing large companies buy in the the notion of creating a circular economy. A good example that you may see every day, or at least in my case, is at Starbucks where they introduced a reusable cup scheme. Customers can order their morning brew in a reusable mug for a deposit of one pound, which you get back when you return the cup, along with a discount for your next order. This will help to decrease the amount of plastic demand?

To mark Earth Day in 2021, beloved outdoor brand the North Face upped the ante on the circular economy with a pledge to use?recycled, regenerative or renewable sources for 100 percent of its top materials by 2025.?The company says it will use three core initiatives — its free repair program, its clothing recycling program Clothes the Loop and its re-commerce platform the North Face Renewed — to keep its products in use longer and source better materials in pursuit of circularity.?The brand plans to release its first fully circular apparel line later this year.?

Finally, it would be remiss of me to not mention used clothes marketplaces like DePop and Vinted which have been a source of inspiration for our own journey. Through these marketplaces, your wardrobe has a new lease of life. Instead of throwing your clothes away, you can give them to a new home (oh and you get paid as well). This will help to limit the need to buy brand new and hopefully not buy from “fast-fashion” retailers that contribute around 2.1 billion tons of pollution per year.?

At Secnd, we are attempting to redefine the notion of a used phone, it’s not something to be scared of, It’s something to be celebrated. In fact, buying a used device can cut down the need to harvest millions of tonnes of precious minerals in the earth.?

Prof Richard Herrington, Head of Earth Sciences at the Natural History Museum says: ’Rather than creating things like mobile phones, using them for a while and putting them in a drawer when we buy a new one, we have an obligation not to lose track of where those precious materials are, and to ensure we are making products in forms that can be readily recycled,’. Richard believes we should be building a circular economy that minimises or eliminates waste by returning precious resources into the production cycle.

Be more like Richard.