Circular economy roundup

The circular economy is ‘based on the principles of designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems’, says the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. It is an ecosystem designed to protect nature and reduce biodiversity loss.

Jocelyn Blériot, who works for the Foundation’s Institutions & Governments arm, will take a deep dive into the ways circularity can ‘tackle the key drivers of biodiversity loss’ when he presents the organisation’s new biodiversity study on Wednesday. The #EUCircularTalks event is an opportunity to learn more about the game changing conservation potential of the circular economy.

“Resource extraction and processing are responsible for more than 90% of global biodiversity loss and water stress. To halt and reverse biodiversity loss, nature conservation and restoration efforts on their own will not be enough. As expressed by the IPBES, we will need to rethink our production and consumption systems,” the #EUCircularTalks website states. “The transition to a circular economy offers an actionable framework for such transformative change, redesigning the economy towards a nature-positive future, which includes tackling the overexploitation of resources, GHG emissions, and pollution associated with the current take-make-waste economy.”

The #EUCircularTalks on 8 September, which runs from 3pm to 4pm CEST, will be hosted by IUCN, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, L’Institut National de l’Economie Circulaire (INEC), the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, and the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP). Register now.

World Circular Economy Forum

The Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra are co-organising the World Circular Economy Forum with the Canadian government.

“The World Circular Economy Forum brings together forward-looking thinkers and doers, and presents the world’s leading game-changers in the circular economy,” the forum’s website says.

The Forum runs from 13-15 September: register now.

Circulytics

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation can measure circularity progress using Circulytics 2.0, which it labels the ‘most comprehensive circularity measurement tool’ available. Jarkko Havas, who leads the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Insights & Analysis work around data and metrics, joined Marc Buckley recently on the Inside Ideas podcast to explain how it works. Explaining the links between climate change and the way ‘we use and produce materials’ Havas told Marc it is critical companies are able to properly monitor their circularity credentials.

“We want to ensure companies report in the future on their circular economy performance to show how they are acting to have these positive impacts,” he said.

Catch up with this episode below for more on the circular economy.