Green Alley Award 2018 is looking for the best circular economy startups in Europe

Green Alley Award 2018 is looking for the best circular economy startups in Europe

ByThe Circular Economy Team

The Green Alley Award is entering the next round: Right now, circular economy entrepreneurs and startups have the opportunity to apply with their business ideas. Landbell Group, originator of the Founder’s Award, encourages young companies to compete with their technology, service or product by July 1, 2018. With the Green Alley Award, Landbell Group created the first European startup award for the circular economy in 2014. This year, founders have the chance to present their innovative projects at the GAA 2018 by applying here. The winner, who will receive €25,000 in prize money, will be determined at the finals in October as part of a live pitch.
The Green Alley Award 2018 is aimed at all startups and young entrepreneurs who have developed a business model in the areas of digital circular economy, recycling and waste prevention. GAA 2018 is looking for companies that are about to launch with their products or services or are already in the growth phase. Startup founders who want to expand into other European markets are also welcome. The sole condition is that the business idea must help recycle resources. Patrick Schulz, CEO of of the Mainz-based Landbell Group, stated: “We are delighted that the Green Alley Award is entering its fifth round this year. In recent years, we have come to know many exciting and innovative business ideas that all show in a special way how we can gradually establish a circular economy in Europe. In a circular economy, the value of products, materials and resources should be conserved in the economic cycle for as long as possible while, at the same time, generating as little waste as possible. In our current linear economy, not all products are recycled at the end of their lifecycle, wasting valuable materials.” Whether it’s the avoidance of plastics, the development of sustainable materials or the multiple use of products – the circular economy holds enormous business potential for young entrepreneurs and startups. This can be seen in the diversity of ideas from GAA winners over the past years. In 2017, the Finnish startup Sulapac convinced the jury with a sustainable alternative to plastic packaging.
Read the full article at: www.eu-startups.com

Circle Economy Launches Circle Lab to Crowdsource Circular Solutions for Humanity’s Biggest Challenge

Circle Economy Launches Circle Lab to Crowdsource Circular Solutions for Humanity’s Biggest Challenge

ByThe Circular Economy Team

The circular economy is a concept that provides new business strategies and economic policies to create value again and again and aims to achieve inclusive economic, social and environmental prosperity within the planet’s boundaries. The launch of Circle Lab follows the news that the global economy is only 9.1% circular and that the current linear system of production is failing people and the planet. “eBay has been at the heart of the circular economy since its founding over 20 years ago. The eBay Foundation believes that by using the power of technology to bring people together, the circular economy can help fuel the future of commerce. We are proud to support Circle Lab, a platform that accelerates creative problem-solving and entrepreneurial action towards a more circular economy,” said Amy Millington, President of eBay Foundation. During the past five years, Circle Economy has worked on hundreds of business cases, and supported businesses, cities and regions in imagining a new “circular future”. After bringing to life countless pilot projects, they have identified the need for a platform that not only captures ideas and encourages collaboration, but also ensures that those ideas see the light of day and are actually implemented. During a successful market validation phase last year, Circle Lab brought together a community of nearly 14,000 and co-created unique reverse logistics solutions for the mobile phone industry. Following this phase, Circle Economy launched the open-access knowledge portion of Circle Lab in August of 2017. The knowledge hub has since brought together nearly 2,000 circular economy enthusiasts who are now using the hub’s 750 case studies to share and further learn about the topic. “The launch of the knowledge hub and results of the market validation showed us that there is a high demand for a global community to engage and co-create circular solutions. The addition of a challenge environment is the next step,” said Friedl.
Read the full article at: www.duurzaam-ondernemen.nl

What it Will Take to Create a Circular Economy

What it Will Take to Create a Circular Economy

ByThe Circular Economy Team

As great as the circular economy sounds, getting there will require profound transformations in how we do business. It could start with how we design products, suggested Faith Legendre, a circular economy solutions strategist at Cisco. She suggested that more companies could put leaders in charge of designing for circularity, and that companies should have a plan for and be held responsible for what happens at the end of a product’s life. Planning for disposal needs to happen while the product is being conceived, she said, not tacked on afterwards. Achieving circularity will require a combination of both rules and incentives for companies, the panel participants agreed. Legendre suggested that innovation centers and technology incubators could include criteria that judge new product ideas based on what happens at the end of its lifetime. She’d also like to see circularity incorporated into financial ratings systems. But ultimately she thinks regulation will be needed as well. Until producers are held accountable for the full lifecycle of their products, she said, they will continue to make decisions that contribute to sending those products to the landfill. Anne van Riel, head of Sustainable Finance Americas at ING, said that consumers can also help drive change by choosing to buy more sustainable products and to invest their retirement funds in responsible companies. “I wouldn’t underestimate the power that consumers have,” she said.
Read the full article at: news.climate.columbia.edu