Hello,

Welcome to July’s Circular Economy News, keeping you in the “loop” on all things circular from The Rediscovery Centre: Ireland’s National Centre for the Circular Economy. July’s installment not only highlights the usual industry and social enterprise updates, events and funding opportunities from Ireland and around the world, but we have also dedicated a special focus on circular design at The Olympic Games.

Get set, go!

• Uniforms worn by torchbearers are made from recycled plastic bottles. Design director Daisuke Obana collaborated with Coca-Cola to create the unisex Olympic uniforms from plastic bottles that were collected by the soft drink brand. Furthermore, Nike’s designs for skateboarding, basketball and soccer uniforms are made from recycled polyester and nylon.
• The Olympic flame itself is also circular. The Nendo designed Olympic flame is powered by Hydrogen, while the Olympic torches, designed by Tokujin Yoshioka, are made from recycled construction material from temporary housing used in the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
• Among the newly constructed buildings, Kengo Kuma’s Japan National Stadium is built from timber in a bid to limit emissions, while the temporary structure of the Olympic Village Plaza by Tokyo studio Nikken Sekkei is built using 40,000 pieces of wood that were “borrowed” from local governments across Japan.
• The Olympic medals, created by Japanese designer Junichi Kawanishi are made from recycled tech products donated by the public. Furthermore, the Olympic podiums, shown in the video above, are 3D printed from donated plastic waste by designer Asao Tokolo.
• Finally, the (now infamous) Olympic bedding is completely circular. The 18,000 bedframes are modular, made from recycled cardboard and designed to be extremely light and easy to assemble. Furthermore, the mattresses comprise three polyethelene blocks that are arranged inside a zip-up case.

• The EU’s Single Use Plastics Directive came into law this month in Ireland, with Minister Ossian Smyth introducing OGP support for Single Use Plastics, allowing public sector bodies to source sustainable versions of items that were banned under the new Directive.
• The government has launched a €3 million Pilot Bike and E-Bike Upcycling Initiative, which will see a number of social enterprises supported to upcycle bikes and e-bikes, including The Rediscovery Centre and Rothar Velo.
• WEEE Ireland, Circuleire, key industry players and training partners have launched a new ‘Circular Economy Skills Initiative’ Electrical Repair Course, ensuring that thousands of electrical items are given a new lease of life in homes and businesses across the country.
• #PlasticFreeJuly is coming to a close, a movement that has built a community of over 300 million people around the world. Explore ways to reduce single-use plastic on their website.
• IKEA has launched Circular hubs in Ireland, part of the furniture maker’s commitment to becoming fully circular and climate positive by 2030.
• In a letter to the Irish Times, various TD’s and Senators have called for the inclusion of glass bottles in the government’s Deposit Return Scheme.
• Edible coffee cups are proving a huge hit for a sustainable Co Meath restaurant. The Cupffee edible coffee cup has grown in popularity, with a waffle taste and can withstand heat for 30 minutes. Once the drink is finished, the cup can be eaten or composted.
• Wicklow’s Design Partners have produced a Sustainability Mindset Report, outlining seven mindsets that are vital to sustainability. Create Awareness of your actions, connect your values with your work, create a culture of openness; these are just a few mindsets detailed in the report that help with innovating to establish a more sustainable future.

• COVID has increased reliance on Single Use Plastics across the EU: The implementation of COVID measures has led to a significant increase in consumption of single-use plastics, particularly for PPE; imports of face masks into the EU more than doubled in early 2020, leading to increased emissions from the production of face masks. Approximately 53 million disposable face masks are sent to landfill every single day in the UK.
• New Academic journal on the Circular Economy launches. Springer Nature has launched a new academic journal dedicated to the circular economy, with its first issue hosting 32 peer-reviewed open access articles.
• The World Economic Forum’s has published a Future of Reusable Consumption Report that examines three primary actors of systems change: consumers, business and the public sector, and asks how to make reuse both viable and scalable. The report concludes by considering three potential scenarios for the development of a reuse economy by 2030.
• RREUSE has published its annual report for 2020, which analyses the role that resilient social enterprises played in bringing about a more circular world, in spite of the challenges that the pandemic brought about.
• McDonalds pilots its first take back scheme for cups in the UK. The project will see the introduction of returnable coffee cups on the menu with a £1 deposit, which will help customers in Northampton save more and waste less.
• Lego has created its first prototype bricks using recycled PET plastic from discarded bottles.: Lego has set out to produce all products from sustainable materials by the year 2030. Recently they have created their prototype brick using PET plastic from bottles. The biggest challenge is to ensure the recycled material is compatible with Lego’s rigorous quality standards.

• US Plastics Pact unveils aggressive national strategy to achieve a circular economy within the plastics industry by 2025. As a part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Plastic Pact Network, this roadmap outlines how the USA will ensure that all plastic packaging will be reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025. With nearly 100 different organizations supporting the plan, this will help the US take crucial steps towards meeting other developed countries standards of plastic waste management.
• In a historic first step the Governor of Maine has signed the USA’s first EPR law for consumer packaging.  Most types of consumer packaging is covered in the law, while also requiring producers to make payments to a stewardship organization.

Circularity in Latin America

• Five Latin American companies taking inspiration from nature in design.  This article looks at how five organizations across Latin America are creating businesses that support both people and the environment through circular design inspired by their communities and natural environment.
• As well as working in the USA, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Plastic Pact Network is also working with Chile taking steps to achieve a circular economy in plastics by 2025.

Circularity in Africa

• How the circular economy is at the heart of ecosystem preservation on the continent. Implementing a circular economy across the African continent has never been more important, with this article highlighting the role of the circular economy in reducing water stress and issues of heavy pollution threatening ecosystems.
• Insects are helping to create a circular economy for food in Africa, by helping manage food waste, and also fulfilling nutritional needs. Watch this video to find out more.
• Explore the world’s first 3D printed school. Holcim has 3D printed an entire school in Malawi, reducing the environmental impact by 50%. Additionally, the school was printed in just 18 hours compared to the several days typical construction would take.

Circularity across emerging markets

• Emerging markets provide circular economy model in managing e-waste. In emerging markets e-waste is seen differently than it is in developed markets. There is an opportunity to use e-waste to reverse engineer products from the “waste” parts exported to these countries, allowing them to sell second-hand, rebuilt electronics, a model that developed countries can learn from.

• Green Enterprise Fund submission deadline: Today 17:00 29 August
• World Overshoot Day: Today 29 August
• The Social Enterprise Start-up Fund application deadline: 3 August.
• International Biodiesel Day: 10 August
• International Conference on Circular Packaging: 9-10 September
• World Circular Economy Forum Canada: 14-15 September
• International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer: 17 September
• WRAP UK Recycle Week: 20-26 September
• Cré Online Festival: 21-23 September
• World Car Free Day: 22 September
• Reuse Month: October
• EU Sustainable Energy Week 25-29 October
• Sustainability Day: 27 October
• Environment Ireland Conference: 18 – 19 January 2022

That’s all from us!

But before we go, if you’ve got something you would like us to include in future updates, give us a call, or email us at cemovement@rediscoverycentre.ie.