Resources & Publications

‘Money makes the world go round’, the new report on financing the circular economy, provides directions for overcoming financial barriers that circular businesses encounter. Answers lie in collaboration throughout the value chain and creating financial instruments to invest in a chain or network of businesses rather than in a single business. This way, risks and rewards can be shared and incentives to collaborate arise with the aim of creating a circular chain in which all participants earn a piece of the pie.PGGM took the lead in organizing the working group FinanCE, consisting of PGGM, Intesa SanPaolo, Rabobank, ING, ABN AMRO, EIB, EBRD, Circularity Capital, RSM Erasmus University, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, KPMG Luxembourg, Banking Environment Initiative of Cambridge, Circle Economy and Sustainable Finance Lab.The FinanCE working group was founded in order to understand the implications of the circular economy on business models and corresponding financing of circular business. The motivation behind this is the need for funding of circular business in order to take off and accelerate the transition. The report identifies opportunities for financial institutions to learn how to recognize and to invest in the winners of the future. The most important opportunities are: increased profitability through higher asset utilisation, risk mitigating potential of circular businesses, and long-term relationships that increase margin stability.

The third and final whitepaper, 6 Guidelines to Empower Financial Decision-Making in the Circular Economy, in our finance reporting series, 3 Essential Steps to Financing Circular Business Models, is finally out! The whitepaper, authored by, Sustainable Finance Lab and Circle Economy and powered by Nederland Circulair!, provides financiers with practical guidelines to prepare for their new role in the circular economy.

The emergence of digital technology and social media has given consumers more power than ever before. With smart devices connecting every aspect of their lives, they are increasingly controlling how and where they engage with companies. With increased access to information and transactions occurring in real time, consumers have come to expect more, making it harder for businesses to keep up. Greater trust, convenience, and a sense of community are pushing the adoption of the sharing economy forward. Lower entry barriers for technology are resulting in rapid innovation and this is expected to speed up in the future. These trends are having an significant impact on the automotive industry.

"Private ownership of cars will disappear - though not completely - and cars will be owned by the manufacturer in the next 10-15 years. This will result in fewer cars, due to the fact that cars will be more heavily utilised through sharing."- Thijs Jasink - COO, ACtronics

The growing role of consumers is transforming the function of cars, making them smarter and more connected. The ever more rapid development cycles of new products and services and increasing technological complexity, require a complete restructuring of the automotive supply chain. As a result, car manufacturers are pursuing new differentiation strategies and engaging with their supply chains in order to meet these new, consumer demands.

"Suppliers need to be able to adapt to these changes quickly in order to stay relevant and avoid becoming the ‘Kodak’ of the automotive industry."- Ralph Ramaekers - Marketing Director Automotive, DSM Engineering Plastics

The report On the Road to the Circular Car, published by ABN AMRO and Circle Economy argues that car parts manufacturers are in a unique position to answer to these rapidly changing and increasingly dominant consumer demands by adopting circular strategies.

"Together with ABN AMRO and industry leaders we have created a vision for the automotive sector, showing them that by introducing circularity into their manufacturing practices and business models they can become future proof and stay successful in a fast paced, ever-changing industry".- Marc de Wit - Director of Strategic Alliances, Circle Economy

Circular strategies include using materials that can be easily reused, integrating modularity into the design of the car in order to make quick and affordable repairs and upgrades and shifting ownership so that car manufacturers remain owners of the cars themselves.

"Consumer needs require new business models that radically alter the traditional automotive chain. We have to redesign the car completely and reorganise the chain". - Jan-Paul Kimmel, CLAUT

To drive successful innovation, the automotive industry needs to collaborate across the entire value chain; this is where bottom-up, circular innovation from parts and component suppliers will play a crucial role.

Read the full report featuring examples of leading circular innovators and recommendations on how to future proof the Dutch automotive industry with circular business strategies through the link below.

[cta link="http://www.circle-economy.com/thecircularcar" ]Download the report[/cta]

The emergence of digital technology and social media has given consumers more power than ever before. With smart devices connecting every aspect of their lives, they are increasingly controlling how and where they engage with companies. With increased access to information and transactions occurring in real time, consumers have come to expect more, making it harder for businesses to keep up. Greater trust, convenience, and a sense of community are pushing the adoption of the sharing economy forward. Lower entry barriers for technology are resulting in rapid innovation and this is expected to speed up in the future. These trends are having an significant impact on the automotive industry.

The Challenge

Around 600 trucks full of solid waste are incinerated in the greater Amsterdam region daily. The residue from this incineration process is known as bottom ash. If separated properly, the ash can provide valuable metal and mineral resources that can be used as a raw material input. However, the ash must be cooled by wet extraction making it sticky and difficult to separate its components. Due to the complicated separation process the ash is usually sent to landfills where the valuable materials within the mixture become useless.

Inashco's team realized that the extensive amount of value being disposed of each day could be reintroduced into the supply chain if the metals and minerals were extracted properly from the incinerator's ash residue.

The Approach

“With our strong fundament of shareholders and partners, Inashco has the capabilities and ambition to close the loop of the Waste to Energy sector and so reducing the need for primary mining.” - Arno de la Haye, CEO, Inashco

Founded 8 years ago, in close cooperation with the Technical University Delft, Inashco developed a breakthrough technology which separates metal particles, such as aluminum, copper, and iron, from the ash based on weight. A magnetic current then categorizes the metals based on their magnetic properties. The resulting stable, long-lasting, metal scraps and stronger, more porous cement mixtures meet the reusability requirements established by local laws allowing for these recycled materials to be continuously circulated throughout the supply chain.

https://vimeo.com/174175783

Operating worldwide with over 200 employees, Inashco's team now processes over 4 million tonnes of bottom ash from municipal waste incineration annually. Valuable metals and minerals are reintroduced into the supply chain, preserving our earth’ valuable natural resources and thanks to Inashco’s technology, landfilling is no longer needed to dispose of the City of Amsterdam’s waste.

What’s Next?

The process has maximized the output of urban mine’s, eliminating sludge being sent to landfills, reducing CO2 emissions by bringing valuable raw materials back into the economy and creating recycling jobs, thus providing a comprehensive positive impact on the economic, environmental and social spheres of the industry.

“We believe that the key to success is the combination of advanced technology and the access to metal markets worldwide.” - Business Development Director, Inashco

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As a part of our member community, Inashco shares in our ambition to make the circular economy a reality.

Are you a changemaker? Learn more about this global network of innovators by clicking the link below.

[cta link="http://www.circle-economy.com/membership/" ]I'm a changemaker![/cta]

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The Challenge

The ownership of assets has long been the way in which companies maintain their operations; however when analysing the usage statistics of these assets they tend to remain idle more often than they are used. The concept of a sharing economy is one that helps bring circularity to life and provides a way for assets such as machinery, equipment, facilities and even personnel to be utilized to their fullest. Although ideal, the biggest challenge in implementing such an economy is connecting these idle assets with companies that can put them to use. With a goal of providing a solution to this challenge, FLOOW2 developed the “world’s reset button” to provide a sharing marketplace for business equipment and services.

The Approach

By creating an online platform FLOOW2 was able to establish an easy to use marketplace for the efficient and transparent exchange of assets, becoming the first company in the world to offer businesses and institutions a new way to pay-off their assets. Asset owners post their equipment, machinery, facilities, services or expertise on the marketplace and buyers who would like to use or purchase the assets can execute a rental agreement or sale through the website.

FLOOW2’s sharing marketplace prevents the overcapacity of equipment, machinery, and facilities, by bringing together already existing supply and demand while reducing the demand for new assets. The business model illustrates the benefits of the sharing economy and solidifies the fact that this concept can be applied to B2B business models.

Key Learnings

The implementation of such a marketplace requires extensive effort to raise awareness for the online platform and convert users. At the moment about 35.000 advertisements are posted on the marketplace however, the biggest challenge is teaching companies the benefits of a sharing economy compared to asset ownership.

What’s Next?

The marketplace brings greater turnover and a more efficient allocation of resources. With ambitions to become accessible worldwide, FLOOW2 is developing a unique exchange platform to target the healthcare sector which has more expiry dates on products than other sectors. Such a platform will be able to reallocate medical technologies that have become obsolete, to hospitals that can make use of the older equipment, especially those in developing countries.

“The circular economy forces all of us to think and act differently. The mind shift from access over ownership will enable business owners around the world to experience significant financial, sustainable and social benefits. Asset sharing will be the key in development towards a more circular economy in the business-to-business environment.”

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As a part of our member community, Floow2 shares in our ambition to make the circular economy a reality.

Are you a changemaker? Learn more about this global network of innovators by clicking the link below.

[cta link="http://www.circle-economy.com/membership/" ]I'm a changemaker![/cta]

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A great synergy exists between SkyNRG and Circle Economy since both organisations are dedicated to build and encourage the development of sustainable business models. Together SkyNRG and Circle Economy will explore opportunities to make the aviation sector more circular.

SkyNRG takes up a pioneering position in realising a long-term sustainable future for the aviation industry. They are specialised in supplying sustainable jet fuel from waste streams like used cooking oil. This alternative source for conventional jet fuel can offer CO2 emission reductions of up to 80%, compared to fossil jet fuel. SkyNRG has already achieved great success in supplying their sustainable jet fuel for example to the customers within KLM's Corporate BioFuel Programme for example. This programme was launched in 2012 and offers KLM corporate clients to reduce their business travel footprint by flying on sustainable jet fuel.

“Circle Economy and SkyNRG both understand that in order to realise a circular economy, engagement of all stakeholders, including governments, businesses, industry and end-customers, is crucial. We are proud to be part of the Circle Economy network and look forward to a successful partnership.”- Maarten van Dijk, CEO SkyNRG 

“We are very happy to have SkyNRG on board. As the global leader for sustainable jet fuel, they are in the position to accelerate the transition to the circular economy in a practical and scalable way, in particular in the very important airline industry, where much progress is to be made.”- Andy Ridley, CEO Circle Economy

The climate conference in Paris has produced a landmark agreement. The emission reduction commitments made by 195 countries are a leap forward, but not yet sufficient to stay on a 2 °C trajectory, let alone a 1.5 °C pathway. Current commitments address only half the gap between business as usual and the 1.5 °C pathway. There is still a reduction of about 15 billion tonnes CO2e needed to reach the 1.5 °C target. Further solutions are therefore needed; solutions that go beyond decarbonising our energy system. Since over half of the worldwide greenhouse gas emissions are associated with producing basic materials, there is a clear role for circular economy strategies in reducing this gap.

The City of Glasgow is on the road to becoming one of the world's first circular cities. The city has taken its first steps in creating a stronger more sustainable economy by completing the Circle City Scan. Commissioned through a partnership between Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, Zero Waste Scotland and Glasgow City Council, an analysis of the city’s material flows was executed by Circle Economy.

This pioneering study of Glasgow’s economy, identified leading industries through which the city’s economy can become more ‘circular’ and defined implementation strategies and opportunities for the region’s business community. The goal of the Circle City Scan is to pinpoint areas in which the city of Glasgow can benefit from new collaborations, create market opportunities and increase profits, while reducing the city’s environmental impact. The resulting report highlights sectors in which circular business models can be applied and specifies strategies to accomplish the practical and scalable implementation of these circular solutions.

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