A Global Affair
“Without a true valorisation of agricultural production coca cannot be stopped,” explains a local small-scale farmer called Nico, when interviewed. Even if this is an extreme example, th...
The Circular Rush
Sustainability requires a radical change in how we use resources. We need to reach the same level of production and wellbeing with one tenth of the resources and one tenth of the emissions. E...
Food, a Basic Unit of Connection
Every living being is the result of relationships that are influenced by context and, in turn, capable of influencing the natural and social environment around them. We are open systems with circula...
3D Intelligence
Non-conventional is the standard definition of Gunter Pauli’s ideas. The visionary entrepreneur from Antwerp has always tried to overthrow the rules of neoclassical economics, with an ability ...
The Food System in the Circular Economy
Why talk about food and the circular economy? Linear management, that has characterised the food production and consumer systems over the last century, has been the root cause of environmental and ...
A Sea of Opportunities
Pollution, over-exploitation, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, as well as climate change have become major threats to aquatic eco-systems. To unlock the potential of seas and oceans, ade...
Back to the Future, Rediscovering Traditional Knowledge to Win the Food Challenge
What has food become? What does it mean for Western society to feed itself? What does the meat on the plate before us represent? What do we mean by food security? Questions that, even if s...
Cities as Catalysts for the Circular Economy
In the 21st century urbanisation has taken flight. Today, over half of the world’s population live in cities, a share that is expected to increase to almost 70% by 2050. Furthermore, economic ...
Circular Glasgow
Glasgow’s vision is to become one of the world’s first circular cities. In 2015, it took its first steps towards creating a stronger more sustainable economy by pioneering a complete Cir...
Maribor, a Circular City
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia and home to approximately 110,000 inhabitants. Although it is not Slovenia’s capital city, it is the regions circular economy capital. In June 2...
Why is Portland a Resilient City?
Portland, Oregon (with a metropolitan area population of 2.3 million people) regularly tops the lists of “most sustainable cities” in the United States. For decades, Portland has been a ...
Tai-Pay-As-You-Throw to Lower Waste Production
Walking around Taipei, Taiwan, one seldom sees trash or even trash cans. Instead you might see people washing plastic bottles, carefully sorting computer parts and families waiting for the nightly g...
100 Resilient Cities
How can we implement a real circular economy without having cities geared for resilience against stress and shocks? This is a key area of reflection when discussing the future of cities and in parti...
We Are Resilience
What are you doing at the moment as a resilience facility? “Today we are mapping the city’s current and future risks, both in terms of shock and stress. Those classifiable as stress eve...
The Blue Revolution Playground
“To have a real impact and solve the most pressing problems, we need entrepreneurs.” This is the mantra that has been repeated for years by Siemen Cox and Wouter Veer – the creator...
Ireland is Ever Greener Thanks to the Bioeconomy
Green is the Irish colour. Historical, cultural, geographical and even religious reasons underpin this inseparable pairing. Today, green is also the banner of Ireland’s environmental aspiratio...
Slovenia Aims to Become a Circular Hub for Europe
A circular transition. Slovenia launched this campaign during the Third Circular Challenge Conference held on the 10th and 11th May 2018 in Kostanjevica na Kriki and Maribor, and endorsed by Circula...
Development Agencies in the Circular Economy
In many industrialised countries recycling is part of the daily routine and waste treatment is not a major problem. At least not at first sight. However, this is not the case in all parts of the wor...
All the Secrets of Cork, Circular by Nature
Forty million cells and only 0.16 grams per cubic centimetre. Around 90% air. These are some of the characteristics that make every single piece of cork unique. A naturally derived material that has...
A Heritage Worth Preserving
Looking at any map of the geographical distribution of cork oak (Quercus Suber L.), what immediately catches the eye is the precise area in which it has spread over time: the Mediterranean basin. Th...