Sustainability Is Fashionable
So, one of the defining characteristics of Italy’s brand has established itself as a driving force carrying with it the revival of local products, organic and biodynamic produce. Now it is the...
Stop Death (of Objects)
If Ellen MacArthur is the dame of the circular economy, Walter R. Stahel (born June 5, 1946) can be well awarded the title of father of this economic model. Stahel has been influential in ...
Closing the Circle is Just One Option
Photo by Mirjam Verschoor Two Germans in the kingdom of the Netherlands. A great big slice of the Dutch circular economy is based on the vision of Thomas Rau and ...
Water vs. Coal. South Africa's Filthy War
Photography: Fausto Podavini Research: Marirosa Iannelli Top image: Witbank. In a coal mine a woman collects coal for personal use. Coal is the only resource for locals. “Do y...
The Bioeconomy is the New Force de Frappe
France has finally taken its place at the table alongside other European countries with a national bioeconomy strategy. Announced in June 2015 and presented on 18 January of this year, Une Strat&eac...
Towards Circular Public Procurement in France
edited by Institut de l’économie circulaire, Parigi www.institut-economie-circulaire.fr Public procurement is considered as a top policy lever as it represents a sign...
Brewing with Leftover Bread
Call it a hype if you will, but the circular economy is here to stay: it is gaining traction around the world, and the strategies it provides can solve our current dependence on finite resources. By...
Fashion, Cannibals and Forks
Top image: Details of Besani’s knitted textile. “Is it progress if a cannibal uses a fork?” John Elkington is asked at the beginning of Cannibals with Forks, one of t...
Jeans for Rent
Swedish label Filippa K has been one of the leading companies in sustainable, circular fashion since 1993. As its founder, Filippa Knutsson, claims “inspired by my needs, I have created a bran...
Rethinking the Function of the Fridge
Over the last decades, the functionality of the home refrigerator has remained pretty much the same: a big cold box with a temperature between 4 and 7 °C, in which you store all food products yo...
DS Smith: The Power of Less
Until about 20 years ago, the papermaking industry was regarded as one of the most detrimental sectors on the planet precisely because of the raw materials employed: cellulose and wood pulp provided...
Symbiosis & Innovation
Industrial symbiosis. A concept that can be either narrowed to the known role, at industrial level, of partnership, or developed into a 360-degree view. In the case of the circular economy, grafted ...
From Sheets to Packaging to Newspapers
The European Pulp and Paper Industry can be considered one of the bioeconomy beacons of the Old Continent. The Pulp and Paper sector has a high rate of collection and recycling, uses raw materials s...
The Double Life of Peach and Apricot Kernels
Apricot and peach kernels, salt used for salting meat: since February 2017, in Emilia Romagna, they have no longer been considered special waste to be disposed of, originating from the processing ph...
When the States Invade Canada
The comic strip is We Stand Guard, written by Brian K. Vaughan and drawn by Steve Skroce. To “stand on guard” are Canada’s citizens, who must keep a close watch on the decidedly ag...
The Hard Things to Say
The co-planning approach changes results. Although not yet very popular, it is growing. There is a spurious version that may be defined as “open” to users, which are the central subjects...
The Future Despite Trump
What will the world be like in 30 years time, in 2049? The Blade Runner sequel is well described in Roberto Giovannini’s column. But in reality what will the situation be like? Forecasts becom...
Surprise, Surprise: Germany is not that Circular
The Germany you would not expect. Despite being Europe’s number one manufacturing power and world-renowned for its strict waste management policy (since 2005, for example, putting waste which ...
Who Will Fund the Rescue of Earth?
This article was published in \"Valori\". An Italian monthly publication on social economy, ethical finance and sustainability, n° 145, February 2017 (www.valori.it) When the final curt...
Penelope's Lesson
After re-reading the myth of Penelope’s web, it is possible to find much more than a simple ruse to cheat the suitors, but a symbol of the reversibility and circularity of processes. Everything ca...