Why renting and car-sharing could soon be the new two-in-one offer
How do you attract millennials to rent high-end apartments in New York City? The new Solaire development constructed in Lower Manhatten is trying a novel new method offering a fleet of BMWs, including four of the manufacturer’s latest electric vehicle – the i3 – as part of the deal. The access to a car-sharing service, which is a […]
Circulate on Fridays: dissolving trainers, C2C design winners & nature-inspired gloves
The REX re-usable packaging. Image: Mallory Barrett The Cradle to Cradle Product Design Challenge is a showcase for products or services re-imagined for a circular economy, offering inspiration for other ‘circular designers’. The winners of the fourth annual challenge are now in, and as always the entries demonstrate how well designers embrace the creative brief […]
Even with low oil prices, bioplastics production growth continues
Bioplastics production is expected to grow by over 50% within five years, despite current low oil prices, according to a market data update report published at the 11th European Bioplastics Conference in Berlin at the end of last year. Continued growth in the bioplastics sector represents another potential opportunity as momentum builds behind the idea […]
Is this how Europe realises its circular economy potential?
Has European innovation dried up? Back in 2010, the EU set itself a target for 3% of GDP to be invested in R&D by 2020. According to the latest update, the European economy has some way to go: investment hovers at around the 2% mark. Could the circular economy offer businesses and governments the path […]
Circulate on Fridays: A busy week for the world and circular economy!
Many of the world’s most influential people were in Davos for the annual World Economic Forum meeting this week, meanwhile the Donald Trump era was officially ushered in with his inauguration – yeah it was a big few days! Hopefully, we can bring you some additional weekend positivity with a jam-packed Circulate on Fridays, including […]
How the Main Street Project aims to change the food system
Our food and agriculture system is not working. Consumers are experiencing declining nutritional quality and increasing health risks, while soil quality is eroded by chemical inputs and toxic waste. A tough starting point for any initiative, but the Main Street Project has identified it as an opportunity as it aims to combine the needs of […]
Why solar will be built into our future cities
Solar power and other renewable energy sources are increasingly affordable as technologies continues to become more efficient and effective, and the opportunities to scale solutions brings costs down even further. As much as the transition from a fossil-fuel based economy to one powered by renewables is becoming more widely recognised, what is sometimes lost is […]
How OTTO Group is testing out the transition from selling to renting at scale
One of Europe’s largest international e-commerce retailers, German-based OTTO Group, unveiled a new aspect of its business over the Christmas period, now providing an option where customers can rent a range of products online. Introduced on an experimental basis initially, the rental model has started with a select, but broad range of goods, including TVs, […]
Circulate on Fridays: graphene gets stronger and BMW start self-driving tests
A quick-fire Circulate on Fridays for you this week, rounding up some of our favourite circular economy reading from the past 7 days. MIT researchers claim to have developed one of the strongest, lightest materials around. It’s made of the much-hyped graphene, but it’s not so much the material that’s the star of this story. […]
Why open source seeds could be vital for the future of food
Open source, a movement most commonly associated with tech, coding and hacking, is now becoming an increasingly important issue for food according to a recent article published on Ensia and GreenBiz. It might be somewhat surprising, for example, to learn that more than one-third of all carrot growing material has been patented and is protected […]