Harald Friedl: I will give a global view on where the circular economy transition is at the moment as I’m working in several continents, from Africa to America and Europe. As a global speaker on this topic, I want to give people a complete idea on what’s happening globally. A lot is happening in the EU, for example, the European Green Deal and the EU circular economy package. At the Circular by Design Challenge, I want to give people a feeling on why this is relevant to them and how they can link their search for purpose in life to what they’re doing in their business and organisations. Because as you’re implementing the circular economy on your level, you’re really putting people and the planet first and I think that leads to more happiness.
Without the circular economy and the implementation of circular economy strategies on a national scale, we will not be able to reach the climate goals. It’s very clear that climate goals can help to half the gap that is still left after the ambitions we set in 2016 at the climate conference in Paris. Therefore, the circular economy needs to be adopted on a broad scale. It is also an opportunity to address the challenges we are having at the moment, not only on the economic level but also on an environmental and social level. We’re able to use the circular economy to design a new paradigm on how we want to work and live together.
The Chief Executive Officer of Holcim, Jan Jenisch, has called it the biggest business opportunity of our lifetime. I think it is a way to “future proof” your business because it helps you reach the climate goals, but it also reinforces your internal engagement. For employers its clearly important to show that your company or your organisation is fit for the future, and this future needs to be aligned with what the planet and the people need. The circular economy presents a powerful strategy and roadmap to achieve this.
On a national scale, smart policymaking is key. As long as new resources are cheaper, second-hand resources will be difficult to go into circular models. I think one way is to really work on the consumer side to awaken new consumer behaviour and awareness. Another way is to shape financing models in a way that they’re more suitable to support the circular economy and smart policymaking. For example, promoting the secondary use of materials, product-as-a-service or any reuse model is a good way to do that. In many countries where we see the circular economy taking off, they have invested in building circular economy hubs… the knowledge is coming together, platforms and safe places for collaboration are being created.
It’s amazing! Design is a big lever for circularity, so I appreciate and support it very much. Design needs to be done differently, so not just to stop at the end of the chain but to bring things back into the circle. This starts at the beginning before anything is produced. When any product is being designed, it should be made for reuse to ensure we maximise the use of the product and the value of its materials for the longest time possible. This is definitely the way to go. I’m really looking forward to the interesting ideas, products and services that will be presented there. The more we bring this to the forefront and incorporate this thinking into the mindset of designers--not only product designers but anyone making anything—we can change the system early into a much smarter one that works for the people and the planet.
Photo credit: Bmk / Gillen
