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<Previous Next>
  • About this report
    • Foreword – Ellen MacArthur Foundation
    • Preface – World Economic Forum
    • Executive Summary
    • Company Support
    • Acknowledgements
  • 1. The benefits of a circular economy
    • The limits of linear consumption
    • From linear to circular—Accelerating a proven concept
    • How it works up close—Case examples of circular products
    • An economic opportunity worth billions—Charting the new territory
  • 2. Why the time to act is now
    • Mounting pressure on resources
    • Favourable alignment of enablers
  • 3. What are the leakage points?
    • Losses due to geographic dispersion
    • Leakages due to materials complexity and proliferation
    • Trapped in the linear lock-in
  • 4. What are the solutions?
    • Set up global reverse networks
    • Reorganize and streamline pure materials flows
    • Innovate demand-focused business models
    • Focus on pure materials stock management at the outset
  • 5. Joining forces to make the change
    • Project charter
    • A clear plan of action
  • Back matter
    • Glossary
    • Literature
    • Appendix
    • List of figures
    • List of text boxes
    • References
Towards the circular economy: Accelerating the scale-up across global supply chains Home Previous Next
  • Report Home
  • About this report
    • Foreword – Ellen MacArthur Foundation
    • Preface – World Economic Forum
    • Executive Summary
    • Company Support
    • Acknowledgements
  • 1. The benefits of a circular economy
    • The limits of linear consumption
    • From linear to circular—Accelerating a proven concept
    • How it works up close—Case examples of circular products
    • An economic opportunity worth billions—Charting the new territory
  • 2. Why the time to act is now
    • Mounting pressure on resources
    • Favourable alignment of enablers
  • 3. What are the leakage points?
    • Losses due to geographic dispersion
    • Leakages due to materials complexity and proliferation
    • Trapped in the linear lock-in
  • 4. What are the solutions?
    • Set up global reverse networks
    • Reorganize and streamline pure materials flows
    • Innovate demand-focused business models
    • Focus on pure materials stock management at the outset
  • 5. Joining forces to make the change
    • Project charter
    • A clear plan of action
  • Back matter
    • Glossary
    • Literature
    • Appendix
    • List of figures
    • List of text boxes
    • References

References

 

  1. Towards the Circular Economy 1: Economic and Business Rationale for an Accelerated Transition; January 2012, Cowes, Isle of Wight: Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
  2. Resource Revolution: Meeting the World’s Energy, Materials, Food, and Water Needs, November 2011, McKinsey Global Institute.
  3. Lomberg, B., The Paradox of Efficiency, Carnegie Council, 2011.
  4. See for example: Stahel, W., “Service, Performance or Goods”. Circular Economy Network, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, uploaded 1 June 2012 (http://de.slideshare.net/CircularEconomy/service-performance-or-goods-by-walter-stahel).
  5. See note 1 above
  6. The Circular Economy Applied to the Automotive Industry, July 2013, Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
  7. Interview with Jean-Philippe Hermine, Renault’s Environmental Director. (Individuals interviewed in connection with this study and their institutions are listed in the Acknowledgement section.)
  8. Please see note 1 above.
  9. Interview with Jean-Philippe Hermine, Renault’s Environmental Director.
  10. Exceprt from interview with Philippe Klein, Executive Vice President, Product Planning, Programs & Light Commercial Vehicle Division of Renault.
  11. More detailed summaries of the concept and principles can be found in the two reports Towards the Circular Economy 1 and 2, 2012 and 2013, Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
  12. McDonough, W., Braungart, M., Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, New York: North Point Press, 2002.
  13. See note 1 above.
  14. All company’s related information is from interviews with Philip Hawkins, Assistant General Manager—Business Strategy SCM1 at Ricoh UK, and Olivier Vriesendorp, Director of Product Marketing Centre at Ricoh Europe.
  15. All company’s related information is from an interview with Robert Metzke, Senior Director EcoVision Program at Philips, and Emile Cornelissen, Head of Supplier Sustainability and New Venture Integration Manager of Philips Group Purchasing.
  16. All company’s related information is from interview with Casper Jorna, Manager Terminals Sustainability of Vodafone Group Services GmbH.
  17. The Swedish Wire, H&M press release, http://www.swedishwire.com/press-releases/16994-h–m-hennes–mauritz-ab-the-hm-conscious-foundation-receives-a-donation-of-sek-500-million-from-the-stefan-persson-family, 25 April 2013.
  18. All company’s related information is from interviews with Mikael Blomme, Sustainability Innovation Responsible of H&M, Paul Doertenbach, Global Account Manager of I:CO, and an H&M supplier. I:CO data for clothing volumes in reverse cycles as at December 2012.
  19. All company’s related information is from interview with Jeffrey Fan, Corporate Communications Director at Trina Solar.
  20. Towards the Circular Economy 1 and 2, Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
  21. See note 1 above.
  22. Towards the Circular Economy 2: Opportunities for the consumer goods sector, January 2013, Cowes, Isle of Wight: Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
  23. McKinsey iron ore cost curve, Ellen MacArthur Foundation Circular Economy team in: Towards a Circular Economy 2, p. 85.
  24. Interview with Jean-Philippe Hermine, Renault’s Environmental Director.
  25. See note 1 above.
  26. Annual price volatility calculated as the standard deviation of McKinsey commodity sub-indices divided by the average of the sub-index over the time frame; Source: Resource Revolution: Meeting the World’s Energy, Materials, Food, and Water Needs, November 2011, McKinsey Global Institute.
  27. Resource Revolution: Meeting the World’s Energy, Materials, Food, and Water needs, November 2011, McKinsey Global Institute.
  28. The number shown in Figure 9 are for 2010- 2025; estimate based on the comparison of low-income countries or population segment (e.g. India) and middle-/high-income countries and segments (e.g. US).
  29. Hunt, A. J. (ed.), Element Recovery and Sustainability, RSC Green Chemistry Series, Cambridge, 2013.
  30. Towards the Circular Economy 2, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, pp. 20-21.
  31. Global Risks 2012, Seventh Edition, Davos, World Economic Forum, Box 1 and p. 11, Figures 4 and 5.
  32. World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders Sharing Economy Working Group: Position paper; 2013. Interview with Rachel Botsman, Founder of Collaborative Lab and author, with Roo Rogers, of What’s Mine is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way we Live, HarperBusiness, 2010.
  33. Geron, T., “Airbnb And The Unstoppable Rise Of The Share Economy”, Forbes, 23 January 2013 (print version: 11 February 2013), (http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomiogeron/2013/01/23/airbnb-and-the-unstoppable-rise-of-the-share-economy/).
  34. See note 33 above.
  35. Johnson, C., “Is Seoul the Next Great Sharing City?” at Shareable, 16 July 2013 (http://www.shareable.net/blog/is-seoul-the-next-great-sharing-city).
  36. Urban World and the Rise of the Consuming Class, June 2012, McKinsey Global Institute.
  37. Edel, J., About [The Plant Chicago], undated (http://www.plantchicago.com/).
  38. Interview with Neil Harris, Head of Sustainable Business. Cisco websites (http://investor.cisco.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=771884).
  39. Rachel Botsman’s recorded presentation, June 2013, in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation CE100 library.
  40. Disruptive Technologies: Advances that will Transform Life, Business, and the Global Economy, May 2013, McKinsey Global Institute.
  41. Accelerating the Uptake of CCS: Industrial Use of Captured Carbon Dioxide, 2011, Parsons Brinckerhoff.
  42. See note 11 above, especially Towards the Circular Economy 2 on packaging, p. 71.
  43. Interview with Cyndi Rhoades, Closed Loop Executive Officer of Worn Again.
  44. Service Contract on Management of Construction and Demolition Waste Report, 2011, European Commission.
  45. European Commission’s press release (http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-12-989_en.htm).
  46. Hao, L., Ji, X., Zhang, Y., “Analyses of Japanese Circular Economy Mode and its Inspiration Significance for China”, Advances in Asian Social Science, 2012, and Regional practice, Japan, July 2013, in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation CE100 library.
  47. “CPC Advocates Building Beautiful China”, report from 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, 8 November 2012 (http://www.china.org.cn/china/18th_cpc_congress/2012-11/08/content_27051794.htm).
  48. Su, B., et al. “A Review of the Circular Economy in China: Moving from Rhetoric to Implementation”, Journal of Cleaner Production, March 2013, and Geng, Y., et al. “Measuring China’s Circular Economy”, Science, March 2013.
  49. Towards a Green Economy in Europe 2013—EU Environmental Policy Targets and Objectives 2010-2050. Environmental Indicator Report 2012—Ecosystem Resilience and Resources: Efficiency in a Green Economy in Europe. The European Environment—State and Outlook 2010. European Environmental Agency (http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/towards-a-green-economy-in-europe).
  50. Peiper, Julia and ClimateWire, “Does Burning Garbage to Produce Electricity Make Sense?”, Scientific American, 26 August 2011. Data cited are from the US Energy Recovery Council. (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=does-burning-garbage-to-produce-energy-make-sense).
  51. Interview with Prof. Michael Braungart and Douglas Mulhall, representatives of the Academic Chair, Cradle to Cradle for Innovation and Quality Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, as well as EPEA Internationale Umweltforschung.
  52. Data provided by B&Q/Kingfisher.
  53. Trade in global resources, for example, more than tripled between 2000 and 2010, from less than US$ 1.5 trillion to nearly US$ 5 trillion. See Chatham House (Bernice Lee et al.), Resources Futures, December 2012, p. 4.
  54. Interviews with Andre Fourie, SAB Head of Sustainable Development, and Andy Wales, SVP of Sustainable Development at SABMiller. Ellen MacArthur Foundation circular economy team.
  55. Interview with Alexander Collot d’Escury, CEO, Anette Timmer-Larsen, Director Marketing, Communications & C2C, Rudi Daelmans, Director of Sustainability, and Willem Stas, Director of Operations at Desso.
  56. Interview with Ralf Dicke, General Manager of Corporate Strategy and Patrick Brothers Executive General Manager, Strategy, at Leighton Holdings.
  57. RISI [http://www.risiinfo.com/]. McKinsey analysis.
  58. Interviews with Philip Hawkins, Assistant General Manager—Business Strategy SCM1, Ricoh UK, and Olivier Vriesendorp, Director of Product Marketing Centre, Ricoh Europe.
  59. A tonne of virgin PP pellet costs US$ 2,400, while outbound shipping costs from the EU to China are around US$ 54 per tonne (US$ 1,070 for a 40-foot container holding 20 tonnes; prime recycled PP pellets cost US$ 1,650 per tonne, resulting in a materials cost saving of 30%).
  60. Interview with a H&M jeans supplier.
  61. Bradford, M., “The United States, China & the Basel Convention on the Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal”, Fordham Environmental Law Review, 2011.
  62. eWaste in China—A Country Report, April 2013, StEP Green Paper Series. Can be downloaded from listings (http://www.step-initiative.org/index.php/Publications.html).
  63. McKinsey analysis.
  64. The Circular Economy Applied to the Automotive Industry, July 2013, Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
  65. Towards the Circular Economy 1, January 2012, Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Canon’s website: “Canon responds to customer demand with a new range of remanufactured MFDs”, 8 May 2013 (http://www.canon.co.uk/About_Us/Press_Centre/Press_Releases/
    Business_Solutions_News/1H13/new_range_remanufactured_MFDs.aspx
    ).
  66. European Commission’s Recycling Textile project (http://ec.europa.eu/research/growth/gcc/projects/recycling-textiles.html); Council for Textile Recycling.
  67. WTO Trade database.
  68. Used Electronic Products: An Examination of US Exports,2013, United States International Trade Commission.
  69. Interviews with Jesus Lebena, Vice President, Latin America Supply Chain & Operations, and Maria Menacho, Chief of Staff at Brightstar Corp.
  70. Euromonitor; expert interviews.
  71. Interview with Paul Doertenbach, Global Account Manager of I:CO.
  72. Textile & Apparel Compendium, 2012, Technopak.
  73. Towards the Circular Economy 2, January 2013, Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
  74. Buildings and Their Impact on the Environment: A Statistical Summary, revised 22 April 2009, US EPA.
  75. Based on current 20-ft container price of US$ 1,920 from EU to China, which could transport about 30 tonnes of scrap paper, from Drewry Container Freight Insight, July and May 2013.
  76. RISI [http://www.risiinfo.com/]; McKinsey analysis.
  77. Reyes, E., “World’s Largest, Most Eco-Friendly Ship Embarks on Maiden Voyage”, Eco-Business, 29 July 2013 (http://eco-business.cmail2.com/t/r-l-bidpik-jiwtdkhir-j/).
  78. Belonging to four main classes of additives: property modifiers, property stabilizers, property extenders, and processing aids (according to BBC Research). http://www.bbcresearch.com/
  79. McKinsey analysis.
  80. Interview with Prof. Michael Braungart, representative of the Academic Chair, Cradle to Cradle for Innovation and Quality Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, as well as EPEA Internationale Umweltforschung.
  81. Ellen MacArthur Foundation circular economy team.
  82. Tepper, R., “Kellogg Mini-Wheats Recall: Millions Of Boxes Possibly Contaminated With Metal Pieces”, Huffington Post, 11 October 2012 (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/11/kelloggs-mini-wheats-recall_n_1957487.html).
  83. Interviews with Anette Timmer-Larsen, Director Marketing, Communications & C2C, Rudi Daelmans, Director of Sustainability, and Willem Stas, Director of Operations at Desso.
  84. European Commission REACH website (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/reach/reach_intro.htm).
  85. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website (http://www2.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-toxic-substances-control-act).
  86. Interviews at Electrolux with Karl Edsjö, Project Manager, Environmental & European Affairs,as well as Monica Celotto, Project Leader, and Daniele Gallo, Materials Engineer, both from the Global Technology Center.
  87. MBA Polymers’ website (http://www.mbapolymers.com/home/).
  88. Quinault, C., “Veolia ES Opens Its First Plastics Sorting Facility”, Letsrecycle, 1 November 2012 (http://www.letsrecycle.com/news/latest-news/plastics/veolia-es-opens-its-first-plastics-sorting-facility/).
  89. Khantayanuwong, S.,et al., “Relationships Between the Changed Apparent Density of Recycled Handsheets and Their Mechanical and Physical Properties”, Kasetsart Journal: Natural Sciences (40: 541-548), 2006
  90. Beyerlein, A., Nylon Fiber Facts, Clemson University, [1999] (http://nylene.com/nylene_pdfs/clemson_university_report.pdf). Interviews with Anette Timmer-Larsen, Director Marketing, Communications & C2C, Rudi Daelmans, Director of Sustainability, and Willem Stas, Director of Operations at Desso.
  91. Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States, Detailed Tables and Figures for 2008, US EPA.
  92. Improving Food Grade rPET Quality for Use in UK Packaging, Oxford, July 2013, WRAP: Waste and Action Resources Programme..
  93. An estimated 55 million tonnes of recovered fibres is lost from processing globally (McKinsey analysis). With the market price of recovered paper (testliner) at US$ 577/tonne, the value loss is US$ 32 billion.
  94. Towards a Circular Economy 1, Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
  95. Interviews with Philip Hawkins, Assistant General Manager—Business Strategy SCM1, Ricoh UK, and Olivier Vriesendorp, Director of Product Marketing Centre, Ricoh Europe.
  96. McKinsey expert interviews.
  97. Interviews with Andre Fourie, SAB Head of Sustainable Development, and Andy Wales, SVP of Sustainable Development, SABMiller.
  98. See note 32 and note 83.
  99. Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (http://www.aftermarketnews.com/Item/87656/apra_tells_congress_
    remanufacturing_means_jobs.aspx
    ).
  100. The Circular Economy Applied to the Automotive Industry, July 2013, Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
  101. Towards the Circular Economy 1, January 2012, Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
  102. Plastics Recyclers Europe. Husky Injection Molding Systems: Quantifying Environmental Impacts of Carbonated Soft Drink (CSD) Packaging, 2009. CEMPRE. Interview with Claus Conzelmann, Vice President, Head of Safety, Health & Environmental Sustainability at Nestle; Interview with April Crow, Global Sustainable Packaging Manager at CocaCola; Nestle Waters (http://www.nestle-waters.com/environment/bottled-water-recycling/pet-bottled-water-usa-europe). Expert interviews. Other public resources. McKinsey analysis.
  103. UNEP International Resource Panel Recycling Rates of Metals—A Status Report, 2011, United Nationas Environment Programme (UNEP).
  104. Interview with Robert Metzke, Senior Director EcoVision Program at Philips, and Emile Cornelissen, Head of Supplier Sustainability and New Venture Integration Manager of Philips Group Purchasing. Interviews at Electrolux with Karl Edsjö, Project Manager, Environmental & European Affairs, as well as Monica Celotto, Project Leader, and Daniele Gallo, Materials Engineer, both from the Global Technology Center.
  105. Interviews with James Walker, Head of Innovation at Kingfisher (B&Q).
  106. Expert interview.
  107. McKinsey analysis
  108. The Economist: The Printed World; February 2011 (http://www.economist.com/node/18114221)
  109. Disruptive Technologies: Advances that will Transform Life, Business, and the Global economy; May 2013, McKinsey Global Institute.
  110. Interview with Janine Benyus, Co-Founder of Biomimicry 3.8 Institute, and Beth Rattner, Interim Executive Director of Biomimicry 3.8 Institute.
  111. Dickey, M.R., Hope You Trust 3D Printers—Boeing Uses Them To ‘Print’ Parts For Its Planes, Business Insider, 21 June 2013 (http://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-uses-3d-printers-for-airplane-parts-2013-6).
  112. Interview with Douglas Mulhall, representative of the Academic Chair, Cradle to Cradle for Innovation and Quality Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, as well as EPEA Internationale Umweltforschung.
  113. Janine Benyus recorded presentation in Ellen MacArthur Foundation CE100 library.
  114. Interview with David Nieh, Head of China at Lend Lease.
  115. Interview with Sam Harrington, Marketing, Sales & LCA at Ecovative Design.
  116. Interviews with James Walker, Head of Innovation, and Alex Duff, Corporate Affairs Manager, at Kingfisher (B&Q).
  117. World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders Sharing Economy Working Group, Position paper, 2013.
  118. Interview with Paul Doertenbach, Global Account Manager of I:CO.
  119. See note 117 above.
  120. Interviews with Phil Hawkins, Assistant General Manager  – Business Strategy SCM1, Ricoh UK, and Olivier Vriesendorp, Director of Product Marketing Centre, Ricoh Europe.
  121. Based on the Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association’s estimate that 500,000 jobs have been created in the remanufacturing industry for products ranging from automotive components and electrical and electronic equipment to furniture and construction equipment, and Sita Group’s estimate that some 500,000 jobs have been created by the recycling industry in the EU.
  122. Interviews with Rudi Daelmans, Director of Sustainability at Desso.
  123. Intended Use, Defined Use, and Defined Use Periods are described further in the optimization protocol developed by EPEA Internationale Umweltforschung.
  124. Interview with Douglas Mulhall, representative of the Academic Chair, Cradle to Cradle for Innovation and Quality Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, as well as EPEA Internationale Umweltforschung.
  125. See note 1 and note 22.
  126. European Commission, Eco-innovation Action Plan news, “European Resource Efficiency Platform pushes for ‘product passports’”, 8 July 2013 (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecoap/about-eco-innovation/policies-matters/eu/20130708_european-resource-efficiency-platform-pushes-for-product-passports_en.htm). McDounough, W. and Braungart, M., “Towards a sustaining architecture for the 21st century: the promise of cradle-to-cradle design” in UNEP Industry and Environment April-September 2003.
  127. Crowdfunding Industry Report: Market Trends, Composition and Crowdfunding Platforms, May 2012, Crowdsourcing.org.
  128. Barnett, C.,”SEC Finally Moves on Equity Crowdfunding, Phase 1”, Forbes, 19 July 2013 (http://www.forbes.com/sites/chancebarnett/2013/07/19/sec-finally-moves-on-equity-crowdfunding-phase-1/).
  129. Hansen, K., Braungart, M., Mulhall, D., “Resource Repletion”, in Meyers, Robert A. (ed.),  The Springer Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology, SpringerReference, Berlin, Heidelberg, July 2012.
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