Circular Economy

The circular economy diagram, or the “butterfly” diagram as it’s also called, is a key illustration that helps explain the circular economy. Divided into two halves — the biological cycle and the technical cycle — the diagram shows an ideal flow of materials and products through the economy.

Clothing is piling up faster than recycling systems can process them, with mountains of discarded textiles ending up in developing countries. But as a software and technology consultant for the circular economy, I’m most inspired and encouraged by something else — the systematic and infrastructural change we’re starting to see across the industry.

Everywhere I look, I’m reminded of how much linear thinking is baked into our logistics, our supply chain, and even our business software. If we’re ever going to transition to a circular model, we need to start breaking free from this language and this kind of thinking. Circular logistics is a crucial part of the Circular Economy transition. But often our language reveals our linear assumptions.

Conversations around the Circular Economy are dominated by white, Western voices, businesses and organisations. Across the African continent, however, innovation is arising simultaneously across diverse countries and cultures, reminding us that so many circular practices are nothing new. The opportunities – and the challenges – lie in valorising what’s already happening informally, while addressing the power imbalances of a post-colonial world.

Throughout season five of our podcast, we've been talking about the Circular Economy and its intersection with all things digital and software. The last couple of years have been strange and difficult for many of us, and it was inspiring to hear how so many people are dedicating their lives and their businesses to building a better world.

Of all the plastic that’s produced every year around the world, a paltry nine percent is recycled. The rest is incinerated or put straight into landfill, causing further pollution to the environment and resulting in eye-watering amounts of waste – especially when you consider that the raw materials used to make plastic are fossil fuels. Recycling company Terracycle has been on a mission to “recycle the unrecyclable'' since its founding in 2001.

Micro-scholarships to support small research projects into the role of digital technology in the Circular Economy

We’re still buzzing from our latest project launch and wanted to share the behind the scenes story. This project was a great example of something that started with just an idea and a desire to contribute to the circular economy community. So just like on the African Stories site, let’s start an adventure, and discover how we built it.

Single use packaging poses a huge environmental problem. The cosmetics industry alone produces 142 billion pieces of packaging every year – and less than 10 percent gets recycled. Pioneering environmental campaigners and data experts, Claire Rampen and Emily Rogers, decided to do something about it. Together, they founded Reath, a software company that helps businesses adopt safe, compliant and scalable reuse systems.