Name: The circular economy: Your 5 minute guide
Uploaded: 2023-10-31T17:30:10.476Z
Duration: 319.64

MIMS Circular Economy V4_Final.mp4

MIMS Circular Economy_Final.vtt

English

{{00:00:00}}
I'm Joanne Rodriguez, and I'm
the founder and CEO of MycoCycle.

{{00:00:03}}
At MycoCycle, we develop processes that are inspired
by nature to reduce the toxicity of construction and

{{00:00:09}}
demolition materials, recycle them, and create new
bio based raw materials for use into new products.

{{00:00:35}}
The circular economy creates value from waste.

{{00:00:38}}
It really promotes and incentivizes reuse of materials that
we've already resource extracted and manufactured across

{{00:00:46}}
a multitude of industries, and reimagines ways for them to
create value or create new opportunities in the value chain.

{{00:00:58}}
You could see circular economy
within textiles, for instance.

{{00:01:04}}
That's an emerging market that's really heavily focused
because there's such a volume of textiles that get landfill.

{{00:01:10}}
There are a lot of initiatives coming through companies like
H&M, for instance, where they're trying to incubate ideas

{{00:01:15}}
that reuse textiles from that industry into new textiles.

{{00:01:23}}
We're seeing this in different forms of
asphalt reuse and construction industry.

{{00:01:28}}
Where innovative technologies are trying to re imagine
reuse into new material applications, be it into

{{00:01:36}}
packaging or other opportunities into commercial markets.

{{00:01:39}}
So you're going to see these segments already coming through
commercially, and then you'll see them in industrial sectors

{{00:01:46}}
as well through industrial symbiosis, where industrial
raw materials become new raw materials for use into

{{00:01:54}}
other sectors within the same value stream of companies.

{{00:01:58}}
So those are just some of the high
level examples that I've seen.

{{00:02:07}}
Some of the benefits of the circular economy is
reducing our need to resource extract new materials.

{{00:02:14}}
Globally, we access less than ten percent of what
we've manufactured on average across all materials.

{{00:02:21}}
That means ninety percent of the products that we've
already taken resources from the earth and manufactured.

{{00:02:28}}
All of that goes into the waste chain and it
presents no future value and it's a liability.

{{00:02:32}}
It's a human and environmental health issue.

{{00:02:34}}
One of the benefits is reducing the greenhouse gases
related to extracting new materials to create new

{{00:02:43}}
materials if we can use them from waste and go circular.

{{00:02:46}}
The other is reducing the methane gas emissions
related to the waste management industry.

{{00:02:52}}
Sixteen percent of all methane
gas is produced by that industry.

{{00:02:57}}
And so trying to figure out ways to reduce
that number and promote a positive opportunity

{{00:03:03}}
within the environment is critical.

{{00:03:10}}
Some of the challenges of progressing from a
linear model to a circular model is the status quo.

{{00:03:16}}
It's cheap and easy to just toss our trash away the
way we have and not give a second thought in reuse.

{{00:03:26}}
It requires a product path to develop reuse opportunities.

{{00:03:32}}
Some of the materials and the forms that they
become don't seem to be functional into a new life.

{{00:03:39}}
And so I think it requires, kind of, digging deep
and finding good collaboration partners that are

{{00:03:45}}
willing to advance innovation and support research
and development to create viable reuses that look

{{00:03:51}}
a little bit different than what we're used to.

{{00:03:58}}
I'm very optimistic, you know, I've been in the industry
that I've been in, construction products, for decades.

{{00:04:06}}
Led corporate sustainability
efforts for a major manufacturer.

{{00:04:11}}
I left there because I wasn't seeing
a lot of solutions in the space.

{{00:04:16}}
I think in general related to
circularity of all materials globally.

{{00:04:22}}
I'm seeing more and more solutions come forward.

{{00:04:25}}
I'm seeing convenings happen through Ellen MacArthur
Foundation and other opportunities through the Circulars

{{00:04:32}}
Accelerator, through the World Economic Forum, where they're
really starting to incubate and promote organizations that

{{00:04:39}}
are developing technologies to create reuse opportunities.

{{00:04:42}}
So I've had a first hand glimpse to see
different technologies come from Africa, from

{{00:04:48}}
Chile, Brazil, Portugal, United States, Canada.

{{00:04:52}}
So all quarters of the earth are working on this.

{{00:04:55}}
I think we just have to elevate the
messaging and the education around it.

{{00:05:00}}
So I'm pretty hopeful right now.

{{00:05:02}}
I think that we're closer to seeing circular
economies, eclipse linear models because they're

{{00:05:10}}
starting to fall out of fashion, quite frankly.

I'm Joanne Rodriguez, and I'm
the founder and CEO of MycoCycle.

At MycoCycle, we develop processes that are inspired
by nature to reduce the toxicity of construction and

demolition materials, recycle them, and create new
bio based raw materials for use into new products.

The circular economy creates value from waste.

It really promotes and incentivizes reuse of materials that
we've already resource extracted and manufactured across

a multitude of industries, and reimagines ways for them to
create value or create new opportunities in the value chain.

You could see circular economy
within textiles, for instance.

That's an emerging market that's really heavily focused
because there's such a volume of textiles that get landfill.

There are a lot of initiatives coming through companies like
H&M, for instance, where they're trying to incubate ideas

that reuse textiles from that industry into new textiles.

We're seeing this in different forms of
asphalt reuse and construction industry.

Where innovative technologies are trying to re imagine
reuse into new material applications, be it into

packaging or other opportunities into commercial markets.

So you're going to see these segments already coming through
commercially, and then you'll see them in industrial sectors

as well through industrial symbiosis, where industrial
raw materials become new raw materials for use into

other sectors within the same value stream of companies.

So those are just some of the high
level examples that I've seen.

Some of the benefits of the circular economy is
reducing our need to resource extract new materials.

Globally, we access less than ten percent of what
we've manufactured on average across all materials.

That means ninety percent of the products that we've
already taken resources from the earth and manufactured.

All of that goes into the waste chain and it
presents no future value and it's a liability.

It's a human and environmental health issue.

One of the benefits is reducing the greenhouse gases
related to extracting new materials to create new

materials if we can use them from waste and go circular.

The other is reducing the methane gas emissions
related to the waste management industry.

Sixteen percent of all methane
gas is produced by that industry.

And so trying to figure out ways to reduce
that number and promote a positive opportunity

Some of the challenges of progressing from a
linear model to a circular model is the status quo.

It's cheap and easy to just toss our trash away the
way we have and not give a second thought in reuse.

It requires a product path to develop reuse opportunities.

Some of the materials and the forms that they
become don't seem to be functional into a new life.

And so I think it requires, kind of, digging deep
and finding good collaboration partners that are

willing to advance innovation and support research
and development to create viable reuses that look

a little bit different than what we're used to.

I'm very optimistic, you know, I've been in the industry
that I've been in, construction products, for decades.

Led corporate sustainability
efforts for a major manufacturer.

I left there because I wasn't seeing
a lot of solutions in the space.

I think in general related to
circularity of all materials globally.

I'm seeing more and more solutions come forward.

I'm seeing convenings happen through Ellen MacArthur
Foundation and other opportunities through the Circulars

Accelerator, through the World Economic Forum, where they're
really starting to incubate and promote organizations that

are developing technologies to create reuse opportunities.

So I've had a first hand glimpse to see
different technologies come from Africa, from

Chile, Brazil, Portugal, United States, Canada.

So all quarters of the earth are working on this.

I think we just have to elevate the
messaging and the education around it.

I think that we're closer to seeing circular
economies, eclipse linear models because they're

starting to fall out of fashion, quite frankly.

Make it Make Sense

Explainer

In the traditional linear economy something is made, used once, then thrown away. The circular economy rethinks that journey from raw material to landfill by promoting reuse and recycling.
In this five minute video, Joanne Rodriguez, Founder & CEO of Mycocycle Inc, explains the circular economy in detail, its benefits and challenges, and how it can be embraced across business for a more sustainable future.

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Joanne Rodriguez

Founder & CEO

Reusing materials and transforming them into new products is easily said, but how is the circular economy actually realised?

The circular economy explained

From textiles to construction, there are many opportunities where reuse is being reimagined and the circular economy is showing its strengths, with more set to follow.

Examples of the circular economy today

The life-cycle of a product under the linear economy involves actions that harm the environment at every stage. Whilst the circular economy could diminish these impacts, adopting a new way of thinking is a challenge in itself.

What are the main benefits and challenges

The circular economy model is now being promoted at a global scale, illustrating its viability as an alternate economic future.