Circular design for food is rooted in the actions of farmers, but requires brands to re-think both their products and the nature of their supplier relationships. The Big Food Redesign Challenge offers a way to start. — By Claire Murphy, Senior Editor, Ellen MacArthur Foundation Jean-Emmanuel and Sabine’s vineyard in Moissac, France, isn’t just the usual display of neat lines of grape trellises. In between each row, they have planted linseed and wildflowers to attract the natural predators for the pests that would otherwise eat the grapes…

By Emma Elobeid, Senior Editor, Ellen MacArthur Foundation Humanity is reaching and exceeding the limits of the earth. This conclusion, drawn in 2009 by a team of scientists from the Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) confirmed what many had understood for decades. Led by Johan Rockström, the SRC proposed a set…

For decades, approaches to climate action have been siloed into mitigation and adaptation. Yet, to respond to the climate crisis, we must find systemic, synergistic solutions which act on both urgently. Can the circular economy be part of bridging the adaptation gap? — By Emma Elobeid, Senior Editor, and Miranda Schnitger, Climate Lead, Ellen MacArthur Foundation “Adapt or perish” — so says nature’s inexorable imperative, science fiction’s original earworm, and many an unimaginative climate change headline. While its inherent hopelessness could be challenged, the increasing intensity of climate change certainly brings H.G. …

Whether you like your coffee strong, smooth, sweet or foamy, the way that the coffee is grown and produced matters as much as how it is brewed. Circular economy strategies can ensure coffee is not only enjoyable but good for nature too. — Emma Elobeid, Senior Editor, Ellen MacArthur Foundation Think of your perfect cup of coffee. What does it look like, smell like, taste like? Where do you make it, where do you sit (or stand) to drink it, and how does it make you feel once you have? Mine is short…

Adapting to product-as-a-service or sharing models in a circular economy could prove difficult for individuals who derive a feeling of safety and identity from ownership. How can insight into these motivations help businesses adapt their relationships with users? — By Claire Murphy, Editor, Ellen MacArthur Foundation “The totality of my possessions reflects the totality of my being… I am what I have… What’s mine is myself.”

Using a circular economy approach to redesign renewable energy infrastructure — By Tansy Robertson-Fall, Senior Editor, Ellen MacArthur Foundation The need to integrate a circular economy approach into the renewable energy transition is clear. While there are barriers in the current system to overcome, a number of pioneering businesses and policymakers are forging ahead to create solutions. Their efforts, especially if…

The circular economy idea is out there. In the past ten years, it’s gone from being a niche idea to an undeniable trend. Many are captivated by the potential for change in the way they live, work, or innovate. And many more are feeling the urgent need for a circular economy, as the ‘burning platform’ moves from metaphor to real life. So whether through passion or necessity, the idea isn’t going away — it’s the end of the beginning.

The current food system doesn’t work. Industrial farming has turned agriculture into a substantial source of greenhouse gas emissions and pollution, and is driving biodiversity loss. In 2019, 15 city governments set out to change that. Three years on, this is what they have learnt. — By Laura Collacott, Freelance Editor, Ellen MacArthur Foundation The industrial food system is past its sell-by date. From monocrops and the vanishing of the bees, to unchecked palm oil expansion and cow burps, industrial farming has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years, and has been found wanting.

The global food system currently accounts for a third of greenhouse gas emissions. A circular economy for food could almost halve these. As the consumers of three quarters of all natural resources, cities can drive the transformation. — By Laura Collacott, Freelance Editor, Ellen MacArthur Foundation American economist Edward Glaeser is famously quoted as saying: “Great cities are not static, they constantly change and take the world along with them,” highlighting both their significant impact and ability to drive global transformations. …