3 big companies leading the way in the circular economy
Shifting to a circular economy has been that recurring “I’ll do it tomorrow” task on the to-do list of the world. As the planet gets “sicker” and we realize the deadline is “due yesterday”, we now have to run and act quickly if we want to save our planet.
Quick results mean that big companies have to be a major part of the solution. Their resources, global presence and influence have to be capitalized if we want to meet the deadline for our planet’s livelihood.
Some of them have already stepped up to lead this transition. Here are 3:
IKEA
IKEA is taking bold moves to be on top of the game of sustainable businesses. Their People and Planet Positive strategy, launched in 2018, pledges, among other things, to have all IKEA products and packaging materials based on renewable and/or recycled materials by 2030.
But this giant retailer is not just promising, already more than 60% of its product range is based on renewable materials and nearly 10% contains recycled materials.
Amazing examples include rugs made out of recycled PET bottles and curtains using dyes from agricultural waste (nutshells and orange peels).
More actions from the Swedish multinational include eliminating single-use plastics like drinking straws, freezer bags, ice cube bags and garbage bags as well as plastic covered paper cups and plates by january 2020.
Adidas
A well-known circular transitioner is Adidas. Their shoes made from recycled ocean plastic gained quite an attention from world headlines. They teamed up with Parley for the Oceans and are cleaning up beaches to produce shoes. How amazing is that?
In 2018, 5 million recycled ocean plastic shoes were sold. This year they want to more than double the amount and sell 11 million.
But Adidas wants to go even further with FutureCraft.Loop, a closed loop system, 100% recyclable shoe that wants to live forever. How is it working? In April, Adidas sent 200 pairs of beta test shoes to people around the world: Adidas creators, employees, athletes. They were told to use the shoes and then give them back. Adidas recycled the returned shoes to make the 2nd generation of FutureCraft.Loop, sending back the new pairs to the same 200 people.
The new shoe is still 100% recyclable for the next generation and the whole process only took 8 months.
H&M
Once criticized for being one of the worst offenders in the fast-fashion industry, H&M has been trying to make up for it. 57% of the materials used by H&M group in 2018 were recycled or sustainably sourced (a major increase from 35% in 2017), claims the brand. Their goal is to reach 100% by 2030.
In 2017, they piloted the Take Care initiative in Germany. The purpose is to inspire and educate customers on how to take care of their clothes, in hopes of extending their life-cycle. It includes an in-store repair station, where customers can bring clothes from any brand to repair; and online advice on things such as how to remove stains, how to reattach buttons or how to recycle used jeans.
Take Care already expanded to France, UK, Sweden and Norway.
H&M is also one of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s main partners, working in initiatives like Make Fashion Circular which is leading the research and projects to make fashion sustainable.
As we said, big companies are a key player in assuring a circular world. But you know what drives big companies? Consumer choice and preferences.
Yes, in the end, the power is in the hands of the consumers, us. Now, more than ever, we have to be conscious of how our buying choices are sending a message to the system, and ultimately influencing it.
We challenge you to look at the brands you are buying. In what way are they sustainable? Are they sustainable at all? How can you change your consumer habits to be more aligned with a sustainable world? This also means being mindful about what you buy.
