Having read Let my people go surfing, Patagonia's story, I was inspired to read Conscious Capitalism to gain more insight into the spending and eating powers of consumers, as well as building startups ethically. Patagonia is a great example of how a company can be successful while also being environmentally conscious. In addition to building sustainable products, they build long-term supply chain partnerships that benefit all parties.
I think it's important to get involved in fields that have the potential to make a real difference in the world. Climate Tech and Circular Economy are two of those fields, and I believe that they can help us create a more sustainable future. It's easy to get involved and this last month I started studying fast fashion, supply chains, and emerging startups. Here are my findings:
Circular Economy
What is the circular economy?
In our current economy, we take materials from the Earth, make products from them, and eventually throw them away as waste – the process is linear. In a circular economy, by contrast, we stop waste being produced in the first place.
The circular economy is based on three principles, driven by design:
- Eliminate waste and pollution
- Circulate products and materials (at their highest value)
- Regenerate nature
This handbook on circular economy is well respected. 10 examples of circular economy solutions that through practical cases illustrate how circular business models prove to be a sound business strategy that facilitates access to new markets, drives innovative solutions and saves production costs.
Circular Economy - Startups
- Sourceful is an all-in-one platform that helps you create more sustainable packaging fast and at scale. They raised 20m Series A in March of this year.
- Planning an adventure? Consider renting outdoor, camping, and skiing gear instead of purchasing it. Arrive Outdoors partners with top brands to offer everything from one-off items like tents to full collections and sets of gear. Prices start from $1 per day, but range depending on season, number of rental days, and popularity.
- Synthetic Bio Startup Huue, a pioneer of sustainable bio-based dyes and TIME Best Invention of 2021, secures $14.6M Series A to Launch The World’s First Clean & Scalable Indigo Dye. “Our first mission: indigo blue for denim makers. The indigo blue that gives jeans their iconic look is highly polluting to the environment and made with toxic ingredients. Nature is the greatest artist of all. That’s why we’re using biotechnology to create the world’s most sustainable dyes for the industries that are shaping the future of Earth.”
- Rheaply provides a platform that enables organizations to exchange materials and resources effectively. This summer, they raised 20m bringing a total funding amount of 32m.
- Google for Startups Accelerator: Circular Economy is a 10-week virtual accelerator program for early stage startups. The accelerator is designed to bring the best of Google’s programs, products, people, network and technology to those working towards a waste-free world.
Circular Economy - Established Companies
Ikea
Ikea has a mantra: “making the things we love last longer”
In our journey towards becoming a circular business by 2030, we have committed to:
- Enabling our customers to obtain, care for, and pass on products in circular ways
- Producing 100% circular products (raw materials – recycled – remanufactured – refurbished – reused)
- Using only renewable and recycled materials Taking the lead and joining forces with others in achieving a circular economy through advocacy, collaboration, and business partnerships
H&M
There is no way to ignore H&M when it comes to fast fashion or sustainability. In addition to their dedicated sustainability microsite, consider these recent findings before buying that cheap cute top.
Facing scrutiny in Britain, Norway, and the Netherlands over its sustainability claims, and a Quartz investigation published last summer showed that its products’ environmental scorecards were misleading. More than half of the scorecards on H&M’s website claimed that a piece of clothing was better for the environment when, in fact, it was no more sustainable than comparable garments made by the company and its competitors. In the most egregious cases, H&M showed data that were the exact opposite of reality.
‘Greenwashing’ Class Action Alleges H&M Sustainability Profiles Contain ‘Falsified Information. A 55-page case says H&M is misleading customers, adding that clothing in its Conscious Choice collection is neither sustainable nor environmentally friendly because it is made from recycled polyester, a disposable plastic considered to be a “one-way street to landfill or incineration.
H&M needs to do more.
Blackrock - BGF Circular Economy
The Fund aims to provide a return on your investment through a combination of capital growth and income on the Fund’s assets. The Fund invests globally at least 80% of its total assets in the equity securities (i.e. shares) of companies globally that benefit from, or contribute to, the advancement of the “Circular Economy”.
https://www.blackrock.com/americas-offshore/en/products/310165/blackrock-circular-economy
Improve Your Sustainable Saving + Investment Portfolio
Invest in something good! The Central Labelling Agency (CLA) is a not-for-profit association incorporated under Belgian law. Its goal is to enlarge the impact and substance of sustainable saving and investing. And to substantially strengthen the qualitative approach to sustainable financial products. No matter what your personal story is or where your interests lie, the Towards Sustainability label leads the way to socially responsible and sustainable investing and saving.
Here’s a breakdown and report on Blackrock (BGF Circular Economy).
Improve Your Sustainable Saving + Investment Portfolio
Invest in something good! The Central Labelling Agency (CLA) is a not-for-profit association incorporated under Belgian law. Its goal is to enlarge the impact and substance of sustainable saving and investing. And to substantially strengthen the qualitative approach to sustainable financial products. No matter what your personal story is or where your interests lie, the Towards Sustainability label leads the way to socially responsible and sustainable investing and saving.
Here’s a breakdown and report on Blackrock (BGF Circular Economy).
Indonesia has an ambitious goal: to reduce marine plastic debris by 70% by 2025.
On Nov 14, 2022 Indonesia entered a new agreement with the Netherlands and the ocean cleanup to reduce marine debris from rivers. Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment of Indonesia, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands, and The Ocean Cleanup, the international non-profit project developing and scaling technologies to rid the oceans of plastic, signed a joint declaration aimed at expanding river cleanup activities in Indonesia. Continue reading the press release.
Fishing for trash. The Ocean Cleanup Project extracted 10,755 kg of plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch after less than five days. Watch the crazy video of the haul.
Modern Milkman – has announced it has raised £50 million in total funding One-third of global greenhouse gas emissions are created by food production.
Combining technology with sustainability, Modern Milkman works with brands to creatively use radio frequency identification inlays and tags (RFID tags) to monitor and track the journey of Modern Milkman’s reusable glass bottles. This will be the very first time this technology has been employed to identify the end-to-end lifecycle of returnable glass bottles in the UK, ultimately reducing waste and increasing eco-efforts across the grocery sector.
In addition to the latest round of financing, they have just launched a crowdfunding campaign.
Other News
- Dat Bike is on a mission to put more electric bikes on Vietnam’s roads. The startup has raised $8 million led by returning investor Singapore-based firm Jungle Ventures. As of 2020, there were over 65 million registered motorcycles in Vietnam, equaling around two-thirds of the population.
- Lego is hiring a Climate Strategy Director! You will set and maintain a clear pathway and strategy to achieving the LEGO Group SBT for 2032 and a potential future Net Zero target.
- EVs are now an astonishing 25-30% of all new car sales in Europe and China
- China is now adding more renewables annually than Europe, the US and India combined
Thanks for reading.
Let me know what you're building or who you're supporting by replying in the comments, or drop me a twitter dm.
Kenny
twitter.com/allbombs