#021: Signs of Circular Economy Tipping Points

Ken Webster, Head of Innovation at Ellen MacArthur Foundation shares where he sees indications of the tipping points towards a circular economy, particularly focusing on high growth businesses and initiatives. 

Ken discusses why platform cooperatives and collaboration opportunities in circular economy are seen as a key in moving towards a circular economy. He also talks about policy issues such as how finance will need to be more patient and why there needs to be a change in taxation to tip us towards a truly circular economy.

We are now moving towards an economy where utilisation of assets rather than selling of products becomes important. Ken explains how we are shifting from products to services and cites Philip’s offering of lighting-as-a-service and Bundle's washing machine and MudJean’s clothing rentals as examples of moving away from selling products to providing a service which means making things last longer.

Ken shares that nature works with a limited palette of material and there is a new science of using form to find new functions in biomimicry and at a materials level we should move towards simplicity.  He provides examples of Brazil’s Leontino Balbo Junior who is scaling regenerative agriculture, and Lula farms in Canada which is using rooftop aquaponics for urban farming and London’s own Winnow who reduce food wastage from restaurants.

The podcast was recorded over the phone, so apologies for the comparatively poor audio quality.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation aim is to accelerate the transition to the circular economy.  

Ken Webster tweets @CircularEconKen

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