The Circularity Hub

𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 🌍 Buy now buy now buy now... But at what cost? 💸 Every year, these shopping days generate insane levels of waste: packaging that won’t biodegrade, energy used for production and logistics, and a surge in carbon emissions as we click 𝘣𝘶𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘸. For perspective: 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝟮,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗢𝟮 𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲, and much of what’s purchased ends up in landfills within months - by some estimates up to 80% of stuff bought over BFCM. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘆? Some big companies are breaking the cycle: 💼 FREITAG: They close their online store on Black Friday, redirecting shoppers to their S.W.A.P. platform where pre-loved items find new homes. A true example of circularity in action. 🧥 Patagonia: Their commitment to sustainability remains constant. Every purchase contributes to environmental causes, with remaining profits reinvested to make their products better and their operations greener. 🏞️ REI: Through their #OptOutside campaign, REI shuts its doors on Black Friday, giving employees a day to spend outdoors while encouraging their community to skip the shopping frenzy and connect with nature instead. All these and more go to show businesses can thrive while staying true to their values, and with any luck they'll bring a shift in consumer values as well. 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 🌊 Blue Friday supports mission driven brands to disrupt the Black Friday norm by dedicating a percent of profit to ocean conservation. 🌱 Green Friday/Buy Nothing Day operates in various forms in many countries, and urges consumers to rethink our consumption habits, prioritize small and local businesses, and focus on what we truly need. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿. At the Circularity Hub & NEEW Ventures, we believe in a future where waste becomes a resource, and consumption becomes thoughtful. Whether you're a startup innovating in the circular economy or a business looking to align with these values, 𝙬𝙚’𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨. Let’s use this BFCM to start closing the circularity gap. Choose to shop responsibly, partner with sustainable brands, or better yet, 𝗯𝘂𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹. Ready to make a difference? Let’s connect. Together, we can turn Black Friday - and our habits in general - into a greener opportunity. #CircularEconomy #BlackFriday #Sustainability #GreenInnovation #BuyNothingDay

🌱✨ A huge THANK YOU to TechQuartier and Impact Hub Berlin for hosting 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘰𝘯𝘴: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘐 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 last night! ICYMI - It was an inspiring deep dive into the challenging yet crucial intersection of AI and sustainability, a topic close to our hearts here at the Circularity Hub. We're often told of the potential of AI to solve climate challenges, yet 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? 🤔 Geraldine de Bastion brought a balanced perspective on the ecological footprint of AI and the need for a just transition. Her insights into navigating AI’s socio-cultural and environmental impacts left us all with plenty to reflect on. 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺; 𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗜’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲-𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 🌍 Conversations with participants from the TQ Accelerator program revealed exciting projects already making waves in sustainable innovation. Events like this are so energizing, and remind us how collaboration fuels progress. Let’s keep pushing forward to close the circularity gap—thoughtfully, sustainably, and together. 🙌 #AI #Sustainability #CircularEconomy #Collaboration #Startups Martin Hvězda Sören Eversmeier 🚀 Ismail Lagouilly, PMP® Julie Grosson Giulia Ziino

🌍🍽️ 𝗪𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘄 🍽️🌍 To wrap up the European Week for Waste Reduction, we’re spotlighting a critical issue that impacts both our planet and our plates—𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲. Did you know that roughly 𝟴𝟴 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗨 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲? Not only is that a huge waste of resources, but a missed opportunity to feed millions of people. At The Circularity Hub, we’re all about turning waste into opportunity. As we explore ways to tackle the growing global problem of waste, food waste is one area we’re particularly passionate about. Whether it’s 𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹, we’re constantly brainstorming ways to either turn today’s trash into tomorrow’s treasure or just reduce waste altogether. 🌟 Reducing waste is a team effort—and this week is the perfect time to get involved! Take small steps, like 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀. Small actions can have a big impact when multiplied. 💡 The European Week for Waste Reduction is a reminder: 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘄, and together, we can create systems that are smarter, more sustainable, and better for everyone. How have you been reducing food waste this week? ⬇️ #Sustainability #WasteReduction #FoodWasteIsOutOfTaste #EWWR2024 #InnovationForGood

🌱♻️ 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘡𝘦𝘳𝘰-𝘞𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘈𝘬𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘸𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘯 ♻️🌱 Berlin’s first 𝗭𝗲𝗿𝗼-𝗪𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗸𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘄𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻 by Zero-Waste-Agentur has been a celebration of sustainability, creativity, and collaboration, inspiring us all to imagine a city where nothing goes to waste. From repair cafés to expert talks, these weeks have been packed with events showing how we can conserve resources and rethink consumption. It's not too late to join in on the last events! Check out some of the ones going on this week: 📍 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟵: - Tauschladen by Kulturlabor Trial&Error e.V. - Online testing of the new "Zu gut für die Tonne"! app by Slow Food Deutschland & Technische Universität Berlin - Public lecture on "Vermeidung von Lebensmittelabfällen" @ Technische Universität Berlin 📍 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬: - Textil-Reparatur by Stiftung Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin - Style dich nachhaltig – Virtueller Kleidertausch mit Stil-Beratung w/ uptraded - Circular Economy in Construction: Urban Mining @ Urban Tech Republic | Berlin TXL 📍 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟭: - Berliner Stadtreinigung BSR-Kieztag mit Tausch - und Sperrmüllmarkt in Neukölln by @Null Müll Neukölln - Multi-Stakeholder-Konferenz der Zero-Waste-Agentur – Let’s discuss synergy effects and solutions for a zero-waste future! 📍 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟯: - WORKSHOP FUTURIUM LAB on urban mining by Futurium - Bücher-Repair & Buchbinden by NochMall 🎥 Online video courses almost every day by autark.berlin: - Die Macht der Secondhand-Kleidung - Die Macht nachhaltiger Materialien in der Mode 💡 And many more! Explore the full program here: zerowaste-aktionswochen.de 👏 A shoutout goes out to Zero-Waste-Agentur for curating an amazing lineup of events throughout the past weeks and bringing us all closer to a zero-waste Berlin. Let’s show our support and make this final week unforgettable! #ZeroWasteBerlin #CircularEconomy #Sustainability #ZeroWaste #Circularity

Wow, what a night! 🎉 Yesterday, we held a Pitch Event to mark (& celebrate!) the completion of our two programs for the latest cohorts – 𝗠𝗩𝗣 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽 with 9x and 𝗖𝗶𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽 with Green PO. Here’s a recap of what went down: 🎤 𝘞𝘩𝘺 - To showcase the hard work of our program graduates who’ve been developing bold, circular innovations over the past weeks. 👥 𝘞𝘩𝘰 - A great lineup of pitches, including: - Bella Bacti (Suvrajit S.): Circular packaging for fermented foods and drinks. - Repair Circle (Nikki): Enabling repair of electronics by connecting consumers with local repair shops. - Green Pylon (Sreekar): Transforming decommissioned wind turbine blades into eco-friendly advertising pylons. - LIZARD Collection (Eneida & Pietro): Hassle free furniture rental for dynamic lifestyles. - BOIDEL (Karolin & Julian): Cross-branded deposit system for shopping bags to reduce single-use bags/waste. - Minimise (Stefan): Building the infrastructure for environmentally-sound and circular e-waste collection and recycling in the Global South.  - Declutter (Alice & Laurent): A digital platform that unlocks the value of stuff you don’t need to make decluttering fun & easy. - Fixit (Jil): Making simple household repairs more convenient, by providing an automated repair diagnosis & a video consultation call with a handyperson. - GreenSight (Lia): An environmental and social reporting software that facilitates transparent data capture, management and analytics. - Warrantix (Clement): Fighting overconsumption by leveraging warranties to deliver better protection to customers on the longterm. - Next Kiddo (Molood S.): Platform using cognitive science to personalize the recirculation of used toys and books. - Kregtech (Chiachun): A solution for SMEs to navigate & comply with complex sustainability & industry-specific regulations. 🌱 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 - These ideas are just the beginning – and we’re excited to see where these startups go from here. A huge thank you to our partners 9x (Alexandre, Pierre-Yves, Jan) & Green PO (Patrick), the startups, and everyone else who joined us last night – your energy made this event unforgettable. 🙌 Let’s keep closing the circularity gap together, one brilliant idea at a time! 🌟 #CircularEconomy #Innovation #Sustainability #ImpactStartups #PitchEvent

🌍 COP29 is kicking off today in Baku, Azerbaijan. With this year’s spotlight on 𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴, we’re reminded that the 1.5°C target is still hanging by a thread.   🌀𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘊𝘖𝘗? Circularity is not a main pillar at COP29, but it's mentioned in several agenda points concerning: • 𝗪𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 & 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: composting and innovative organic waste management are emphasized to cut emissions and support local economies. • 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 & 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆: In energy storage and battery life cycles, circular strategies can help reduce environmental impact, optimizing how resources are used and reused across the energy sector. • 𝗨𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Cities can lower emissions, conserve water, and reduce pollution by embracing circular practices—essential for creating sustainable, resilient urban environments.   Great start, but it’s far from enough. 🪫 At the current pace, the 𝟵𝟬% 𝗰𝗶𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗴𝗮𝗽 isn’t shrinking — it’s growing (Circularity Gap Report). There are many more ways in which rethinking waste and resources can drive impactful climate solutions. Moving from a take-make-waste model to a circular one is an important stepping stone to reach ambitious climate goals.   🌐 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦? We’re falling short across the rest of the board, too. Urgency to act is undeniable and echoed by the latest climate reports (Copernicus report, Emissions Gap Report): • Emissions are still 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 globally. • Current policies point to 𝟯.𝟭°𝗖 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴, far above the 1.5°C target, which could even be exceeded in 2024. • Climate finance commitments remain just that—commitments, not action. We need a 𝘀𝗶𝘅𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 in mitigation investments. And let’s not forget some even tougher questions: What happens when countries don’t commit? What if they fail to deliver? Can, or should, the rest of the world afford to pick up the slack? 🗣️   ⌛️ There’s no more time for slow, fragmented progress. Talking isn’t enough — we need bold, immediate, and unified action. 🏃🏼♀️➡️ So, while they discuss, we must 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙙𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜. The gap between ambition and action has never been more dangerous — or more urgent to close.   #CircularEconomy #COP29 #ClimateCrisis #Sustainability #ResourceEfficiency #CircularityGap

E-waste doesn’t have to be a crisis — it can be a resource. With innovative solutions and dedicated startups, we can turn waste into opportunity. 🌍 This month, we highlighted startups delivering solutions to the e-waste challenge with our Closing the Gap series, including: Minimise, NIU NIU, Fairphone, Repair Circle, refurbed, circulee. ‼️ Did you miss our article? No worries, you can check it out at the link in the comments! 👉 Swipe to discover how these startups are leading the way in recycling, reuse, and repair. #CircularEconomy #SustainableTech #EWaste #Innovation

E-waste is growing fast — over 62 million tons generated just last year, and we’re on track for 82 million by 2030 (Global E-waste Monitor 2024, ITU & United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)). 🌎 That’s a huge amount, especially considering how little of it is properly recycled. This month, we covered the e-waste crisis with our Closing the Gap series.  ‼️ Did you miss our article? No worries, you can check it out at the link in the comments! 👉 Swipe to learn more about the scale of the problem and its environmental impact. #EWaste #Sustainability #CircularEconomy #CircularityHub #ClimateAction

 ♻️ Edition #4 of our Closing the Gap series is live! 🙌 October 14th was International E-Waste Day, organized by the WEEE Forum every year. So, this month, we’re focusing our Closing the Gap series on e-waste. In this edition, we dive into the problem at hand, as well as spotlight impact-driven startups leading the charge on sustainability in the electronics world. Among them: 🔄 Minimise is building & scaling the circular resource infrastructure for e-waste, 🤖 NIU NIU is using AI to recover precious metals from electronics,  📱 Fairphone is designing modular, repairable smartphones, 🛠️ Repair Circle unlocks the potential of repair to extend device life, 👩🏻💻 circulee equips companies with green IT solutions, 💻 refurbed operates a marketplace for renewed electronics. 🔗 Check out the full article to learn more about the e-waste crisis, how startups are tackling it & how we can close this gap together. At The Circularity Hub, we’re committed to promoting startups and initiatives that are helping close the circularity gap—and we'd love for you to be part of the conversation. 🗣️ ❓Who did we not mention, that is also working on solving the e-waste crisis? #CircularEconomy #Sustainability #ClosingTheGap #Ewaste #EWasteDay

🌍 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐄-𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐲 is here, and the numbers are staggering. In 2022 alone, 62 million tonnes of e-waste were produced. Yet, only 22.3% of this waste was properly recycled. That means $62 billion in recoverable resources were lost, while the demand for rare earth elements continues to rise, with only 1% being met through recycling. We are on track to hit 82 million tonnes by 2030, unless we act now. 🗣️ 🗺️ On this important day, we invite everyone to check out the WEEE Forum’s map to see who is taking action worldwide to tackle this growing problem.  We're proud to see Minimise mentioned for their work in India. Plus, leading the way with their first whitepaper on unlocking the potential of India's informal waste sector (links in the comments). 📊 🌟 And they’re certainly not alone!  We have more startups in our network working on this important issue. A shoutout goes out to: 🔄 Repair Circle, for connecting people with trusted local repair shops to reduce waste; 🛠️ FixFirst - The OS for Circular Services & Products, for making repair and reuse easy and accessible; 🌀 circulee, for equipping companies with green IT in an uncomplicated way. The time to act is now. Together, we can close the circularity gap! ♻️ Want to stay informed on the circularity issues we are working on and what our startups do to solve them? Follow us! 🏃🏼 #InternationalEWasteDay #IEWD #CircularEconomy #Ewaste #EwasteRecycling #RepairEconomy