Flying around the world for a well-deserved break might not sound that environmentally-friendly, but your holiday could be circular – or sustainable – in ways you might not realise.
Until recently, industry operated on the “take, make, dispose” system – which relies on an infinite amount of easily accessible resources and energy – but modern business is embracing a new industrial model: the circular economy.
It makes good business sense. The price of natural resources and materials is rising and is volatile. Circular economy uses fewer resources, keeps them in circulation for longer, and extracts the maximum value for businesses. Its transformative power is all around us, even in the way we holiday.
The sky’s the limit
While you are waiting to board your flight, the light illuminating your holiday read could be operating on a pay-as-you-go model. Light as a service is one of the ways Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport is becoming more sustainable. Architects Kossmann.dejong and Philips Design have developed lighting fixtures that last 75% longer than conventional ones. Rather than recycling the entire fixture when it stops working, components can be individually replaced. This reduces maintenance costs and raw material consumption, so significantly lengthens its lifetime.
According to Kevin Raaijmakers at Philips, the circular economy has changed the way manufacturers think about their product and the way customers receive it.
“It used to be about buying something you needed then throwing it away. Now the manufacturer is responsible for the end-of-life cycle of the product. The customer used to have to calculate how many lights they might possibly use; there was an incentive for the lighting company to sell as much as it could, but often the client would use far less than what they originally thought. Now it’s about use instead of possession.’’
When you are finally called to board your flight, the engine carrying you to your holiday destination could be operating under a power-by-the-hour contract. Rolls Royce sells a service that allows aviation companies to spend their money on time actually in the air, rather than on spare parts and maintenance costs.
“The main shift in our business model was adding the optional package of buying lifetime servicing, which we call TotalCare, to keep the engines flying,” said Richard Wray from Rolls Royce.
“What we have done with TotalCare is move the risk of engine repair and servicing from the airline to ourselves. They pay us when it is flying. If it doesn’t fly and needs to be repaired, we have to pick up that cost. So it’s in our interests to make engines better and improve how we service them.
“As a result, every new Trent engine has been more efficient than the previous one. It’s also in our interests to monitor our equipment when it is in service, so that we can carry out any work that needs to be done well before an actual issue arises.”
A circular catch
If you are going to the coast this summer you might savour freshly netted seafood. But catching your dinner isn’t necessarily the net’s final calling. Abandoned fishing nets wreaking havoc with the marine ecosystem prompted organisations like Net-Works and Bureo to launch inventive recycling programmes.
Net-Works helps fishing communities in developing countries to sell waste fishing nets into a global supply chain. Interface, a global carpet tile manufacturer it partnered with, then receives a fully recycled source of nylon for carpet tile production. A similar initiative, but with a radically different outcome, is operated by Bureo. The Chilean company collects disused nets and uses the raw material to make sustainable skateboards.
Sharing is caring - and sustainable
One of the best ways to achieve a circular economy is through sharing. Whether borrowing goods, renting homes, or offering micro-skills in exchange for access or money, consumers are embracing the sharing-based economy.
Tourists want to come to a city they have never been to and feel at home. Airbnb has over a million accommodation listings in 34,000 cities and 190 countries and it is growing at breakneck speed. Tourists don’t want the rigidity of hotels anymore, they want to feel like part of the furniture. Couchsurfing is a similar concept that boasts a global network of 10 million travellers in over 200,000 cities. Travellers are not just interested in a bed from their host, but also in sharing experiences with them. And if living in a local person’s house while on holiday isn’t enough then organisations like WWOOF will allow you to work like one too. Visitors volunteer in return for food, accommodation and most importantly knowledge on sustainable ways of living.
Companies and organisations on the forefront of this wave are reaping the financial benefits. While it may take years or even decades for the circular economy to properly take hold, the transition has begun.
Content on this page is paid for and produced to a brief agreed with Philips, sponsor of the circular economy hub
