The circular economy is on the rise. Climate marches are multiplying, Youtubers are mobilizing on social networks and encouraging citizens to change their behaviour, more and more entrepreneurs are trying to offer solutions that are part of a more environmentally friendly consumption, by promoting the 3Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle.

In response to this popularity, a law on the circular economy will soon be examined by Parliament and should prohibit the destruction of unsold goods. The law should go even further, by considering companies as responsible by default for the end of life of the products they market.

Environmental protection is gradually becoming a priority, with 86% of the population in Asia attaching more importance to it than to economic development and 75% accepting the prospect of paying a supplement for green products (Grey Global Group). In addition, in France, it is calculated that 500,000 jobs and 2.5% of GDP in France could be generated by the circular economy (economie.gouv.fr, December 2015)

New types of business models are emerging with the circular economy. In Brazil, startup Rede Asta has created an online platform to support a network of artisans to recover urban and corporate waste. These wastes are reused as raw materials for tailor-made artistic creations that are then sold to companies or individuals.

In the Netherlands, Mud Jean offers jeans for rent and not for sale. Thus, instead of buying jeans, consumers rent them for a period of one year. At the end of this period, they can send it back to the brand to receive a new one from the new collection. The jeans returned are used by the startup that recovers the cotton to make new products. In May 2016, Mud Jean recovered 3000 jeans which were recycled in the factory of its Spanish partner.

In China, Alipay, the payment platform of Chinese online retail giant Alibaba, launched an initiative in 2016 to encourage its users to adopt more environmentally friendly behaviour on a daily basis: favouring public transport, paying their bills online, using electronic ticketing systems, taking their own bags from the supermarket, avoiding plastic cutlery delivered with meals, etc. (might be good to list the outcome)

In India, we talk about the Green Economy. Filling a critical gap in energy infrastructure, green start-ups are experiencing a real boom there. The sector has been expanding rapidly since the government launched the “National Action Plan for Climate Change” in 2008, which includes public support for renewable energy. By 2020, India will need 1.4 million renewable energy professionals. While large groups are developing eco-construction or wind energy, SMEs are redefining the economic landscape by responding to environmental challenges.

Such as Rimagined, which transforms waste and scraps such as old clothing, plastics, used tires, broken glass, pieces of wood and even multilayer plastic packaging such as juice packs into commercial products. These products are then resold online or in a retail store.

For its part, Afforestt brings greenery into the backyards of buildings and houses by creating “tiny forests”. To this end, its founder, Shubhendu Sharma, an industrial engineer passionate about arboriculture, uses a method to stimulate the reforestation process straight from Japan. The startup has already created 111 “small forests” in 38 cities and planted 400,790 trees.