I remember vividly the first time the concept of circular economies was brought to my awareness. The professor Conny Bakker was in the tiniest lecture room in the department of Industrial Design Engineering at Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands. "Waste is design gone wrong," she explained to us. It was the department's (probably at least the school's) first class on circular design for products, it was only an course to a few undergraduate students. The circular economy appeared to be the exact concept I had been looking for. It offered the design and business a leading part in the...

As with many non-profits across the globe, we started 2023 with grand expectations and high hopes of how we can transform social and environmental systems around the globe. We are all too well, 2023 will instead be a road with seemingly unsurmountable challenges. Our 2020 goal: Expanding the Rethinking of Recycling all across Buenos Aires We're proud of our Rethinking Recycling programme at Buenos Aires' Barrio 31 is locally referred to as "ATR - A Todo Reciclaje was closed in the year with a successful method for sustainable recycling in informal settlements. Over the course of a year, we took...

A recent trip to Bali has triggered our creative scaling strategies What specifically does Delterra do in the field to repair broken recycling and waste management systems? Take a trip through an urban area located in Bali, Indonesia, where Delterra has been working for the last three years to develop solutions to the issue of waste. Delterra's leadership team, Indonesia team together with partners recently came together to determine how best to scale the pilots across Bali and throughout Indonesia as well as to other countries in the region. The Bali that you can't find across social networks Bali is...

The amount of trash generated globally continues to increase at an alarming rate. We've all seen the horrifying images of beaches covered with trash and turtles consuming plastic bags. It's clear that we require every assistance we can get to effectively manage our waste and reduce it. My colleagues and I came up with digital solutions that will assist us in tackling two of the biggest issues we have to overcome in our efforts increase recycling within the communities we serve How can we swiftly transform sorting centers into more efficient and financially self-sustainable? This question led to the development of...

What is required to completely change the way that families and companies view the separation of waste? In the context of new recycling or organic materials, how do behavior-based planning principles be applied?   The use of behavioral design is widely used in companies in the private industry to enhance the experience of customers. The use of targeted interventions has proved effective and simple and have produced impressive outcomes. What happened when I had to oversee the transformation of behavior starting from scratch as part of the process of creating public services on a municipal level? In this post I'll...

The management of waste, specifically plastic recycling has seen a significant increase in importance on the international agenda in the past few years. In contrast to the comparatively low number and focus on the international conferences on these topics not even five or ten years ago, it's amazing to see that over 2,000 people with national representation from 150 UN nations who attended INC-1 which took place in Punta del Este in Uruguay during a entire week. In March 2022 In March 2022, The United Nations Environment Assembly agreed to begin negotiations to establish an international, legally binding agreement that...

The world's communities came together in Paris this week, and more than 1700 participants from more than 170 countries came together to discuss the UN global treaty that will fight the effects of plastic pollution. This is an historic unique opportunity to tackle the problem of plastics and create the future world we envision for tomorrow.   We were pleased to witness the level of commitment in the discussions and we're pleased to share our experiences of a spirited and productive week that was packed with insightful conversations, connections, and new collaborations. This is a short summary of the things...

  I remember vividly the first time the concept of circular economies was brought to my awareness. The professor Conny Bakker was seated in front of the tiniest lecture hall in the department of Industrial Design Engineering at Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands. "Waste is design gone wrong," Bakker told us. It was the department's (probably that of the University's) first class on circular design for products - which was offered as a one-time option to a small group of undergraduate students. The circular economy appeared to be precisely the concept I had been wishing for. It gave the...

For a lot of us, 2020 was an event that was delayed because the world's attention was changed to the crucial task of fighting the COVID-19 epidemic. However, other pressing global issues did not rest, and we slipped into the most pressing issues, like the impact of plastics on climate change and pollution. During this period, the recycling and management of the waste value chains within South and Southeast Asia ground to a stop, and the use of virgin and single-use plastics skyrocketed. Research has shown that during the pandemic's peak, more than 80 percent of the recycling value chain...

As much as US$995 billion in funds need to be sourced between 2022 and 2040 to ensure that circular supply chains can meet world demands for plastics. The massive need for financing has been a subject of discussion in the ongoing negotiations in the legally binding document to curb pollution caused by plastic. We know that investments in interventions across the entire value chain of plastics are essential to bring about systemic transformation. But the uncertainty and perceived risk when investing in circular economy innovation, especially in emerging markets - have been a reason for many investors to stay off...