EthicaFinland!anneraudaskoski!

PLACING THE BIO-ECONOMY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE CIRCULAR

ECONOMY !-!

UNDERSTANDING WHAT A CONCERTED MOVE TOWARDS A

CIRCULAR ECONOMY WILL MEAN FOR BIO-BASED BUSINESS!

More granular!!Social aspect!!Honeymoon is over !

Too much about waste!!Joe the Public!!Leap of faith!

CIRCULAR ECONOMY:!!

WHERE ARE WE NOW?!

More granular!A circular economy (CE) is an umbrella term describing a new, regenerative economic model. What we are witnessing now is that different sectors are researching and learning what a circular economy approach means to them, so we are getting more granular and more specific with the term. !!Social aspect!The main focus of a CE has been very much on material flows. However, there has never been a better moment to rethink capitalism: how to create a more just, transparent and equal capitalist system. We’re not there yet, but we are currently learning how to embed social aspects into the CE approach. !!Honeymoon is over !This heading refers to the two points: !1)  The future will be circular, whether we want it or not. There

is a growing consensus that we just need to get on with it and start exploring how to solve various challenges that transitioning to a CE brings with it. !

2)  We’re realising that simply creating closed loops is not panacea. A circular economy “philosophy” needs to be constantly further developed and made sure that it is sustainable for the next several hundred years. !

CIRCULAR ECONOMY:!!

WHERE ARE WE NOW? !

Too much about waste!However, the focus is still too much on waste and not sufficiently on design. Like messieurs William McDonough and Michael Braungart have stated: “We don’t have a waste problem, we have a design problem”. So there is a lot to learn in terms of redesigning not only products, but also systems and relationships. !!Joe the Public!If you ask Joe the Public what a circular or bioeconomy is about, it is most likely that s/he could not answer your question. We need to get far better with communications, marketing, branding and telling the story behind the circular principles. !!!Leap of faith!There is not cookie cutting formula regarding the transition to a circular economy. Rather, every organisation’s or municipality’s road is different and hence, tailored. There needs to be a clear vision, but a solid business case might be difficult to calculate. !Accordingly, taking the CE road requires managing step change and the ability to start thinking in circles. In other words, it requires a taking leap of faith. !

CIRCULAR ECONOMY:!!

WHERE ARE WE NOW?!

THE BIOECONOMY IS NOW ALWAYS CIRCULAR!AND THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY IS NOT ALWAYS!

BIOBASED!

PLANETARY BOUNDARIES!VALUE!

DESIGN!DECOUPLING!

RESILIENCE!

source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation 2015; Nordic Bioeconomy 2017 !

GLASGOW: !HEALTHCARE!EDUCATION!MANUFACTURING!

SELF-SUSTAINING CIRCULATION!

INNOVATION: MARINE FISH OIL REPLACED WITH SPECIAL RAPESEED OIL FOR FISH FEED!!RESTORATIVE: IMPROVES THE STATE OF THE BALTIC SEA BY MINIMISING NUTRIENT LOAD!!REPLENISHABLE: HELPS CONSERVING DIMINISHING MARINE RESOURCES!!FOOD: SUSTAINABLE, LOCAL FISH FARMING !

Transitioning to a circular economy!requires systemic change and change on every single level. !of operations and decision making. There is no sector that is left untouched by this transition. So the question is: how do we get all the players looking in the same direction, sharing more or less the same vision? !How do we create a level playing field for those, who want to pursue a circular path?!How do we get investors onboard? How do we support our decision-makers in their regulatory work in creating enabling conditions for circular businesses? How do we create procurement criteria that favours circular products and services? How do we convince urban planners to create plans that are based in cycles? And last but not least, how do we ensure that the education sector is educating people whose thinking is not based in a linear model. !

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WE NEED EVERYBODY ONBOARD!

!SYSTEMS !THINKING!

!SOCIAL IMPACT!

CUSTOMER!EXPERIENCE!

CIRCULAR ECONOMY + BIOECONOMY!…SUSTAINABLE CIVILIZATION !

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!THANK YOU!

JOIN US IN BUILDING THE CIRCULAR FUTURE!

!ETHICA.FI/EN!