October 9, 2024 • 22 mins
In this episode, host Stephanie McLarty discusses the significance of Circular Economy Month with guests Caitlin Perry and Audrey Manuel from the Circular Innovation Council. They explore the transition from Waste Reduction Week to a broader focus on the circular economy, emphasizing the importance of systemic change in consumption and waste management. The conversation highlights the various themes of Circular Economy Month, the role of businesses and individuals in promoting circular practices, and the resources available for participation. The episode concludes with advice on how to engage in circular economy initiatives and the importance of celebrating small achievements in sustainability efforts.
Takeaways
- Circular Economy Month aims to raise awareness about circular solutions.
- The Circular Innovation Council has a long history in recycling and sustainability.
- A circular economy rethinks the entire process of production and consumption.
- The importance of transforming systems to address climate change and biodiversity loss.
- Circular Economy Month includes various themes to educate and engage the public.
- Businesses can participate through employee engagement and community initiatives.
- Individuals can take small actions to contribute to the circular economy.
- Resources are available for both individuals and businesses to get involved.
- Celebrating small achievements in sustainability is crucial for motivation.
- It's never too late to start making a difference in sustainability.
Learn more about Circular Economy Month> https://circulareconomymonth.ca/
Thanks for listening!
If you like our podcasts, please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple or wherever you get your podcasts from.
Want to be a guest on The Circular Future podcast? Email Sanjay Trivedi at strivedi@quantumlifecycle.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
October is now Circular Economy Month, a
rebrand from Waste ReductionWeek.
So why the change and what's init for both individuals and
businesses to get involved?
Welcome to the Circular Futureyour access to thought leaders
and innovations to help you be abusiness sustainability
champion, even if it's not yourcore job.
(00:26):
I'm your host, stephanieMcLarty, head of Sustainability
at Quantum Lifecycle Partners.
Circular Economy Month is apublic awareness campaign by
Circular Innovation Council toessentially learn, embrace and
celebrate circular solutions.
For many years, the third weekof October was Waste Reduction
(00:46):
Week, but as of 2023, this weekis now part of a broader
month-long campaign focused onthe circular economy as a whole.
With me to unpack CircularEconomy Month is Caitlin Perry,
manager of Education andEngagement Programs at Circular
Innovation Council or the CIC.
Caitlin has been with the CICfor eight years and has played a
(01:09):
leading role in the developmentof Circular Economy Month and
the Share, reuse, repair Hub.
Also here is Audrey Manuel,resource Development and
Outreach Coordinator at CIC.
This will be her third yearsupporting Circular Economy
Month programming.
Welcome to the podcast.
Both of you, hi.
(01:29):
Thanks for having us.
Thanks for having us.
I'm excited that you're hereand diving into this important
topic which Quantum has beenworking on as well.
But first let's start as wealways do, and I'll start with
you, caitlin.
What would be two things thatthe world may not know about
Circular Innovation Council?
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Yeah, so Circular Innovation Council, we are a
not-for-profit and charitableorganization, so some
organizations just have eitherone, but we uniquely have both
statuses and we have a longhistory industry.
So we were originallyestablished as the Recycling
Council of Ontario way back in1978.
So over 40 years ago when ourfirst kind of claim to fame was
(02:12):
playing a major role in thedevelopment of Ontario's Blue
Box program, which I'm sure manypeople on the podcast here know
about and participate in everyday, and we actually won an
award for that from the UnitedNations back in early 1980s.
So and since then I mean we'vealso been a big part of the
development of recycling policyhere in Ontario as well, and
(02:35):
really since then a lot of ourwork started off as focused on
recycling and then since thenhas really developed and grown
into more circular economyprogramming and projects and we
originally focused more inOntario and we've now expanded
to a national mandate and amandate that's focused more on
circular economy and puttingcircular economy concepts into
(02:59):
action, while still obviouslyfocusing on recycling and making
sure that's still a big part ofour work as well.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yeah, so it sounds like the changes at CIC really
reflect the changes of the world, moving from recycling to this
whole concept of circularity andalso going from regional to
really a national organization.
Audrey, what about you?
What would be two things thatyou would say that the world
wouldn't know necessarily aboutCIC.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Well, cic is a multi-stakeholder network and
membership-based organization,and we have hundreds of members.
We operate both frontlineprograms like pilot waste
programs and waste auditortraining, but also education and
engagement programs that you'reabout to hear about, primarily
Circular Economy Month, but alsotwo others the Share Reuse,
(03:45):
repair Hub and the PlasticAction Center, and Caitlin and I
both work on the education andengagement programming.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
That's cool and full disclosure.
Quantum is a member of the CIC,so let's get into what you're
doing.
But first of all, I really wantto peel back what we're talking
about.
When we talk about the circulareconomy, caitlin, what would
you say the circular economyactually is in your view?
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Yeah, so this is a relatively new term that you may
or may not be familiar withProbably heard about it.
Within the last like 10 yearsor so, it's really been starting
to gain traction.
So it's really a major systemschange to the way that we
consume and live our day-to-daylives.
So historically we've lived ina linear economy and you may
(04:39):
have seen our graphics out thereon our website and there's lots
of graphics out there thatillustrate this.
But so we've been historicallyin a linear economy that starts
with take, make and wasteEssentially, take and extract
natural resources from the earththings like trees to make paper
products, minerals to createelectronics, fossil fuels to
create plastic.
So we take those from the earthand then we create products with
(05:02):
them.
And when we're creating theproducts, we don't really put a
whole lot of consideration inall of the carbon emissions, the
costs, all the energy being puttowards making these products,
and then we make them withoutalso not a lot of consideration
on the end of life of them.
So what are we going to do whenconsumers are done with these
products?
So just, kind of, we've beenfor so many years just dealing
(05:24):
with it at the end.
So the circular economy isreally rethinking that whole
entire process.
In a circular economy, wecreate products that we consume
and design out waste and valueour resources for as long as
possible and in that process,you know, we ultimately reduce
costs, we reduce carbonemissions and we reduce the
(05:45):
amount of waste that ends up inlandfill and we keep materials
in use for as long as possible.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Yeah, at Quantum, we often say that we help close the
loop through our reuse andrecycling.
So yeah, that makes total sense.
Now, Audrey, why is itimportant to have a circular
economy?
Why is it important to have acircular economy?
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Well, we've all experienced and seen the many
crises that we're facing soclimate change, affordability,
loss of biodiversity, just toname a few so there's really a
clear need that we need totransform our systems, because
our systems are not working.
I want to challenge listeners,and you as well, to imagine a
(06:23):
world where waste isn't createdin the first place.
So, instead of trying to figureout what to do with our waste,
what if we just never had wasteat all?
Imagine if we lived in harmonywith the earth, we supported
ecosystems that support us inthis reciprocal relationship,
that we valued nature and whatit does for us, and if we
(06:46):
operated our businessesmindfully that would be amazing
and containing them withinnatural planetary boundaries.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
I heard once that there is no waste in nature.
Nature recovers and regenerateseverything, so what if we could
live like that as a society?
Maybe we wouldn't have theplanetary crisis that we have
today?
Yeah, exactly Okay.
So I want to talk aboutCircular Economy Month, and I
(07:13):
remember when I was planning theengagement activities for
Quantum two years ago back in2022, we ran a sustainability
superhero bingo exercise forWaste Reduction Week, and when
we went to plan it last year, Inoticed the scope had changed.
It was now Circular EconomyMonth.
(07:34):
So, caitlin, why the change toCircular Economy Month and away
from just waste reduction?
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Yeah, so Waste Reduction Week has been
activated by Circular InnovationCouncil since 2001.
And it started off, as you know, recycling events, a lot of
educational activities, like youjust mentioned, and then it
really transformed since theninto a really big digital
(08:03):
campaign as well still, with allof those great local events and
stuff.
But it's also contributed bigsocial media campaign and it has
just grown really big over thelast few years and waste
reduction events were startingto not just become, you know,
recycling collection drives andthat kind of thing, like they
previously were.
They were starting to.
(08:23):
We were starting to see morerepair cafes, clothing swaps,
conferences that weren't justrelated to recycling and talking
about the bigger picturecircular economy message, and a
lot of these events werehappening throughout the month
anyways.
And we noticed on social mediathat the momentum was building
all month long.
So we're like let's expand it,because people are celebrating
(08:46):
all month anyways, so let's justexpand it.
And we wanted to recognize thatcircular economy doesn't just
include waste reduction andrecycling, like traditionally
Waste Reduction Week always has.
Many of you didn't want to takeaway from Waste Reduction Week,
so we essentially built it intoa bigger campaign to include
both Waste Reduction Week andthe circular economy.
(09:07):
So that's pretty much why wedid that and it's been really
successful so far since welaunched it.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Yeah, and I think again it speaks to this whole
area of circularity is biggerand broader than just waste
reduction.
So to me it makes a lot ofsense and I also am happy that
we don't have to put everythinginto that single week, because
it's a lot to fit into a singleweek at times.
Audrey, can you speak to whatthe themes are of this year's
(09:34):
Circular Economy, Month per week?
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Yeah, definitely.
So we start off with week one,which is an introduction to
circular economy, whichbasically is purely educational,
and it's trying to explain allthe different facets of what a
circular economy means versus,you know, for example, a linear
economy.
Week two is environmentalbenefits of a circular economy,
so exploring how having acircular economy will help the
(10:00):
environment heal.
Week three is about social andeconomic benefits, because
circular economy does help ourwell-being.
And the fourth week continuesas waste reduction week, which
itself has daily themesthroughout the week focused on
different waste streams.
Now, since October has fiveweeks this year, we threw in an
(10:22):
extra theme there at the end forcelebrating your efforts, where
we're going to highlight all ofthe awesome, inspiring things
people like you and ourlisteners have done during the
month to participate.
The reason why these themes havebeen chosen is because the
circular economy is a complexterm and I think it's best
understood through examples ofhow a circular economy can
(10:44):
benefit us and the planet.
So it really generatesmotivation for people to make
changes in their daily lives, atwork and at home.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
So you actually, I think, just answered one of my
questions, which is is itdesigned for businesses or for
individuals?
Speaker 3 (11:00):
or both.
Anyone can participate inCircular Economy Month.
We do specifically also addressbusinesses, organizations,
schools and governments.
Those organizations can getinvolved.
Specifically is declaring theirsupport for a circular economy.
We have lots of educationalresources which I'll get into a
little bit later, and we alsoencourage individuals to
participate as well.
(11:20):
Specifically this year, you cantake a pledge to take action,
which is a new way this year oflearning about actions that are
big and small.
Every action counts, so you canlearn about the impacts of each
of those actions as well.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
So can you give us an example of the pledge?
What specific actions would yoube pledging to?
Speaker 3 (11:39):
Yeah, so there are a few examples.
Carpooling can actually reduceyour emissions by 2.7 kilograms
of carbon per day, so you cancarpool with people at work.
Taking public transit, forexample, instead of a car, helps
you reduce six kilograms ofcarbon emissions per day.
Shopping secondhand orattending a clothing swap are
(12:00):
really great ways to reduce yourimpact as well, because for
every kilogram of secondhandtextiles you receive instead of
buying new saves you about 17kilograms of greenhouse gases.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
That is amazing and I love how it's really looking at
your own life and what you cando and the awareness of it.
Like oftentimes, we don't knowthe impact or the potential
benefit of some of thesecircular practices until we hear
the numbers behind it, likecarpooling or buying secondhand
clothes.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Pledge also has 30 actions that you can choose from
, and it also has the capacityfor you to write in what you're
going to do yourself if one ofthose actions isn't listed.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Cool.
So 30 actions, that's great.
Now, caitlin, let's talk aboutbusinesses.
What are some things thatbusinesses can do as part of
Circular Economy Month?
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Yeah, so, like you just mentioned about the bingo
which is an amazing idea I lovethat no-transcript educate your
(13:20):
team about circular economy, oryour customers, to like.
We've seen that as well likeworkshops and webinars that
people can join that talk aboutcircular economy and how they
can get involved.
Recycling drives are reallypopular, so, like textiles and
electronics, they'll have like amonth long collection drive or
something like that for thecampaign and then share their
(13:42):
impact at the end of it and thenanother fun one like the bingo
you mentioned.
Like contests.
So challenging your team to youknow, bring a waste-free lunch
every day.
Only purchase things that aresecondhand or carpooling to work
every day.
Little challenges that you cando that create some friendly
competition amongst yourcolleagues can really encourage
(14:04):
them to take action.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
What we're doing this year is a little variation on
our bingo card and it's a 10-daycircular challenge where we've
got 10 different actions to takefrom October 21st to November
1st and yes, it's a little bitchallenging this year but I
personally I love thatcelebration aspect because we
need more of it.
(14:26):
One of our actions will be topost to our company kudo page
about a circular win thatemployees have done and I know.
Beyond what we're doinginternally, we're supporting
customers with e-waste drives,as you mentioned, caitlin.
We also have two talks duringthat week.
Also appreciate the fact thatit's not just a single week
(14:48):
anymore because the fact thatit's during the month allowed us
to do.
But we've seen at Quantum,specifically around the employee
engagement, doing these kindsof challenges for our employees.
They love it and I feel like asa company, it helps us to
really create that cultureinternally about what's
(15:10):
important and that sticky factorlike people want to work for us
.
Caitlin, what have you seen aresome of the benefits that
businesses have realized out ofCircular Economy Month and
participating in various ways.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Yeah, like you said, there's two kind of angles to it
.
There's the employee engagementthat really, you know, excites
your employees and encouragethem to take action.
We find that like, sometimesyou know, if you work for a big
company you might not and youwant to be a part of the change,
but you might not be in thisparticular position where you
can create change for thecompany itself.
(15:42):
But there's things that you cando as an individual.
I feel like those employeeengagement actions are really
great for that.
And then, on the other side,it's a great way for businesses
to really showcase to both theiremployees and their customers
their commitment to advancingthe circular economy and
promoting their circularservices to their customers and
(16:05):
beyond.
And it's really a greatopportunity and I guess a touch
point for announcements andsharing your impact.
So if you have like annualrecycling impact stats or you're
launching a environmentalsustainability report, it's a
really great time to do that.
Or you're, you know, announcinga new corporate commitment,
(16:25):
it's a really great time toalign, to align those that
messaging with it.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
You're absolutely right and we do have an
announcement planned for thatlast week, October.
All right let's move into ourhow to section, where I ask you
how to questions.
Audrey, I'm going to start withyou.
I feel like we are all so busyand we want to make an impact.
So how to prioritize ouractions, like, are there certain
(16:53):
actions to take which have abigger impact than others?
Yeah, certainly.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
I understand it.
We're all so busy and it canfeel overwhelming sometimes when
we have such a daunting it canfeel daunting task.
So what I would say is focus ontransportation, the reason being
the National Greenhouse GasInventory that was released in
2024 determined thattransportation and economic
sectors was actually the secondhighest emitter out of all of
(17:20):
the categories, being second tooil and gas.
So for that reason, I wouldsuggest carpooling with
co-workers or trying to advocatefor increased work from home,
because then you don't have tocommute at all and that reduces
those emissions there.
Reducing your consumption whereyou can is free, so that means
don't buy things if you don'thave to, or just try to be more
(17:42):
mindful of how you're spendingyour money, making sure to use
your office supplies to theirfullest life before you have to
replace them or order more andlastly, this is entirely free.
Talking to your colleagues,friends, family, talking to them
about the circular economy andsustainability and the reason
being behavior shift is anincreasing awareness is one of
(18:05):
the most important things thatyou can do, because the more
people who participate, thebetter resiliency our society
has in the future of climatechange 100% and, on that note,
share this podcast.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
Caitlin, what about you for businesses, you know
perhaps, are finding out aboutthis sort of last minute.
What would you suggest to do ifthey're short on time?
How can they get involved?
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Yeah, so we have a new this year.
We just expanded this ourpromotional resources for the
campaign.
We have on our website there'spromotional kits and there's
different pre-made social mediaassets that you can download.
So there's some that we'vetailored more for individuals,
there's some general ones,there's some that we promote,
(18:51):
that we suggest businesses use,and then there's some for
governments and schools as well.
Businesses use, and thenthere's some for governments and
schools as well.
So we encourage you.
I mean, if you don't have timeto create your own social media
materials, you're welcome todownload what we have on the
website.
We also have like samplecaptions and stuff you can put
on your social media posts, soyou really don't have to do much
(19:12):
.
You just have to download themand copy paste.
And then, of course, likebuilding off of the employee
engagement piece, like there's alot of quick things you could
do, like it doesn't have to be aformal webinar thing.
It can be just maybe gettingtogether some employees and
educating them and doing or evendoing like a community cleanup
(19:33):
one day at lunch or something,or everyone promoting everyone
to bring reusable containers forlunch, or something, or
everyone promoting everyone tobring reusable containers for
lunch, or something like thatJust little things, like little
actions that you can dothroughout the month, even if
you don't have a lot of time toplan.
And it doesn't need to be anofficial event.
It can be kind of more informalif you don't have a lot of time
to plan it.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
Yeah, one of our actions on our 10 day challenge
is a litterless lunch, and it'ssomething that my daughter was
challenged in her Montessorischool early on, like don't
bring packaging to school, inthis case, don't bring packaging
to work.
So I think that's a reallygreat sort of easier one to
implement, audrey.
(20:11):
Last one how to accessresources as an individual.
What's available to us?
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Yeah, so there are, as Caitlin said, promotional
kits that are available on theCircular Economy Month site, so
you can join in the conversationonline and use the hashtag
Circular Economy Month.
We'll be able to see anythingthat you share.
You can also talk to yourco-workers, as I said, your
supervisors, friends and familyand lead by example, so, for
(20:38):
example, you could start acircular economy committee at
work and use your voice and votewith your dollar to drive
change.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
I love that we have a company green team, but you
could do it as a circulareconomy team at work.
Thank you so much for sharingwhat you're doing and really
leading the charge on this.
If there was one piece ofadvice that you would leave
individuals or businesses witharound this whole circular
(21:05):
economy month, Caitlin, I'llstart with you.
What would that one piece ofadvice be?
Speaker 1 (21:10):
Celebrate your efforts and your achievements.
I mean, I feel like we don'treally do that enough.
I feel like we sometimes thinkwe have to do either
sustainability really well ornot do it at all.
But really to make change youhave to do.
Even small changes are betterthan nothing.
It's so easy with all the doomand gloom news out there.
It's so easy to feel likedefeated and feel like you're
(21:32):
not doing enough.
But it's really important torecognize what you're doing and
how you're really making animpact.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
And Audrey, what would your piece of advice?
Speaker 3 (21:40):
be.
Mine would be that it's nevertoo late to take your first step
towards a better future for all, big or small, it all makes a
difference.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
So it's never too late and celebrate, whatever you
do.
Thank you both.
Thank you both, as I mentioned,for being here, but also for
really facilitating this wholemonth for us and giving so many
resources to help us, on both anindividual level and a business
level, to really implementcircularity in our lives and in
(22:10):
our businesses.
So thank you.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Thank you and remember, if you are looking for
a circular partner to help youreuse and recycle your
electronics, we'd love to chatHead on over to
quantumlifecyclecom and contactus.
This is a Quantum Lifecyclepodcast and the producer is
Sanjay Trivedi.
Thank you for being a CircularFuture Champion in your company
and beyond.
(22:33):
Logging off.
October is now Circular Economy Month, a
rebrand from Waste ReductionWeek.
So why the change and what's init for both individuals and
businesses to get involved?
Welcome to the Circular Futureyour access to thought leaders
and innovations to help you be abusiness sustainability
champion, even if it's not yourcore job.
(00:26):
I'm your host, stephanieMcLarty, head of Sustainability
at Quantum Lifecycle Partners.
Circular Economy Month is apublic awareness campaign by
Circular Innovation Council toessentially learn, embrace and
celebrate circular solutions.
For many years, the third weekof October was Waste Reduction
(00:46):
Week, but as of 2023, this weekis now part of a broader
month-long campaign focused onthe circular economy as a whole.
With me to unpack CircularEconomy Month is Caitlin Perry,
manager of Education andEngagement Programs at Circular
Innovation Council or the CIC.
Caitlin has been with the CICfor eight years and has played a
(01:09):
leading role in the developmentof Circular Economy Month and
the Share, reuse, repair Hub.
Also here is Audrey Manuel,resource Development and
Outreach Coordinator at CIC.
This will be her third yearsupporting Circular Economy
Month programming.
Welcome to the podcast.
Both of you, hi.
(01:29):
Thanks for having us.
Thanks for having us.
I'm excited that you're hereand diving into this important
topic which Quantum has beenworking on as well.
But first let's start as wealways do, and I'll start with
you, caitlin.
What would be two things thatthe world may not know about
Circular Innovation Council?
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Yeah, so Circular Innovation Council, we are a
not-for-profit and charitableorganization, so some
organizations just have eitherone, but we uniquely have both
statuses and we have a longhistory industry.
So we were originallyestablished as the Recycling
Council of Ontario way back in1978.
So over 40 years ago when ourfirst kind of claim to fame was
(02:12):
playing a major role in thedevelopment of Ontario's Blue
Box program, which I'm sure manypeople on the podcast here know
about and participate in everyday, and we actually won an
award for that from the UnitedNations back in early 1980s.
So and since then I mean we'vealso been a big part of the
development of recycling policyhere in Ontario as well, and
(02:35):
really since then a lot of ourwork started off as focused on
recycling and then since thenhas really developed and grown
into more circular economyprogramming and projects and we
originally focused more inOntario and we've now expanded
to a national mandate and amandate that's focused more on
circular economy and puttingcircular economy concepts into
(02:59):
action, while still obviouslyfocusing on recycling and making
sure that's still a big part ofour work as well.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yeah, so it sounds like the changes at CIC really
reflect the changes of the world, moving from recycling to this
whole concept of circularity andalso going from regional to
really a national organization.
Audrey, what about you?
What would be two things thatyou would say that the world
wouldn't know necessarily aboutCIC.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Well, cic is a multi-stakeholder network and
membership-based organization,and we have hundreds of members.
We operate both frontlineprograms like pilot waste
programs and waste auditortraining, but also education and
engagement programs that you'reabout to hear about, primarily
Circular Economy Month, but alsotwo others the Share Reuse,
(03:45):
repair Hub and the PlasticAction Center, and Caitlin and I
both work on the education andengagement programming.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
That's cool and full disclosure.
Quantum is a member of the CIC,so let's get into what you're
doing.
But first of all, I really wantto peel back what we're talking
about.
When we talk about the circulareconomy, caitlin, what would
you say the circular economyactually is in your view?
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Yeah, so this is a relatively new term that you may
or may not be familiar withProbably heard about it.
Within the last like 10 yearsor so, it's really been starting
to gain traction.
So it's really a major systemschange to the way that we
consume and live our day-to-daylives.
So historically we've lived ina linear economy and you may
(04:39):
have seen our graphics out thereon our website and there's lots
of graphics out there thatillustrate this.
But so we've been historicallyin a linear economy that starts
with take, make and wasteEssentially, take and extract
natural resources from the earththings like trees to make paper
products, minerals to createelectronics, fossil fuels to
create plastic.
So we take those from the earthand then we create products with
(05:02):
them.
And when we're creating theproducts, we don't really put a
whole lot of consideration inall of the carbon emissions, the
costs, all the energy being puttowards making these products,
and then we make them withoutalso not a lot of consideration
on the end of life of them.
So what are we going to do whenconsumers are done with these
products?
So just, kind of, we've beenfor so many years just dealing
(05:24):
with it at the end.
So the circular economy isreally rethinking that whole
entire process.
In a circular economy, wecreate products that we consume
and design out waste and valueour resources for as long as
possible and in that process,you know, we ultimately reduce
costs, we reduce carbonemissions and we reduce the
(05:45):
amount of waste that ends up inlandfill and we keep materials
in use for as long as possible.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Yeah, at Quantum, we often say that we help close the
loop through our reuse andrecycling.
So yeah, that makes total sense.
Now, Audrey, why is itimportant to have a circular
economy?
Why is it important to have acircular economy?
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Well, we've all experienced and seen the many
crises that we're facing soclimate change, affordability,
loss of biodiversity, just toname a few so there's really a
clear need that we need totransform our systems, because
our systems are not working.
I want to challenge listeners,and you as well, to imagine a
(06:23):
world where waste isn't createdin the first place.
So, instead of trying to figureout what to do with our waste,
what if we just never had wasteat all?
Imagine if we lived in harmonywith the earth, we supported
ecosystems that support us inthis reciprocal relationship,
that we valued nature and whatit does for us, and if we
(06:46):
operated our businessesmindfully that would be amazing
and containing them withinnatural planetary boundaries.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
I heard once that there is no waste in nature.
Nature recovers and regenerateseverything, so what if we could
live like that as a society?
Maybe we wouldn't have theplanetary crisis that we have
today?
Yeah, exactly Okay.
So I want to talk aboutCircular Economy Month, and I
(07:13):
remember when I was planning theengagement activities for
Quantum two years ago back in2022, we ran a sustainability
superhero bingo exercise forWaste Reduction Week, and when
we went to plan it last year, Inoticed the scope had changed.
It was now Circular EconomyMonth.
(07:34):
So, caitlin, why the change toCircular Economy Month and away
from just waste reduction?
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Yeah, so Waste Reduction Week has been
activated by Circular InnovationCouncil since 2001.
And it started off, as you know, recycling events, a lot of
educational activities, like youjust mentioned, and then it
really transformed since theninto a really big digital
(08:03):
campaign as well still, with allof those great local events and
stuff.
But it's also contributed bigsocial media campaign and it has
just grown really big over thelast few years and waste
reduction events were startingto not just become, you know,
recycling collection drives andthat kind of thing, like they
previously were.
They were starting to.
(08:23):
We were starting to see morerepair cafes, clothing swaps,
conferences that weren't justrelated to recycling and talking
about the bigger picturecircular economy message, and a
lot of these events werehappening throughout the month
anyways.
And we noticed on social mediathat the momentum was building
all month long.
So we're like let's expand it,because people are celebrating
(08:46):
all month anyways, so let's justexpand it.
And we wanted to recognize thatcircular economy doesn't just
include waste reduction andrecycling, like traditionally
Waste Reduction Week always has.
Many of you didn't want to takeaway from Waste Reduction Week,
so we essentially built it intoa bigger campaign to include
both Waste Reduction Week andthe circular economy.
(09:07):
So that's pretty much why wedid that and it's been really
successful so far since welaunched it.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Yeah, and I think again it speaks to this whole
area of circularity is biggerand broader than just waste
reduction.
So to me it makes a lot ofsense and I also am happy that
we don't have to put everythinginto that single week, because
it's a lot to fit into a singleweek at times.
Audrey, can you speak to whatthe themes are of this year's
(09:34):
Circular Economy, Month per week?
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Yeah, definitely.
So we start off with week one,which is an introduction to
circular economy, whichbasically is purely educational,
and it's trying to explain allthe different facets of what a
circular economy means versus,you know, for example, a linear
economy.
Week two is environmentalbenefits of a circular economy,
so exploring how having acircular economy will help the
(10:00):
environment heal.
Week three is about social andeconomic benefits, because
circular economy does help ourwell-being.
And the fourth week continuesas waste reduction week, which
itself has daily themesthroughout the week focused on
different waste streams.
Now, since October has fiveweeks this year, we threw in an
(10:22):
extra theme there at the end forcelebrating your efforts, where
we're going to highlight all ofthe awesome, inspiring things
people like you and ourlisteners have done during the
month to participate.
The reason why these themes havebeen chosen is because the
circular economy is a complexterm and I think it's best
understood through examples ofhow a circular economy can
(10:44):
benefit us and the planet.
So it really generatesmotivation for people to make
changes in their daily lives, atwork and at home.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
So you actually, I think, just answered one of my
questions, which is is itdesigned for businesses or for
individuals?
Speaker 3 (11:00):
or both.
Anyone can participate inCircular Economy Month.
We do specifically also addressbusinesses, organizations,
schools and governments.
Those organizations can getinvolved.
Specifically is declaring theirsupport for a circular economy.
We have lots of educationalresources which I'll get into a
little bit later, and we alsoencourage individuals to
participate as well.
(11:20):
Specifically this year, you cantake a pledge to take action,
which is a new way this year oflearning about actions that are
big and small.
Every action counts, so you canlearn about the impacts of each
of those actions as well.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
So can you give us an example of the pledge?
What specific actions would yoube pledging to?
Speaker 3 (11:39):
Yeah, so there are a few examples.
Carpooling can actually reduceyour emissions by 2.7 kilograms
of carbon per day, so you cancarpool with people at work.
Taking public transit, forexample, instead of a car, helps
you reduce six kilograms ofcarbon emissions per day.
Shopping secondhand orattending a clothing swap are
(12:00):
really great ways to reduce yourimpact as well, because for
every kilogram of secondhandtextiles you receive instead of
buying new saves you about 17kilograms of greenhouse gases.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
That is amazing and I love how it's really looking at
your own life and what you cando and the awareness of it.
Like oftentimes, we don't knowthe impact or the potential
benefit of some of thesecircular practices until we hear
the numbers behind it, likecarpooling or buying secondhand
clothes.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Pledge also has 30 actions that you can choose from
, and it also has the capacityfor you to write in what you're
going to do yourself if one ofthose actions isn't listed.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Cool.
So 30 actions, that's great.
Now, caitlin, let's talk aboutbusinesses.
What are some things thatbusinesses can do as part of
Circular Economy Month?
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Yeah, so, like you just mentioned about the bingo
which is an amazing idea I lovethat no-transcript educate your
(13:20):
team about circular economy, oryour customers, to like.
We've seen that as well likeworkshops and webinars that
people can join that talk aboutcircular economy and how they
can get involved.
Recycling drives are reallypopular, so, like textiles and
electronics, they'll have like amonth long collection drive or
something like that for thecampaign and then share their
(13:42):
impact at the end of it and thenanother fun one like the bingo
you mentioned.
Like contests.
So challenging your team to youknow, bring a waste-free lunch
every day.
Only purchase things that aresecondhand or carpooling to work
every day.
Little challenges that you cando that create some friendly
competition amongst yourcolleagues can really encourage
(14:04):
them to take action.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
What we're doing this year is a little variation on
our bingo card and it's a 10-daycircular challenge where we've
got 10 different actions to takefrom October 21st to November
1st and yes, it's a little bitchallenging this year but I
personally I love thatcelebration aspect because we
need more of it.
(14:26):
One of our actions will be topost to our company kudo page
about a circular win thatemployees have done and I know.
Beyond what we're doinginternally, we're supporting
customers with e-waste drives,as you mentioned, caitlin.
We also have two talks duringthat week.
Also appreciate the fact thatit's not just a single week
(14:48):
anymore because the fact thatit's during the month allowed us
to do.
But we've seen at Quantum,specifically around the employee
engagement, doing these kindsof challenges for our employees.
They love it and I feel like asa company, it helps us to
really create that cultureinternally about what's
(15:10):
important and that sticky factorlike people want to work for us
.
Caitlin, what have you seen aresome of the benefits that
businesses have realized out ofCircular Economy Month and
participating in various ways.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Yeah, like you said, there's two kind of angles to it
.
There's the employee engagementthat really, you know, excites
your employees and encouragethem to take action.
We find that like, sometimesyou know, if you work for a big
company you might not and youwant to be a part of the change,
but you might not be in thisparticular position where you
can create change for thecompany itself.
(15:42):
But there's things that you cando as an individual.
I feel like those employeeengagement actions are really
great for that.
And then, on the other side,it's a great way for businesses
to really showcase to both theiremployees and their customers
their commitment to advancingthe circular economy and
promoting their circularservices to their customers and
(16:05):
beyond.
And it's really a greatopportunity and I guess a touch
point for announcements andsharing your impact.
So if you have like annualrecycling impact stats or you're
launching a environmentalsustainability report, it's a
really great time to do that.
Or you're, you know, announcinga new corporate commitment,
(16:25):
it's a really great time toalign, to align those that
messaging with it.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
You're absolutely right and we do have an
announcement planned for thatlast week, October.
All right let's move into ourhow to section, where I ask you
how to questions.
Audrey, I'm going to start withyou.
I feel like we are all so busyand we want to make an impact.
So how to prioritize ouractions, like, are there certain
(16:53):
actions to take which have abigger impact than others?
Yeah, certainly.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
I understand it.
We're all so busy and it canfeel overwhelming sometimes when
we have such a daunting it canfeel daunting task.
So what I would say is focus ontransportation, the reason being
the National Greenhouse GasInventory that was released in
2024 determined thattransportation and economic
sectors was actually the secondhighest emitter out of all of
(17:20):
the categories, being second tooil and gas.
So for that reason, I wouldsuggest carpooling with
co-workers or trying to advocatefor increased work from home,
because then you don't have tocommute at all and that reduces
those emissions there.
Reducing your consumption whereyou can is free, so that means
don't buy things if you don'thave to, or just try to be more
(17:42):
mindful of how you're spendingyour money, making sure to use
your office supplies to theirfullest life before you have to
replace them or order more andlastly, this is entirely free.
Talking to your colleagues,friends, family, talking to them
about the circular economy andsustainability and the reason
being behavior shift is anincreasing awareness is one of
(18:05):
the most important things thatyou can do, because the more
people who participate, thebetter resiliency our society
has in the future of climatechange 100% and, on that note,
share this podcast.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
Caitlin, what about you for businesses, you know
perhaps, are finding out aboutthis sort of last minute.
What would you suggest to do ifthey're short on time?
How can they get involved?
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Yeah, so we have a new this year.
We just expanded this ourpromotional resources for the
campaign.
We have on our website there'spromotional kits and there's
different pre-made social mediaassets that you can download.
So there's some that we'vetailored more for individuals,
there's some general ones,there's some that we promote,
(18:51):
that we suggest businesses use,and then there's some for
governments and schools as well.
Businesses use, and thenthere's some for governments and
schools as well.
So we encourage you.
I mean, if you don't have timeto create your own social media
materials, you're welcome todownload what we have on the
website.
We also have like samplecaptions and stuff you can put
on your social media posts, soyou really don't have to do much
(19:12):
.
You just have to download themand copy paste.
And then, of course, likebuilding off of the employee
engagement piece, like there's alot of quick things you could
do, like it doesn't have to be aformal webinar thing.
It can be just maybe gettingtogether some employees and
educating them and doing or evendoing like a community cleanup
(19:33):
one day at lunch or something,or everyone promoting everyone
to bring reusable containers forlunch, or something, or
everyone promoting everyone tobring reusable containers for
lunch, or something like thatJust little things, like little
actions that you can dothroughout the month, even if
you don't have a lot of time toplan.
And it doesn't need to be anofficial event.
It can be kind of more informalif you don't have a lot of time
to plan it.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
Yeah, one of our actions on our 10 day challenge
is a litterless lunch, and it'ssomething that my daughter was
challenged in her Montessorischool early on, like don't
bring packaging to school, inthis case, don't bring packaging
to work.
So I think that's a reallygreat sort of easier one to
implement, audrey.
(20:11):
Last one how to accessresources as an individual.
What's available to us?
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Yeah, so there are, as Caitlin said, promotional
kits that are available on theCircular Economy Month site, so
you can join in the conversationonline and use the hashtag
Circular Economy Month.
We'll be able to see anythingthat you share.
You can also talk to yourco-workers, as I said, your
supervisors, friends and familyand lead by example, so, for
(20:38):
example, you could start acircular economy committee at
work and use your voice and votewith your dollar to drive
change.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
I love that we have a company green team, but you
could do it as a circulareconomy team at work.
Thank you so much for sharingwhat you're doing and really
leading the charge on this.
If there was one piece ofadvice that you would leave
individuals or businesses witharound this whole circular
(21:05):
economy month, Caitlin, I'llstart with you.
What would that one piece ofadvice be?
Speaker 1 (21:10):
Celebrate your efforts and your achievements.
I mean, I feel like we don'treally do that enough.
I feel like we sometimes thinkwe have to do either
sustainability really well ornot do it at all.
But really to make change youhave to do.
Even small changes are betterthan nothing.
It's so easy with all the doomand gloom news out there.
It's so easy to feel likedefeated and feel like you're
(21:32):
not doing enough.
But it's really important torecognize what you're doing and
how you're really making animpact.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
And Audrey, what would your piece of advice?
Speaker 3 (21:40):
be.
Mine would be that it's nevertoo late to take your first step
towards a better future for all, big or small, it all makes a
difference.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
So it's never too late and celebrate, whatever you
do.
Thank you both.
Thank you both, as I mentioned,for being here, but also for
really facilitating this wholemonth for us and giving so many
resources to help us, on both anindividual level and a business
level, to really implementcircularity in our lives and in
(22:10):
our businesses.
So thank you.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Thank you and remember, if you are looking for
a circular partner to help youreuse and recycle your
electronics, we'd love to chatHead on over to
quantumlifecyclecom and contactus.
This is a Quantum Lifecyclepodcast and the producer is
Sanjay Trivedi.
Thank you for being a CircularFuture Champion in your company
and beyond.
(22:33):
Logging off.
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