This collection is being created to regroup all case studies related to the packaging industry (CAT purpose)

large_agenlaku-indonesia-SRFOOdORhKw-unsplash.jpg

medium_agenlaku-indonesia-SRFOOdORhKw-unsplash.jpg

small_agenlaku-indonesia-SRFOOdORhKw-unsplash.jpg

thumbnail_agenlaku-indonesia-SRFOOdORhKw-unsplash.jpg

agenlaku-indonesia-SRFOOdORhKw-unsplash.jpg

Packaging collection

Business case

Impact on the availability of resources as well as their effect on living organisms, ecosystems, and components of the environment.

Ecological Impact

Impacts on the financial condition of a company, as well as the the economicconditions of its stakeholders and on economic systems at local, national, andglobal levels.

Economic Impact

Impact on the ease of innovation, and facilitating uptake of innovations

Innovation

Scalability

Reduced use of virgin materials and/or an increase of the use of secondary and bio-based materials

Reduce Material Consumption (SDG12)

Minimise waste through diversion: Instead of sending waste to landfill, it is redirected into other industrial processes for handling, treatment, recycling, recovery, or reuse in various forms. 

Minimise waste through design: At the outset of a process of project, plan and design such that there is zero waste or minimal waste during production, use, and at end of life. 

Minimise Waste (SDG12)

Extracting resources and processing them to produce materials for use bysociety

Materials and Fuels

Producing basic and specialty chemicals, inks, agricultural chemical such as fertilisers and pesticides, plastics including packaging, and rubber

Chemical and Plastic

Ensure renewable, reusable, non-toxic resources are utilised as materials and energy in an efficient way

Prioritise regenerative resources

Utilise waste streams as a source of secondary resources and recover waste for reuse and recycling

Use waste as a resource

Account for the systems perspective during the design process, to use the right materials, to design for appropriate lifetime and to design for extended future use

Design for the future

Using bio-based materials such as bioplastics, mushroom-based materials, etc.

Alternative bio-based materials and inputs

Using <a href="https://echa.europa.eu/information-on-chemicals" target="_blank">materials that are not toxic or hazardous</a>.

Non-toxic materials and inputs

Designing products so they produce as little waste as possible during production

Design for minimal waste

'Inform' increases the overall levels of awareness and builds the necessary skills and knowledge around the circular economy to foster long-term change.

Inform

Regenerate strategies phase out hazardous or toxic materials and processes and substitute them with regenerative biomass resources. A circular economy aims to mimic natural cycles—by shifting to more regenerative farming practices, for example—while also maximising the share of circular biomass that enters the economy. Regeneration can happen both at the systems level (by designing regenerative processes) as well as at the product level (by switching synthetic to organic fertilisers, for example).

Regenerate

Cycle strategies aim to cycle and reuse materials at their highest value: they maximise the volume of secondary materials re-entering the economy, ultimately minimising the need for virgin material inputs and therefore also narrowing flows. Of course, virgin materials will always be needed to a degree: all materials degrade and can’t be cycled infinitely, use energy, and require blending with virgin materials to maintain strength and functionality.

Cycle

Impacts

small_climate-4803653_640.jpg

thumbnail_climate-4803653_640.jpg

climate-4803653_640.jpg

Industries

small_coast-wind-turbine-sea-sky.jpg

thumbnail_coast-wind-turbine-sea-sky.jpg

coast-wind-turbine-sea-sky.jpg

A framework of policy instruments that enabled and encourage the transition to the circular economy

Policy Instruments

medium_image-20160922-22514-1aqaw5j.jpg

small_image-20160922-22514-1aqaw5j.jpg

thumbnail_image-20160922-22514-1aqaw5j.jpg

image-20160922-22514-1aqaw5j.jpg

A framework of policy instruments that enable and stimulate the transition to the circular economy

The principles of a circular economy concern designing out waste, regenerating ecosystems and keeping items in use. Decoupling the economy from material flows—improving the rate of resource productivity faster than the economic growth rate—is also a consistent guide. By evolving with the growing number of applications of circular economy principles, and consolidating these strategies across thematic areas, Circle Economy’s Key Elements Framework (KE) renders the elements of the circular economy salient and serves as a basis to derive contextual strategies and interventions. 


The Framework consists of:
- Core Elements: Activities directly handling product or material flows; and uniquely,
- Enabling Elements: those that remove obstacles for core actors.


Key elements of the circular economy

large_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

medium_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

small_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

thumbnail_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

Circle Economy's framework of strategies and activities that define the circular economy

![Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png](https://goldilocks-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Screen_Shot_2024_10_21_at_16_53_12_12858da6aa.png)

Based on the work of [Bocken et al. (2016)](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309699661_Product_design_and_business_model_strategies_for_a_circular_economy), the Four Flows Framework serves as a simple framework for managing resource flows in a circular economy by using less (Narrow), using for longer (Slow), using again (Cycle), and using clean, regenerative materials and energy (Regenerate).

These different principles of circular economy can be applied to our socioeconomic metabolism: we can design stocks like buildings, infrastructure, machinery, and vehicles to be rich resource mines for the future, and design manufactured goods and consumables to be cycled and made regenerative. Furthermore, the focus must also centre on getting more value out of fewer materials. Achieving the aims of a circular economy—minimising material use, regenerating the Earth, and preventing material losses—can be done through these four key strategies mentioned above.

Source: Circle Economy. (2023). *[The circularity gap report 2023](https://www.circularity-gap.world/2023)* (p.22). Amsterdam: Circle Economy. 

Four Flows Framework

medium_Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png

small_Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png

thumbnail_Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png

Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png

   open this image in new window:  



    This article was published on 20 December 2019  Insulation from clothing off-cuts, mushroom-derived construction material, a robotic farming system, an AI-powered recycling bin and a game turning locals into citizen scientists, are among ten finalists announced today for New Zealand’s official environmental innovation competition.  The C-Prize challenge run by Callaghan Innovation, New Zealand’s innovation agency, is about finding and creating thriving businesses out of new technologies that tackle complex global problems with creativity and inventiveness. The three key focus areas were: cleaning up our waterways, reducing or reversing human impacts on climate and smarter use of finite resources. “New Zealand has potential to lead the world in eco innovation, and benefit from businesses solving tough environmental challenges. We have the passion and serious technical expertise. But we struggle to get our ideas out of the lab or garage, and turn them into commercial realities,” says Vic Crone, Callaghan Innovation’s CEO. “We set a big, bold challenge with C-Prize this year - one that could be the most important challenge of our time. We asked people from across the country to put forward innovative tech solutions with the power to improve environmental outcomes on a global scale.” The finalists announced today, from Christchurch to Auckland, will receive $10,000 to support their project alongside valuable business mentoring over the next six months. A grand prize winner will be announced in June, receiving $100,000 cash plus Callaghan Innovation services, support and connections to help the winner progress their concept through to commercialisation. Callaghan Innovation's Richard Quin, who is managing the C-Prize competition, says the experienced judging panel had an incredibly tough job of selecting just 10 finalists from 140 diverse entries across the country.  “We wanted to see plans that applied technology in new ways and showed bold and original thinking. Our 10 finalists were especially promising with their research and plans to address significant environmental threats,” says Mr Quin. “It’s not about winning a prize, it’s about creating strong business foundations to catapult their ideas into local and then global markets. So they have a huge journey ahead of them.”  The 10 finalist teams will take part in a series of intense commercialisation bootcamps starting in February 2020, to give them mentoring and practical R&D support as they progress their concepts to prototypes. The overall C-Prize winner will be named in June 2020. See www.cprize.nz for more information. C-Prize Environmental Innovation Finalists BioFab NZ, Auckland Traditional packaging and building materials use toxic materials, releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide during manufacturing and making up over 30% of global landfill waste. BioFab is creating packaging and building materials out of New Zealand-grown mushroom mycelium and wood chip (with hemp hurd feedstock). The biomaterial can be as light as polystyrene or as rigid and strong as plywood. Compost Made Smart, Auckland Over a third of waste going to landfill is compostable. This organic waste is not only unnecessarily transported and processed using energy but also creates land, air and water pollution including rotting organic matter releasing greenhouse gas (methane). Compost Made Smart makes it easier for people to responsibly dispose of their organic waste with a compost sensing device linked to an App with convenient, simple directions. EcoTex, Christchurch Worldwide only 3% of textile waste is recycled responsibly and 15% of all textile waste comes from textile offcuts produced and discarded during the manufacturing process. Similarly, construction and demolition waste is responsible for approximately 50% of landfill material in New Zealand. EcoTex’s LessCut innovation is looking to create a circular economy in the industry by turning textile off cut waste into warm homes. Its patentable process will repurpose synthetic fibres into insulation materials. Ngā Kaitiaki, South Auckland The new types of complex environmental problems we face require a deeper understanding and a new approach to education. Ngā Kaitiaki see an opportunity for local people to become citizen scientists, restoring local ecosystems and monitoring environmental changes within their community. Their mobile Ahi Kā Rangers game enables users to move through their natural environments and earn rewards for the actions they take in improving their ecosystems. OneBin, Hamilton New Zealand alone sends 2.5 million tonnes of waste to landfill every year but a quarter of this landfill is actually recyclable material. OneBin is a smart waste bin that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and sensor fusion technology to automatically separate all categories of recyclables from waste. It can be easily installed in various locations such as kerbsides, shopping malls, airports, and office spaces. Bluetide Aquaculture, Tauranga Bluetide Aquaculture is farming protein from the sea as an alternative to land farmed protein that is often putting strain on our constrained ecosystem. It aims to both replenish and farm native clam species exclusive to New Zealand shores through aquaculture. The team has developed a special form of farming tailored to the bivalve surf clams, with a farming platform that can be set up both at sea and inland. Radius Robotics, Christchurch Soil, and its critical ability to store carbon, is being depleted faster now than at any other point in history, presenting a significant risk to global food security and compounding the threat of climate change. Many tools and processes that growers use are expensive and often damaging, accelerating soil depletion. Radius Robotics is building a robotic polyculture farming system with machine learning software that will automate most grower tasks. This will eliminate harmful chemical use, regenerate soil, maximise carbon capture and diversify yields. SES, Auckland There is significant potential to reduce our energy use and environmental impact when it comes to heating and cooling spaces. The building sector in particular is responsible for about half of the world’s energy consumption. Smart Energy Storage (SES) is a system that absorbs natural cool or warm energy from the environment, stores it, and releases it when needed. Loop HQ, Auckland Changes in the way we consume energy at home on mass can have a material impact on the environment. Loop HQ is accelerating residential carbon reduction by designing a smart, hardware enabled system at a price-point that will ensure accelerated residential uptake.  Zincovery, Christchurch Zincovery is out to tackle the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of zinc and acid released into landfill and wastewater every year through the steel galvanising process. With its demonstration plant it aims to recycle the industry’s spent acid and zinc for reuse within the galvanizing industry. The aim is to offer the service at a cost less than what these businesses pay to dispose of it. Judges Conrad Lendrum (Callaghan Innovation), Arama Kukutai (Finistere Ventures), Professor Juliet Gerrard (PM’s Chief Science Advisor), Anne Haira (Ministry for the Environment), Sean Molloy (Avertana) and Brett Holland (Creative HQ). 

Auckland

medium_blob

small_blob

thumbnail_blob

blob

Ecovative 

New Zealand startup BioFab attempts at creating a sustainable, non-toxic and locally grown alternative to polystyrene for packaging and construction. They use agricultural waste and mycelium, the root component of a mushroom, to create a biomaterial that is compostable and contributes to the local circular economy.