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This collection features a selection of inspiring examples of the circular economy, compiled in the context of the Switch to Circular Economy Value Chains programme (SWITCH).

Launched in 2020, SWITCH is a five-year initiative that assists EU multinational companies and their suppliers from developing countries to switch to more circular economy approaches and practices in three selected value chains: [Plastic Packaging](https://knowledge-hub.circle-lab.com/switchtocircular/search?collections=832%3D0&framework_elements__5=111), [Textile & Garments](https://knowledge-hub.circle-lab.com/switchtocircular/search?collections=832%3D0&framework_elements__5=99), and ICT and Electronics.

The overall objective of SWITCH is to support the “transformation towards a circular economy”, and to contribute to sustainable growth, low carbon and climate resilient development, decent jobs creation, and a safer, healthier and pollution-free environment.

SWITCH is co-funded by the European Union and the Government of Finland, and implemented by UNIDO, in collaboration with Chatham House, Circle Economy, and the European Investment Bank.
Learn more at www.switchtocircular.eu

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Switch to Circular Economy Value Chains

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Business case

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)

Reduced use of fossil fuel energy sources and/or increased use of renewable energy

Reduce Energy Consumption

Collecting waste from households and businesses by means of refuse bins, wheeled bins, containers, etc., and providing treatment, incineration, materials recovery and reclamation, and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste

Waste Management

Providing various support services for businesses and governments, such as research, testing, certification and consulting services, cleaning and maintenance services, security and protection services, legal, accounting and bookkeeping services, information management, data processing, and business process outsourcing services

Research & Commercial Services

Producing textile and leather products and processing them into apparel and accessories

Fashion and Textiles

Providing air, water, rail, and land transportation and related services for the distribution of goods, such as air freight, air courier and logistics services, maritime freight, marine courier and logistics services, rail freight, rail courier and logistics services, land freight, land courier and logistics services, including package and mail delivery and customs agents, as well as storage and warehouse facilities

Logistics Services

Providing DIY repair kits or spare part programmes for enabling self-repair

Self-repair, spare part service

Extraction and reuse of parts from end-of-life products for use in new products

Part recovery

Activities to clean, decorate, and restore products back to working condition for original or new purposes

Refurbishment, remanufacturing, renovation

Marketplaces or services that enable the second hand sale of products

Second-hand sale, distribution

Collection programmes that process products and parts for reuse or recycling within other industries

Open loop collection

Transforming waste products, materials for reuse within other industries

Open loop upcycling

Takeback and return of products from customers after end-of-use

Takeback programmes

VISION:
Products and services are designed for multiple use and material value retention, with maximum positive impact.

DETAIL: 
Imagine a time when…products flow via optimal collection and distribution streams into reusable and repairable product platforms. Reuse and access models are dominant, and products are designed for multiple recirculation before biodegrading (if designed to do so), or being broken down into reusable raw materials for production. People only consume what they need. Production and consumption wastes have been fully eliminated and multifunctional, season-less and timeless fashions are the norm, yet still fulfil our human need for expression and creativity without constraint. All business models, organisations, governments and citizens play a role in maintaining a healthy, functioning circular ecosystem.

Products and Services

Impacts

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Industries

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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

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

It is 2050.  Full systems change has taken place. This wouldn’t have been possible without the immediate action and radical steps taken from 2020 onwards. Many targets had to be identified in the early 2020s and achieved by 2030 to ensure that the 2050 goal happened in full. A sense of urgency, turbo stakeholder collaboration, supportive government regulation and clear, data driven targets enabled the mindsets and systems change needed to transform to a fully circular textiles ecosystem.

A circular economics model underpins what we have created. It reflects and supports a living organism made up of makers, users and restorers, interacting across vibrant and interconnected networks. Checks and balances, alongside transparency and accountability, ensure a healthy system. Financial, environmental, and social metrics have the purpose of serving communities and the planet. There is shared ownership of profit and loss – across all three metrics – throughout the value chain.

This is what we’ve achieved over the last 30 years:

WCTD Themes

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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

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        2022 marks 20 years as the sustainable option in the business of fashion for our vintage business, Beyond Retro. From the first store in Cheshire Street opening 2002 - to a global business with 15 stores and e-commerce, entering our 20th year being incredibly proud to have saved over 7 million pieces of vintage clothing from landfill.

Beyond Retro Vintage is the home of vintage mens and womens clothing, vintage sportswear, vintage dresses, vintage sweatshirts, vintage t-shirts and vintage jeans. We hand pick every item of used clothing we find so you can shop sustainably. We have brands from vintage Nike sweatshirts to vintage Levi's jeans, and we stock 60s to 90s clothing, vintage Y2K, plus size vintage and vintage football, NFL, NBA, baseball and basketball. We are the biggest vintage online store for used clothing, preloved and thrift clothing.      Blog posts        Second Hand September is upon us again! When starting to plan your new wardrobe for Autumn Winter, join us in taking the pledge to shop more consci...          This summer has been a hot one already and we still have many more sunshine filled weekends ahead of us and we want to make sure you keep cool &...          On Saturday 2 Jul 2022, the UK’s biggest, most diverse Pride parade takes place, a home for every part of London’s LGBT+ community. Looking for w...      
  

 Rag News: October 2021  A Sustainable Halloween! Halloween is the scariest season of the year, including the amount of waste created by it. October 31st is all about dressing up and partaking in festive and fun Halloween activities! That being said, it also comes with a massive waste once it’s over. A study revealed that more than 2,000 tons … Continue reading Rag News: October 2021 Read More 

Europe

North America

Asia

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BVH Services disrupts fashion’s linear business model by consulting and working with global forward-thinking brands, designers, and textile recyclers to reuse discarded clothing as input to new manufacturing. We are constantly innovating relevant, profitable, and scalable solutions to maximize the value of discarded clothing and textile waste to make fashion circular for global brands.

Founded by Bank & Vogue, one of North America’s largest traders of used goods, and sister company to UK’s vintage institution Beyond Retro, we have thirty years of experience and expansive partnerships within the post-consumer textile and recycling industry.

BVH Services

Beyond Retro is a vintage clothing retailer with shops in the UK and Sweden. The first Beyond Retro store was opened in a disused dairy on Cheshire Street in East London in 2002. Founded by Bank & Vogue, one of North America’s largest traders of used goods, and sister company to BVH services.

Beyond Retro

Starteed in the early 90's, the purpose of our business is to develop Innovative and Relevant Solutions for the Crisis of Stuff.

Bank & Vogue

<p>BVH offers circular services for the fashion industry through the resale, remanufacturing and recycling of textiles. It embraces the European vintage chain Beyond Retro (sister) and Bank and Vogue (parent), one of the world's largest wholesale dealers in used goods. In addition to their circular services, they offer custom toolkits for remanufacturing with post-consumer waste.</p>