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This collection is part of Footprints Africa's work to build a comprehensive database of circular economy initiatives in Africa. 

This is a result of the collaboration with the <a href="https://www.acen.africa" target="_blank">African Circular Economy Network (ACEN)</a>, as part of the programme to support the circular economy transition in Africa. Footprints Africa's vision is that businesses can be a force for good at scale. Their mission is to advance sustainable, scalable and inclusive approaches to development of local African economies. Footprints Africa supports SMEs to adopt future-friendly practices, such as those inspired by the circular economy, to address the challenges of growth and create jobs. 

This open-source dataset features well over 500 cases and 200 examples of policies and laws and intent to collect inspiring examples of initiatives from across Africa, in order to inform the global dialogue, which is largely focused on the European and American context. 

To learn more about Africa's initiatives and content to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, visit https://www.footprintsafrica.co/



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Footprints Africa

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Business case

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

Ecological Impact

Contributing to the improvement of biodiversity including species diversity, total number of protected species, and ecosystem health

Biodiversity

Producing agricultural products and processing them into food and beverageproducts for consumption

Agri/Food

Producing and gathering crop and animal products from land and water through farming, hunting, and fishing

Agriculture

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

Prioritise regenerative resources

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

 Develop research, structure knowledge, encourage innovation networks and disseminate findings with integrity


Strengthen and advance knowledge

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

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

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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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           We advance sustainable, scalable and inclusive approaches to development of local African economies. Footprints Africa supports SMEs to adopt future-friendly practices, address the challenges of growth and create jobs, using supply chains as a tool for development. Focussing on 2 sectors, Catering and Commercial Waste Management, we are championing business as a force for good and piloting new business models that exemplify this. We are a Registered UK Charity and exist for public benefit.           Case study report  We are collecting inspiring examples of initiatives from across Africa. The intention is to create an open-source database of best practice that can inspire local initiatives, as well as inform the global dialogue, which is largely focused on the European and American context. In this report, we showcase 23 examples amongst a list of 70. Ultimately, our objective is to collect 500 cases with strong regional representation by the end of 2021. These cases are housed in a collection on Circle Economy’s Knowledge Hub and geo-located on the interactive map below. New cases can be added here. This project is conducted in collaboration with the African Circular Economy Network (ACEN), with support from Shifting Paradigms and GRID-Arendal.            The concepts of circular economy are not complicated.  Putting them into practice is a little more challenging. Each context and group of stakeholders is unique. Here we share educational material that illustrate circular economy concepts through case studies, showing their practical application by wise, resourceful entrepreneurs from across the continent.   These tools are open access, all we ask is that if you use them, you follow the following: This project is conducted in collaboration with GRID-Arendal.         We run 6-month B Corp programmes to support SMEs to improve their Social and Environmental Impact.Each company goes through the B Impact Assessment to measure the impact of their business. They then set their own targets for the change they want to make in the world across Governance, Workers, Customers, Community and Environment. Through a series of expert-led workshops, we guide them to achieve their targets and improve their contribution to sustainable, inclusive development.As part of our value to build local expertise, we work with local partners, training them to go on to support participating SMEs throughout the process.     Watch videos of participants here        A 2020 research paper by Footprints Africa into B Corp certified companies has placed employees at the heart of business success and social impact, showcasing successful examples.      Read the Report         Footprints Africa challenged tertiary undergraduates to undertake a research study that answers the question "What is an ethical wage?" The winning paper was presented by a team from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). They undertook their study in Bantama, a town in the Ashanti region of Ghana.  Their paper suggests that the Living Wage for a working individual in Bantama exceeds the legal mandatory Minimum Wage by 75%.       Read the Report        1. At a Business Level, we support businesses to demonstrate the benefits of future-friendly practices.2. At a System Level, through research, we are designing a roadmap for inclusive, regenerative development.3. At an Operational Level, we are developing a sustainable model for system change.      Create an evidence base to make the right choices easy. To do this we need to understand the barriers, both internal and in the broader ecosystem.Through research and pilots of new business models, we incentivise the private sector to:        Local solutions to local challenges; working with, and developing, local experts.       Get into the trenches and learn by doing, truly listening to those already there.       Continuous improvement, of ourselves, our work and those around us.           Commitment to excellence and taking responsibility       Bring your own flavour and live your values.         Chief Executive Officer"Live your values, always" Joanna has been interested in the role of capital to support economic development since the beginning of her career. She has been obsessed with the power of supply chains to make a difference since spending a year in Tanzania, where she was fortunate to work with the Wood Foundation in the tea value chain. Having worked in the investment industry for 9yrs, she is schooled in critical analysis and scepticism and is passionate about embedding social purpose in everyday activity.  Communication and Learning Coordinator"Live to inspire" Priscilla is enthusiastic about the effectiveness of communication and the role it plays in development. At Footprints she handles communication with stakeholders on the B Corp programme and provides administrative support to Joanna.Aside her role at Footprints, she has interests in media productions and for this co-produces and hosts an online series where she engages with youth entrepreneurs on their journeys as business owners in the Ghanaian local economy.  B Corp Programme Manager“Leave a positive mark in your wake” Alice is keen in supporting entrepreneurs to make an impact in their field by leveraging the right networks and opportunities for business growth. At Footprints she provides leadership in the implementation of the B Corp Programme.Outside Footprints, she is the founder of a company which provides business advisory services to SMEs as well as social interventions to the urban poor through skills development to equip them for employment opportunities.       Deputy B Corp Programme Manager"Be part of the solution" Shiva has always been attracted to companies with a social purpose. He previously worked for the NHS in the UK before moving back to Ghana. At Footprints he enjoys the daily challenge of helping businesses adopt future friendly practices.He also has a passion for mental health and is looking to develop a platform that tackles male mental issues.   Gwen AkoamahLead Delivery Partner“What is right over what is easy”   Research Analyst "The world needs your flavour" Deborah is passionate about the use of research in identifying palpable examples of existing knowledge and divulging in solving current challenges. At Footprints, she does research on global best practices of circular economy and businesses to identify how these can be applied in the local context. She runs an NGO that seeks to empower children and youth in some Ghanaian communities through education.      We are excited to collaborate with any organisation which shares our objectives, particularly to develop local expertise. We're specifically interested in the following areas:Business development “for purpose”, particularly behaviour change and creating cultures of learningCircular economyCatering industry in sub-Saharan AfricaIndustrial Waste Management in sub-Saharan Africa     Get in touch     

Africa

Ghana

Mozambique

Namibia

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Footprints Africa supports SMEs to adopt future-friendly practices, address the challenges of growth and create jobs, using supply chains as a tool for development. 

The vision of the African Circular Economy Network (ACEN) is to build a restorative African economy that generates well-being and prosperity inclusive of all its people through new forms of economic production and consumption which maintain and regenerate its environmental resources.

African Circular Economy Network

Regenerative Resources Co (RRC) transforms degraded landscapes into productive ecosystems.

Regenerative Resources Co

<p>RRC designs and creates land restoration models in areas where natural resources have been seriously depleted. Their approach is driven by the climate, location, and needs of the context. Their projects require a substantial investment of resources and time—sometimes years—to understand the needs and cultural practices of the communities they work with, and their native flora and fauna. Often the people in the community have figured out the best answers to local environmental issues; what they lack are the resources and technical expertise to turn them into a reality. Current RRC projects around the globe include the restoration of mangrove wetlands, dryland agroforestry, seawater agriculture, and aquacultures.</p>