Colin Webster
Activity
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Natural Capitalism is a 1999 book by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins and Hunter Lovins. In essence, it maps out an approach for business to work in harmony with the environment, rather than destroy it. This book, alongside other movements like Cradle to Cradle, Biomimicry, Performance Economy,and Industrial Ecology, were vital in helping shape how the Ellen...
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Colin Webster replied to Andy Nelson
nice response! If you wanted to go a step further, you could add something about policy and regulation being in alignment with all of these goals
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ah but saying you agree with both is cheating ;)
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Colin Webster replied to Geoff C
yes, I agree that reading the comments of others adds to the whole experience :)
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yes good point - just because something comes from a recycled material does not make it circular. It could just be a one-time repurposing...
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Colin Webster replied to FRANCA CUCINELLA
we're glad you're enjoying it :)
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in your hypothetical example, I think the startup would be encouraged to design the device in a circular way if (a) the legislation supported that action (eg stricter rules against creating ewaste), and/or (b) there was an economic benefit further down the line from the circular design (eg they could repurpose or sell the component parts)
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Colin Webster replied to Dave Mansell
Thanks for pointing this out Dave. I've now fixed the links :)
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Colin Webster replied to Paul Kamill
Worm farms are great things! While they don't get their own space on the butterfly diagram, I think they live alongside composting
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Colin Webster replied to Andrew D
Well, we choose to engage with the current system to drive change quickly. This means building strong relationships with decision-makers from business, government and academia, designers, innovators, NGOs and others. We believe businesses play a crucial role in shifting the system. We recognise that currently many businesses are part of the problem, but given...
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Colin Webster replied to Judy O
It's great to have you here :)
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Colin Webster replied to Lee Scott
Sounds like a win for the Utilitarians! I'm Scottish so genetically cannot comprehend cricket.
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we should have called it the messy and squiggly economy?
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Colin Webster replied to Neil Abercrombie
maybe I shouldn't have written 'the aim is to win' but to have fun! I played football in a local park yesterday and it didn't matter who won. We participated for pleasure...but the key is we all understood the rules, and if we had decided not to use the offside rule then we would have played the game differently.
Otherwise I fully agree! Policy and...
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Colin Webster replied to Neil Abercrombie
These are important points. On the matter of movies, haven't we already - with our Netflix contracts - moved away from ownership to access?
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Colin Webster replied to Andrew D
Come on Andrew, you have surely seen key differences between the linear and circular economy!
I think the case study on washing machines, and the section on deriving value, showed where there can be economic benefits. Sure, it didn't expand the point to the whole population, but I think that's more of a political decision than a linear/circular one. -
Colin Webster replied to Charles Belveal
I'm not so sure education is the silver bullet. I believe it's important (it's my job after all!) but 45 years after the world first saw the recycling logo and yet less than 20% of plastic packaging is recycled. And that's only plastic we're talking about - it's much simpler to deal with that, post use, than, say, carpets or fridges.
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I love 99PI! I think I listened to the one on peat...and some of the details have stayed with me. In particular that we destroyed peat bogs because planting trees was the big deal at the time. Classic lack of understanding and lack of systems thinking
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I imagine you enjoyed, in particular, what Abby had to say in the podcast :)
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I guess another concern is what should those people who cannot get credit do?
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Interesting example. I hope they make it to market
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@ClaireL they certainly did in that case! But I don't think there is enough of a parallel: covid immediately threatened lives and governments cracked down on behaviours with some stringent new laws. I think climate change will always seem like a distant problem rather than one we can avoid by each doing something differently.
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Colin Webster replied to Christine W
great idea - make the companies responsible for their products' final resting places!
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Colin Webster replied to Joanne Dow
I like the idea of using it as a shared asset. I wonder how practical that is if you don't live in an apartment block..?
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Colin Webster replied to KARIM ABDULKARIM
yes, this is definitely a concern. You might find this article of interest: https://medium.com/circulatenews/we-need-to-talk-about-renewables-part-1-ae1d28b8e852
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I agree with thee comments and would like to add this - the business case for future use needs to be calculated and must stack up, or we'll always only be thinking about sell-it-and-forget business models
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nicely put
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Yes, I agree! There are many ways we can benefit from this approach, which the article above hints at without being explicit - a regenerated biosphere, better environmental outcomes. The question at the end on economic value is to set you up for the next step ;)
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yes, definitely!
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However, the energy savings when you repair/resell/remanufacture a product are significant. Compared to creating something from virgin materials, of course. We need to keep technical cycle items in use so their embedded energy is utilised
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yes, we cannot 'consume' washing machines, so why call ourselves consumers in that moment? I believe there is a problem with clothing mixing different fibres. They might sound good on the packet but no consideration is given to 'what's next?'
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yes, I agree Joanne - I don't think a mass audience needs to be convinced (or maybe they couldn't be convinced) to do things differently from a moral or environmental standpoint, but if we put better options in front of them in terms of convenience, price and quality, then we could see a large shift
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Colin Webster replied to Joanne Dow
I wonder if convenience, performance and price trumps the notion of ownership. There are good examples of the shift away from ownership, such as in CDs ---> Spotify
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Colin Webster replied to Thu Ly
you cannot, sorry. But it's on youtube :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYGxl0cVf0M
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Colin Webster replied to Ana Belén Omedas
So happy to hear this :)
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yes, I agree that established firms are likely to take small steps towards circularity, making use of the emerging system conditions. we tend to see that new firms, on the other hand, can be designed for circularity from the outset. Perhaps there is less 'linear lock-in' to overcome for them
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This is a great example of how a change of policy can drive the behaviours you want to see.
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nicely put Kate
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Thanks :) There are lots of great insect-based initiatives around the world these days!
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Colin Webster replied to Stefania Peca
It's great to have you all here :)
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Colin Webster replied to Michelle Paull
I'm delighted to hear this :)
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Hemp and mushrooms are answers we often see for good material solutions :)
Interesting point about Burger King. I'm sure they won't be immune from criticism, but doing something that's noticeably different for their mass market customer base can only be a good thing when it comes to changing perceptions. -
ok, it's just a metaphor and they are never perfect ;)
You raise a really good point about context...what works in Andes may not work in the Amazon -
Colin Webster replied to Charles Belveal
I'm glad you enjoyed it :)
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@MohammedEnghaIsah yeah, I prefer the language of eliminated to minimised :)
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@TonyaLehtinen you might be interested in this case study from Brazil: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-examples/connect-the-dots
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Colin Webster replied to Keya Mukherjee
Thanks for joining us! Week 2 looks closely at factors for design, so I hope you find some answers there :)
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Colin Webster replied to Andrew D
@AndrewD I think you're right to be concerned about the money system, Andrew. It's not within the scope of this course but certainly, as far as I'm concerned, something that needs to shift.
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@CharlesBelveal I agree with you Charles that the infrastructure is made for a linear economy. and this makes sense, because it's how our materials economy has operated for more than a century. Policies. too, are in place to support linear practices. But none of this is 'natural' - we have designed the system this way and can redesign it to be circular. As we...
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Colin Webster replied to Peter Ma
Thoughtful points, thanks Peter. I agree with you - and I think the video agrees with you (!) - over the two points you raised. The reference to businesses is there because it's undeniable that many are seeing the circular economy as an opportunity on a few fronts, including for their bottom line. There is a recognition that take-make-waste cannot last forever...
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Colin Webster replied to Philip H
yeah, this is a problem that needs to be cracked. In a circular way, obviously :)
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I like these subtle changes of language because I think they can definitely help with the mindset shift we need
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Colin Webster replied to Joanne Dow
yes, definitely! Upstream, not downstream, thinking
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If I've understood you correctly, I will have to disagree! The designer in a circular economy should start with the 'what's next' in mind. The redesign of the product - and the system it sits within - is done in order to make that end product useful when the time comes.
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There are definitely signs that the economic benefits of the circular economy are of great interest to companies of all sizes.
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A nice quote!
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this made me chuckle :)
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Colin Webster replied to Elzbieta Rynska
nicely put
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Colin Webster replied to Maria Cristina Ballarin
Thanks for joining Maria!
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Colin Webster replied to Pablo Alonso
But if we all do less 'bad stuff' (and we have a growing population...) then how do we solve the problems?
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Colin Webster replied to Thu Ly
Thanks for joining!
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Colin Webster replied to Andrew McGlen
Brilliant. Great to have you here :)
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Colin Webster replied to Anastasia G.S.
Good points! I was hoping people would focus on the cup to be honest :D
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Colin Webster replied to Thu Ly
Nicely put. If I could add, to steer us away from a waste focus, that forests provide vital ecosystem services, are centres of innovation, are resilient, and are crucial for systems such as the carbon and hydrological cycle. If our cities could be as generous as a forest...
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good points about cost. Over time policy should help make a more level playing field for 'circular' products. And often 'green' products are merely a bit better than their alternatives. What's needed is greater consideration of 'what's next' rather than, say, switching or reducing certain materials for marketing purposes.
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Colin Webster replied to Peter Ma
Hi Peter. It's not just about dealing with waste, of course: it's about creating innovation opportunities, creating carbon sinks, growing healthy food, eliminating unhealthy materials...and more!
Good question about '12 years'. The term circular economy is older than 12 years but it really wasn't on anyone's agenda until about then. If you do a Google...
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Colin Webster replied to Michelle Paull
absolutely. It's a big ask, but not impossible, I hope!
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Colin Webster replied to Lisa Zhang
I'm glad you enjoyed it :)
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I think the key here is to use the forest and natural systems as a metaphor, to draw inspiration from the key features, and be mindful of points like those you have raised.
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Colin Webster replied to Christine W
nice answer! The economy is a complex, adaptive system - like a forest - that we can certainly *influence*...but do we have 'control' over something so complex? Perhaps it's that understanding that we influence rather than control that matters most..?
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Colin Webster replied to Tonya Lehtinen
As a colleague is fond of saying, "the healthiest trees live in the heathiest forests"
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Colin Webster replied to Joanne Dow
nice response :)
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Colin Webster replied to Orli W
yes! I think the mindset shift is crucial and needs to happen early in one's life
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Colin Webster replied to Philip H
I agree :)
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Colin Webster replied to KARIM ABDULKARIM
nice reply :)
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Colin Webster replied to Charles Belveal
Wow, I didn't know about the car setup in Singapore! It's a great example of how policy can affect behaviour. More of that in week three...
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Colin Webster replied to Ishita Devgan
I hope you find some good answers here :)
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Colin Webster replied to Anke Sommermeyer
Fantastic! Thanks for joining :)
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Colin Webster replied to Raoul Luijten
thanks for joining the course, and good luck in developing those tools :)
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Perfect. A simple process if a nation has the infrastructure in place :)
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I once heard of an orange peel initiative where one of the byproducts was an oil. They called themselves OPEC: Orange Peel Extraction Company :D
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Colin Webster replied to Andrew D
Hopefully you will find the answer in this course :)
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Colin Webster replied to Luciana Branchini
Nice to meet you!
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Colin Webster replied to Lee Scott
Plastic is definitely a really useful material. The key, surely, is how to design a system that keeps it being useful, rather than puts it in the ocean. We have a plan for that! https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/plastics/overview
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Colin Webster replied to Celina Beck
Thanks for joining :)
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Colin Webster replied to Celina Beck
It's great to have you here!
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what do you like about this statement, Gaia?
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is it minimised or...?