Austin, United States

The Austin Materials Marketplace

The City of Austin’s ambition to reach zero waste by 2040 has generated several initiatives, including the creation of the Austin Materials Marketplace, an online materials exchange platform. Aligning with circular economy principles, the platform’s ambition is to keep materials and products out of landfill and in use, not only reducing waste management expenditure for the city, but also providing the means for local businesses to advertise and bid for surpluses, thereby benefiting from cost savings or creating additional income. The Materials Marketplace is designed to attract users from across different sectors as discarded materials from one company can be valuable input materials for another. Materials advertised and sought on the Materials Marketplace include construction and demolition materials, plastics, organics, and packaging. Since the Materials Marketplace was created, over 400 tonnes of material have been diverted from landfill, and over 950 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions have been saved

Check to see more at:

https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/Austin_-Case-Study_Mar19.pdf

London, United Kingdom

Advance London Circular Economy SME Business Support Programme

To support small and medium-sized enterprises in the transition to a circular economy, London Waste and Recycling Board has created Advance London - a circular economy programme that offers business advisory services and investment guidance to SMEs that meet specific size, turnover and focus criteria. Engagement with the SMEs is tailored to their individual activities, and includes exploring new circular economy markets, revenue streams and business models. By transforming waste challenges into business opportunities, the work of Advance London also contributes to meeting the city’s goal of zero waste to landfill by 2026.

Check to see more at:

https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/London_-Case-Study_Mar19.pdf

New York, United States

The #WearNext Campaign

Each year, New York City landfills around 100,000 tonnes (or 200 million pounds) of clothing — equivalent to more than 440 Statues of Liberty. From production to disposal, the textile industry as a whole is extremely wasteful and polluting. To improve the situation, The #WearNext campaign united local fashion industry players in an effort to encourage all New Yorkers to get involved by donating, repairing, reselling or swapping their old clothes to give them a new life. People were invited to share their stories using the hashtag #WearNext. The campaign connected public authorities, the fashion industry, collectors, recyclers, resellers, media, and social media influencers in New York City to reduce clothing waste.

Check to see more at:

https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/WEARNEXT-CASESTUDY3.pdf

Shenzhen, China

Switching to an Electric Mobility System in the City

In 2017, Shenzhen became the first city in the world to electrify all public buses with a view to cutting emissions, reducing noise pollution and improving air quality. The initiative also helped to further develop electric mobility. There are now over 16,000 electric public buses (e-buses) on the road. Work is also underway to improve battery technologies to encourage their reuse, charging speeds and suitability for a wider range of vehicles. Combustion engine buses used to contribute to 20% of air pollution, but through the transition it is now estimated the city will see an annual reduction of 4.316 million tons of particulate matter. In addition, the average GHG emissions per e-bus kilometre is 40% less than a diesel vehicle.

Check to see more at:

https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/Shenzhen_-Case-Study_Mar19.pdf