Circular Economy Switzerland (CES) promotes the circular economy in Switzerland at all levels. The movement is the driving force behind the efforts to create a market for circular economy products and services and to raise awareness of the concept of the circular economy in the business world and among the general public. Circular Economy Switzerland brings together enthusiastic proponents of the circular economy from the private sector, civil society, scientific community, politics and administration and promotes cooperation and knowledge sharing across all industries and fields.
Even though a lot has happened in the Swiss waste and resource management sector in recent years, there is still a great deal of untapped potential on the way to a more circular economy. In the cases of textile fibres, building materials, plastics (synthetic substance) and biogenic waste for example, a higher proportion of the material could be kept in the cycle. A Swiss technology, FluidSolids®, is addressing this issue by producing biodegradable composite materials (FluidSolids® Biocomposites) from biological waste and residual materials. This enables a radical implementation of the circular economy and does not compete with food crops. FluidSolids® biocomposites feature outstanding mechanical properties, massively reduce the overall environmental impact and enable CO2 savings of up to 80%. The idea of circularity is integrated in the whole business model, successfully linking sustainability with economic feasibility: A solution that is just as convincing ecologically as it is economically. Consumers also play an important role in a functioning circular economy in Switzerland. They can contribute to the change by consuming sustainably, by using products as long as possible and by ensuring that products are increasingly shared, reused, repaired and recycled. With a focus on the consumption, REWORK, a Swiss company upcycling second-hand clothes, is based on the belief that the world doesn’t need another fashion brand. Instead, it needs a better alternative. REWORK collections are produced from handpicked second-hand garments, which are re-cut and re-sewed into a new product. „Waste is just a resource in the wrong place.“
The Circular Economy Switzerland movement presented in the film is part of a wider effort of MAVA’s Outcome Action Plan ‘Advancing a Circular Economy in Switzerland’, which aims to share circular economy success stories, to show the opportunities for new business models and to build a market for circular economy products.