And this idea of learning to cherish what we already have — and the resources and materials present in these items — could be the change in mindset we all need to adopt if we want to make the circular economy truly possible. As we hopefully start hearing more and more about the circular economy in the near future, people can help to bring it into the mainstream by learning as much as we can about what it is and why it’s so important. By educating ourselves about circular design and how it works, we’ll be able to recognise which products are genuinely designed for circularity, and which ones are merely imposters!

Basically, we’ve designed these bottles in a way that repurposes existing waste into a valuable and useful product, and minimises the creation of new waste after the product has served its purpose. Because waste is only waste if you can’t find a way to use it, right? It's good to find a bottle that's easy to drink from while on the go and there are a variety of different caps on offer – some with fast-flowing valves and some with self-sealing ones that you don't have to wrestle open with your teeth. However, not everyone drinks while they ride, with some people preferring to stop and sip. Depending on your personal preference, choose a bottle that will suit your needs and match your style. What size water bottle should I get for cycling? That remains to be seen. But if we can manage to find it, it probably won’t be too long before our reusable bottle made from bottles, is no more circular than all the other products on the shelf.India: Chennai– Applying the WICER Principles: Increasing resiliency and recovering Water and Energy from Wastewater And one way to absolutely guarantee that brands start taking the circular economy seriously as soon as possible, is for all us regular earthlings to start voting with our wallets, and demanding circular products. Unfortunately, this may not be quite as simple as choosing to buy a reusable water bottle over a disposable one. It’s going to mean making a few significant changes to our lives: Applying the framework provides not only environmental benefits, but also social, economic, and financial ones. Examples provided in the report show that investments in circular and resilient systems yield economic and financial payoffs and can help utilities attract private sector financing. The report provides examples such as: water utilities that have re-evaluated the full potential of their existing infrastructure - resulting in huge savings in delayed capital investments; water utilities that have implemented energy efficiency and non-revenue water programs, recovering the investments in less than three years while saving water and energy and increasing the amount of people with access to services; water utilities producing renewable energy and reaching energy neutrality; water utilities recovering resources from wastewater andcreating a new revenue stream by selling energy, water, and fertilizers to cover operating costs; municipalities that have partnered with the private sector to restore watersheds and provide sanitation services; etc.. Although these results are based on research published four years ago, unfortunately these barriers still remain, and it seems that companies, governments, us, you, we, our aunties, best mates, uncles, cousins, random folks we meet down the pub, and even our grannies can all play a part in overcoming them! As with most of the experts interviewed here agreeing that technological barriers are not the main barriers, it seems this might largely be a matter of the good old people of earth finding the right mindset.

As cities grow, so do urban water challenges. It is estimated that the urban population worldwide will nearly double by 2050 - an increase that has serious implications for water demand in cities. The rise of urban water use will also lead to more wastewater and water pollution. Climate change further exacerbates these challenges.Generous Capacity: With a 600ml (20.3 oz) capacity, this water bottle provides ample hydration for your daily adventures, workouts, or office hours. Stay refreshed throughout the day with ease. To be honest, we’ve never thought single-use products in general have ever been such a good idea in most cases. Especially when they’re made from a material like plastic, which often takes hundreds of years to decompose. One single-use for hundreds of years of environmental abuse? Not on our watch, thank you very much! Portugal– Implementing circular economy and resilience principles in the long-term strategy of urban utilities With many established companies also having a ‘risk-averse’ attitude when it comes to innovation and company evolution, it’s easy to see why embracing the circular economy might not be at the top of their to-do list. (Especially if they barely even know what the circular economy really is!)

The current water crisis is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Water challenges are particularly salient in urban areas, where, for the first time in history, more than half the global population lives. It is estimated that the urban population worldwide will nearly double by 2050⁠— an increase that has serious implications for urban water demand. Presently at 15–20 percent of global water consumption, urban demand is set to rise to 30 percent. Increasing urban water use will also lead to more wastewater and water pollution. Climate change further exacerbates pre-existing water stresses and is already having a measurable effect on the urban water cycle⁠— altering the amount, distribution, timing, and quality of available water. Urban water supply and sanitation services, which are often provided by public entities, will bear the brunt of these challenges, on top of the performance issues observed in many public sector entities. The first step towards making any company more ‘culturally-circular’ must surely be to educate everybody associated with the company about the circular economy, and why it’s so important. This research, conducted in 2017, involved a survey of 153 businesses and 53 government officials across the EU and the UK, with 82% of respondents working on the circular economy in their daily jobs. 47 expert interviews were also conducted with circular economy thought leaders from business, governments, academia and NGOs in addition to the survey. You would imagine these good folks know what they’re talking about!)

The Circular Economy, What’s That Then?

Right now, the majority of our economy is made up of materials moving in straight lines. Straight lines of environmental destruction!