Circular Economy Club

Circular Economy Club
Name	Circular Economy Club
Type	Nonprofit network
Founded	2010
Founder	Walter R. Stahel
Headquarters	London
Area served	Global
Focus	Circular economy advocacy, networking, education

Circular Economy Club

Circular Economy Club is an international network that connects professionals, researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and institutions committed to advancing circular approaches to resource use. The organisation links practitioners across sectors to implement reuse, remanufacturing, recycling, and product-as-service models through events, research, and local chapters. It collaborates with universities, think tanks, corporations, and multilateral bodies to scale circular innovations and influence policy.

History

Circular Economy Club was established in 2010 amid growing interest sparked by pioneers such as Walter R. Stahel, advocates like William McDonough, and initiatives from organisations including Ellen MacArthur Foundation, European Commission, United Nations Environment Programme, World Economic Forum, and OECD. Early activities intersected with projects by Club of Rome, Greenpeace International, Friends of the Earth, and academic centres such as Imperial College London, University of Cambridge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Loughborough University. The network expanded during policy milestones including the European Green Deal, the adoption of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and regulations influenced by the Waste Framework Directive and the Circular Economy Action Plan. Over time the club engaged with corporate programmes at Unilever, IKEA, Philips, Patagonia (company), H&M, and Siemens to pilot circular pilots and scale demonstrations.

Structure and Membership

The organisation operates as a decentralised membership network linking professionals, students, academics, and municipal actors from cities such as London, New York City, Paris, Berlin, Shanghai, São Paulo, Tokyo, Cape Town, and Melbourne. Leadership includes volunteer chapter coordinators, an international steering body, and advisory contributors drawn from institutions like Ellen MacArthur Foundation, World Resources Institute, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Smithsonian Institution, and Chatham House. Members include practitioners from firms such as Accenture, McKinsey & Company, EY, PwC, Deloitte, and KPMG as well as startups affiliated with accelerators like Techstars and Y Combinator. The membership model parallels networks such as Ashoka and B Corps while interfacing with certification bodies like ISO and regulatory agencies including European Environment Agency.

Activities and Programs

The club organises meetups, conferences, workshops, and research projects in collaboration with universities like University College London, TU Delft, Aalto University, National University of Singapore, and Tsinghua University. Programming includes hackathons, design sprints, and pilot series co-developed with corporations such as Nike, Cisco Systems, Toyota, and General Electric. The network curates case studies drawn from initiatives at Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s CE100, reports by McKinsey Global Institute, and partner research from Chatham House and World Bank. Educational offerings collaborate with platforms like Coursera, edX, FutureLearn, and training partners such as Royal College of Art. The club has convened sessions at events including COP21, COP26, World Circular Economy Forum, Davos, and regional summits hosted by ICLEI and C40 Cities.

Regional and Local Chapters

Local chapters operate in metropolitan hubs and secondary cities, forming networks across continents in partnership with municipal programmes such as London Waste and Recycling Board, New York City Department of Sanitation, Greater Paris Metropolis, and City of Stockholm. Regional chapters coordinate with academic clusters at University of Cape Town, University of São Paulo, Peking University, University of Melbourne, University of Toronto, and Columbia University. Local initiatives frequently engage civic partners like EIT Climate-KIC, European Investment Bank, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and foundations including Rockefeller Foundation and Ford Foundation to pilot circular procurement, reuse hubs, and repair cafés inspired by practices in cities such as Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Oslo, and Seoul.

Impact and Recognition

The network’s influence is reflected in collaborations that informed policy papers at European Commission directorates and contributions to frameworks from United Nations Environment Assembly. Projects involving club members have been cited in reports by World Economic Forum, McKinsey & Company, Accenture Strategy, and Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Recognition includes invitations to speak at venues such as Royal Society, United Nations Headquarters, European Parliament, and awards linked to programmes from Ashden Awards, Circulars Accelerator, and sustainability prizes administered by The Prince of Wales's Charities. Impact indicators derive from case studies with partners like Philips', IKEA', and municipal pilots in Paris and London demonstrating material savings, job creation, and waste diversion.

Partnerships and Funding

Partnerships span multilateral agencies, academic institutions, private sector firms, and philanthropic foundations including European Commission, United Nations Development Programme, World Bank Group, EIT, Rockefeller Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Schneider Electric, Cisco Global, and Siemens Stiftung. Funding models combine membership fees, event sponsorships, grants from entities such as Horizon 2020, philanthropic awards from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and project contracts with corporations like Unilever and IKEA Group. Collaborative research and pilot financing have been supported by instruments from European Investment Bank, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and venture partners including BlackRock and Kleiner Perkins.

Category:Circular economy organizations