Key Takeaways from Circularity 24

What happens when a pair of purpose-driven marketing agency team members from Canada land in one of the United States’ most interesting cities to attend one of the world’s biggest circular economy conferences?

A lot of learning, networking, and reaffirmation that a community of changemakers is dedicated to building a better and more regenerative world.

Earlier this year, Sparx team members Hamish Khamisa, President, and Alexandra Nikitina, Head of Growth, travelled to Chicago to attend Circularity 24, a three-day conference presented by Trellis (formerly GreenBiz Group), that brought together a growing community of individuals, businesses, and organizations passionate about creating a more sustainable future.

With our focus on accelerating awareness and adoption of regenerative and sustainable solutions, we attended plenty of events in the circular economy space. Circularity 24, however, was an entirely new experience for us.

From the sheer scale of the event to the diverse cross-section of individuals and organizations in attendance to the palpable FOMO (fear of missing out) from not being able to attend many of the 130+ talks, activities, and experiences, things felt large and moved fast.

The conference provided a unique opportunity to gauge the circular economy’s current state from a variety of business perspectives, engage with a wide range of changemakers, and gain insights into the role of marketing in accelerating the circular economy.

We can’t possibly do an event of this scale justice in one brief recap, but we’re eager to share several key reflections from our experience at Circularity 24 that we hope provide valuable circular economy insights. Suffice it to say, we understand why people like Garry Cooper, CEO of Rheaply, continue to come back each year. 

Read on for our highlights from Circularity 24, including key takeaways from insightful panels and intriguing exhibits, changemakers we connected with, lessons learned from attending large-scale sustainability events, and more.

Scaling the Circular Economy

Regardless of the company’s size, from large multinational corporations to startups, there was considerable consensus that “scaling up” the circular economy is crucial for a more sustainable world.

Of course, the devil is in the details. Answers to questions like “What is the circular economy?” often had similar components but were different enough to warrant some concerns by various private and public sector representatives. The lack of precise, agreed-upon standards for what constitutes a “circular solution” creates considerable friction when scaling. As a result, many stakeholders who want to take action are moving forward cautiously, using bespoke standards and approaches rather than globally applicable ones.

Encouragingly, when speaking with representatives from large multinational corporations like McDonald’s, Iron Mountain, and L’Oreal about their path to more circular practices, we learned larger businesses recognize the need to adapt to conducting business more sustainably and at scale. Of course, there are complexities and costs associated with reconfiguring their business structures and workflows and the desire to take action as a business is highly dependent on the clarity of standards. However, regulatory pressures, changing procurement requirements, and shifting consumer sentiment are influencing businesses toward a more sustainable direction.

At the other end of the spectrum, we spoke with many early-stage entrepreneurs and business leaders eager to scale their circular economy solutions. Companies such as Refillable, Green Standards, and Sway offered interesting examples of businesses that, if scaled, could redefine everyday consumption. 

Interestingly, smaller companies consistently reported that “leading with sustainability” wasn’t resonating with potential customers. Typical considerations like cost savings or competitive differentiation were more appealing to their target clients than sustainability or circular impact.

Of course, scaling circular solutions and businesses inherently requires capital and resources. One of the most interesting sessions was the panel “Unlocking the Capital Stack for Circular Transformation,” featuring Hanna Friedman, Founding Principal at Planeteer Capital; Jennifer Louie, Managing Director of Closed Loop Partners; and Bill Caesar, President of Generate Upcycle, which delved into the mindset of large-scale investors focused on regenerative or circular businesses. 

One key theme Bill Caesar highlighted was the crucial need for companies that turn waste into resources to ensure a reliable feedstock supply, significantly impacting the economic viability of circular business models.

Conversations, Connection, and Community

While we gained many insights from the sessions we attended, Circularity 24 was also a remarkable platform for making meaningful connections.

With over 1,400 visionaries, thought leaders, and practitioners from different countries, backgrounds, and industries converging around a shared interest in the circular economy, we were thrilled to participate in both structured and spontaneous opportunities to connect with fellow attendees.

From conversations in lunch lines and on elevator and escalator rides across multiple floors of the venue, to digital interactions through the conference app, and even during an early morning run to the iconic Bean, everyone brought  a sincere and inspiring eagerness to connect and potentially collaborate.

The structured networking sessions were excellent for meeting diverse groups of people, such as first-time attendees, women, BIPOC attendees, and more, as well as creating a sense of belonging.

Sparx  also had the chance to organize a brief meetup of nearly 20 fellow Canadian attendees, including representatives from GEOTAB, Green Standards, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Keurig Dr Pepper Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Quantum Lifecycle Partners. It was great to share insights on the circular economy landscape in Canada and explore ways to support each other in our purpose-driven endeavours.

Marketing is Critical for the Circular Economy

Among the many conversations at Circularity 24, we were particularly interested in exploring the challenges and best practices related to circular economy marketing, and jumped at the chance to attend relevant sessions.

The “More than a Megaphone: Communicating and Collaborating for Circular Success” panel explored how sustainability communicators can facilitate the faster, smoother adoption of circularity as a business strategy. 

Jeffrey Hogue, Chief Sustainability Officer at Levi Strauss, noted that directly talking about sustainability did not have the impact on clothing sales that the team expected. Instead, a campaign that focused on durability as the value proposition of Levi’s jeans performed much better. This suggests that promoting environmental sustainability indirectly can lead to more sustainable outcomes. Several entrepreneurs echoed this sentiment, stating that “sustainability” is not a primary purchasing driver; traditional factors like price, reliability, and convenience still shape business decisions.

Suzanne Shelton of ERM Shelton, who facilitated part of the session, shared research data showing that most consumers equate the circular economy with recycling, a result of decades of recycling education and awareness building. While we should recognize where people currently are and meet them there, scaling up awareness and understanding means more work is needed in conveying other aspects of the circular economy. 

Finally, Nazlican Goksu, Design Director at IDEO, highlighted the significant impact designers can have in determining sustainable products and solutions at the point of inception. To drive home this point, Goksu shared a story about an IDEO-designed toothbrush that later washed ashore on a beach and was brought back to their offices as a reminder of the consequences of designers’ actions. This anecdote also underscored the importance of storytelling as a powerful tool for impactful communication.

Another excellent example of effective storytelling was “The Blue Paradox,” an immersive exhibit held at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry.

The Blue Paradox movement aims to inspire collective action by vividly communicating how plastic pollution affects marine life and our daily lives. It encourages individuals, businesses, and governments to protect our oceans by improving how we produce, use, reuse, and recycle plastic.

As we took a detour to navigate the exhibit, we encountered several thought-provoking facts:

• Around the world, 1 million plastic drinking bottles are purchased every minute, and up to 5 trillion plastic bags are used annually.
• On average, a single gallon of tap water contains 34 microplastic particles.
• The Great Pacific Garbage Patch spans 620,000 square miles, more than ten times the area of Illinois.
• Around 30% of all plastic on the world’s ocean surfaces forms the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which has increased exponentially over recent decades.

Overall, our experiences at Circularity 24 emphasized the critical role marketing plays in shaping the narrative around sustainable business practices. However, it also became clear that marketing alone is not enough. For sustainable products and services to outperform established offerings, they also need to do so on key parameters like price and convenience. 

Amplify Your Circular Economy Story With Sparx

Circularity 24 was an incredible opportunity for our team to lean into our purpose of amplifying voices that catalyze positive change.

Though this was our first foray into a circular economy conference of this size, it certainly won’t be our last. We learned the value of pacing ourselves and reminding each other to prioritize wellbeing; with so much on the agenda, we had to be selective in how we spent our time and ensure we took breaks to recharge.

Overall, Circularity 24 left us feeling encouraged about how we can help accelerate the transition to a more circular economy. Yet, the most inspiring takeaway is knowing we are part of a community of like-minded businesses and organizations that believe in a better world and work daily to make it a reality. These are the stories that we believe need to reach a wider audience in order to accelerate a shift to a more circular economy.Are you looking to share your circular economy story? We would love to team up and amplify your impact. Contact us for a free marketing consultation.