TO MAINTAIN OUR PLANET FOR GENERATIONS, THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY IS FLIPPING THE TAKE MAKE WASTE MODEL ON ITS HEAD. THESE ORGANIZATIONS ARE RUNNING CIRCLES AROUND SLOW ADOPTERS OF THIS “NEW” ECONOMY FEATURING INTERVIEWS WITH BRANDS FOR BETTER FOUNDATION • CIRCULAR ECONOMY LEADERSHIP CANADA • CIRCULAR RUBBER TECHNOLOGIES • ECOMETER • ENERKEM • FOODMESH • PROJECT LEARNING TREE • SUSGRAINABLE • TEXTILE LAB FOR CIRCULARITY • TOO GOOD TO GO September 2022,Issue 03 HAPPILY EVER AFTER: THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY IS WRITING A NEW ENDING FOR WASTE MAGAZINETogether, let’s create content to make the world better. Get in touch with us here: sparxpg.com Do you want to build a better world? Marketing can make it happen.16 SUSGRAINABLE Going against the grain to repurpose spent barley into raw ingredients 46 TEXTILE LAB FOR CIRCULARITY Weaving together the fashion industry for greater circularity 32 ECOMETER Helping Vancouverites eat sustainably one take-out meal at a time 12 BRANDS FOR BETTER FOUNDATION Uniting changemakers to make lasting impacts in their communities 28 PROJECT LEARNING TREE Cultivating the next generation of forest and conservation leaders 44 CIRCULAR ECONOMY LEADERSHIP CANADA Accelerating the transition to a circular economy in Canada Sparx would like to acknowledge that Vancouver is on traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples– Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/ Selilwitulh (Tsleil- Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam)Nations. CONTENTS 6 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 8 HOW TO USE STORYTELLING TO MARKET YOUR CIRCULAR ECONOMY EFFORTS A look into leveraging storytelling to deliver world-changing messages about the circular economy 4 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINEWe are recognized as a minority-owned and -led organization This issue of the magazine contributes to the following sustainability development goals: September 2022, Issue 3 PUBLISHER Sparx Publishing Group Inc. sparxpg.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Hamish Khamisa EDITOR Libby Shabada ART DIRECTOR Elisabeth Choi DESIGNER Pauline Macapagal PROJECT MANAGER Alexandra Nikitina CONTRIBUTORS Brands for Better: Karla Peckett, VP Brand at SOLE/ReCORK, and Founder/Executive Director of Brands for Better Foundation Circular Economy Leadership Canada (CELC): Paul Shorthouse, Managing Director Circular Rubber Technologies: Maartje van der Sande, CEO & Co-Founder EcoMeter: Jill Robinson, Project Manager at Faculty of Medicine at UBC, and EcoMeter Project Co-lead Enerkem: Valerie Gonzalo, Corporate Communications FoodMesh: Jessica Regan, Co-Founder and CEO Project Learning Tree: Jessica Kaknevicius, Vice President of Education Susgrainable: Marc Wandler, CEO Textile Lab for Circularity: Megan Bourassa, Communications Coordinator Too Good To Go: Sarah Soteroff, PR Manager All photo credits to the organizations. For advertising rates and placements, please contact us at advertising@sparxpg.com Visit our website to find out how Sparx Publishing Group makes the world better, and stay up to date on our latest partner- ships and initiatives. Plus, get in touch for future projects: sparxpg.com/make-the- world-better 20 TOO GOOD TO GO Making it their mission to solve the global food waste problem 24 FOODMESH Diverting surplus food waste to those that need it most 36 ENERKEM Using everyday waste to power our lives 40 CIRCULAR RUBBER TECHNOLOGIES Keeping the wheels turning on rubber tire manufacturing SEP 2022 • ISSUE 03 5Now on its third issue, I am honoured to be celebrating that it’s been one year since we launched Make The World Better Magazine. In the publication’s first trip around the sun, it is important to say thanks to the incredibly talented team at Sparx, our dedicated readers, and the inspiring individuals and organizations featured to date. What started as a spark to honour the memory of my daughter Anahera has now grown into a beacon for effecting positive change. Fitting, then, that the theme of cyclicality is at the heart of this issue’s focus on the circular economy. Though still relatively unknown in the mainstream, consumers and businesses alike are starting to see a shift toward a circular economy take root. While Indigenous groups around the world have implemented circular models of consumption as a way of life for centuries, only very recently have major economies started to rethink the single-use mindset. What does a world running on a circular economy look like? The companies and organizations featured in this issue of Make The World Better Magazine offer some interesting clues. From upcycling craft beer to recapturing energy from biomass, repurposing dump truck tires to redistributing excess dumplings; empowering reconnec- tion with forests and harnessing the collective impact of brands, the diverse stories of changemakers in this issue demonstrate the immense opportunity the circular economy represents for building a better world by prioritizing continuity over disposability. The catalyst to a societal shift in the consumption mindset and behaviour, we believe, will come from an unlikely source. As we've explored in this issue, effective storytelling could be the hero that wins over the hearts and minds of those who are skeptical or indifferent towards the circular economy. In a world where attention is becoming exceedingly precious, we thank you, our readers, for giving us yours. Simply by reading and sharing stories in our magazine, you have set in motion small, positive changes that, in the aggregate, put humanity on track for a better future. I believe that is an achievement worth celebrating on every trip around the sun. Hamish Khamisa Founder, Sparx Publishing Group Letter from the Editor The diverse stories of changemakers in this issue demonstrate the immense opportunity the circular economy represents for building a better world by prioritizing continuity over disposability. Visit the Sparx blog for helpful purpose-driven marketing tips, news about individuals and organizations that are making the world better, and more. Read now: sparxpg.com/blog FOLLOW US ON: 6 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINE(Your Organization Here) Are you part of an organization that’s working to make the world better? Share your story in a future issue of our magazine! Join our mission to amplify good, boost awareness of critical issues, and inspire others. To be featured, get in touch with us here: Be featured in Make The World Better Magazine sparxpg.com/contactHow to Use Storytelling to Market Your Circular Economy Efforts A look into leveraging storytelling to deliver world-changing messages about the circular economy By Sparx Publishing Group I n a world where consumption rules and waste is taking over, your organization is ready to help save the day. As a circular economy organization, you already know the benefi ts of reusing, repairing, refurbishing, remanufacturing, repurposing, or recycling products. But the journey to rally others on your quest for impact may seem incredibly lonely. Bam! Suddenly, a conveniently-timed character has entered the scene to help guide your marketing and off er a beacon of clarity to your communications. Th eir name is storytelling. Setting and achieving your impact goals can be daunting given that the circular economy hasn’t entered the main- stream yet. And if getting attention is hard enough, imagine sustaining that attention to explain something that most people haven’t even really heard of. As an impact-led enterprise, connecting with your audience at a deeper level is crucial. Storytelling will help you better engage, inspire, and lead your audience on the long journey to the day when the circular economy just becomes “the economy.” To avoid getting lost in the plot and deliver compelling communications, here’s how to eff ectively use storytelling to reach your impact goals. (Cue the cliff hanger.) Know Your Target Market Audience(s) Before you can begin using storytelling as a marketing tool, you fi rst need to break down your audiences into primary and secondary groups through segmentation. According to Bizfl uent, “the primary target market is the group of consumers a business covets the most or feels is most likely to be the purchaser of its product or service.” As you can imagine, secondary audiences are those that fall closely after primary in terms of desirability. It’s important that you get specifi c with your various audiences to understand who will have the most impact, and, therefore, who you should be reaching and creating resonance with. Depending on what sector you’re in within the circular economy/zero waste space, as well as your impact goals, there may be unique audiences you’ll want to target. Here are a few sector-speci c audiences: Public/Government: Legislators, personnel, general public. For-profi t: Since the circular economy is new in the mainstream, audiences may need to get created; however, they may be cohorts of current “green” consumers. Non-profi t: Employees (often unpaid volunteers), donors, board members, etc. • • • 8 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINEUse Storytelling to Reach Your Impact Goals Now that you know your audience and have identifi ed your current challenges, you’re ready for the inciting incident: telling your story(ies). While it may seem daunting, humans have been telling stories for thousands of years; it’s sort of our thing. Storytelling allows you to activate the imagination of your audience, which can help you stand out from the noise, establish a deep connection, and ultimately get their buy-in. Perhaps you didn’t realize that you were already doing it by leading with your values, but marketing relies heavily on telling stories — in this case, your story. In order to do this eff ectively, you need to take this “novel” concept of the circular economy — something, of course, Indigenous people have been doing for centuries — and package it in a way that is accessible and familiar. Here are some tips for eff ective storytelling: Establish a brand voice if you don’t have one. Choose a clear, concise message. Have a clear structure; a beginning, middle, and end is a good place to start. Include personal anecdotes when appropriate. Use one of seven familiar story archetypes, such as Overcoming the Monster or Th e Quest. Look to others for inspiration. For example, check out Warby Parker’s Our Story page. By applying these tips, you can more eff ectively share your brand vision to achieve your impact goals, thus helping the circular economy at large — and the world, one story at a time. Determine Your Current Challenges Before you can devise a story to share through your marketing channels, ask yourself: What are the current challenges/ problems your organization is facing that marketing/ communications could help overcome? Knowing these challenges can help you focus on a story (or stories) that would appeal to your target audience and cause them to perform a desired action. For example, if you’re a non-profi t in need of volunteers, perhaps you could highlight one of your current volunteers, including why they started volunteering, what they like about volunteering, and how volunteering at your organization makes an impact on the planet. Individuals who connect with the “characters” in the story are more likely to consider contributing to your organization, including possibly volunteering. While most circular economy organizations may currently face the common issue of educating stakeholders about the zero waste space and the circular economy, there may be challenges specifi c to your organization and/or sector that are worth focusing on in more detail. Sector-speci c challenges: Public/Government: Getting funding and legislation passed and/or buy-in from stakeholders. For-profi t: Audience growth, lead generation, and/or sales. Non-profi ts: Appealing to board members, getting donations, fi nding volunteers, etc. Th ere may also be challenges you’re facing with your marketing eff orts. Luckily, we off er tips on how to identify and overcome them. • • • • • • • • • “ Storytelling allows you to activate the imagination of your audience, which can help you stand out from the noise, establish a deep connection, and ultimately get their buy-in. Next >