< PreviousKEEPING THE WHEELS TURNING ON RUBBER TIRE MANUFACTURING Th is photo shows how large off -the-road (OTR) tires are. By processing one of these tires, we expect to generate a revenue of roughly $4,000 and save around nine tonnes of CO2 emissions. From left to right: Talia Hoff man, Maartje van der Sande, and Bram van den Berg. Circular Rubb er Technologies 40 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINETell us about your organization's mission. Circular Rubber Technologies (CRT)’s purpose is to turn the world’s waste streams into value, and we are on a mission to redirect at least 300,000 end-of-life mining tires from landfi lls through the production of 1 million tonnes of our rubber reclaim product. In doing so, we’ll reduce CO2 emissions by 3 million tonnes and generate CA$1 billion revenue. What inspired you to start your organization? After over a decade in the oil and gas industry, I decided it was time to start focusing on mak- ing the world a better place instead of contrib- uting to projects that had a negative impact on future generations. I got involved in several projects which led to a realization that most mining companies bury their end-of-life mining tires on site. If you have ever seen one of these giant tires, you'd understand that burying thousands and thousands of these tires would have a huge environmental impact. I also learned that there are roughly 20 mil- lion tonnes of virgin rubber being used every year to make new tires. Th ese two facts and the huge disconnect between tire waste on one end and the need for raw materials to make new tires on the other end sparked the idea for CRT and became one of our biggest drivers: closing the circle and ensuring end-of-life tires become new tires again. What were some of the challenges you encountered? At CRT, we work with large multinationals: mining companies for the feedstock of our product and tire manufacturers as our reclaim product customers. Th e fi rst challenge is obviously getting your foot in the door – fi nding the right people at the right level in the organization to talk to so they can champion your idea within their organization. Th is isn’t something that can be done overnight; it takes time and persistence. Meanwhile, we try to operate as lean and fast as possible since we’re a start-up. Another challenge, which I think all start- ups face, is to stay optimistic when things do not go as planned. For example, when we shipped 18 big bags of rubber feedstock crumbs to our testing facility, we did not anticipate that due to the transportation, the crumb was no longer free-fl owing, but it was basically a solid one-tonne rubber block. Luckily, we rallied our team to come up with a solution to break up the rubber block into crumbs again. However, the challenges didn’t end there; we were shut down by inspection when we were fi nally producing our product because the neighbours complained of the rubber smell. We have overcome these challenges, and, in hindsight, I am actually thankful they hap- pened. We have been able to learn from them, optimize our process, and improve our design. With all these hurdles, I think the biggest challenge is sometimes to stay optimistic, keep the team motivated and the end goal in mind, and be open and creative in addressing any unexpected situations. What do you consider your organization's biggest success? Apart from all the great technical successes we have had and the milestones we have reached in terms of technical de-risking, scale up, product The oil and gas industry may be known for its controversial environmental footprint, but part of this impact may be where you’d least expect: rubber tire waste. Once a site is done with any fracking and drilling, leftover equipment is often left behind to waste away. Circular Rubber Technologies (CRT) saw this issue and decided to do something — or should we say some tonnes — about it. We spoke with Maartje van der Sande, Co-Founder & CEO, about repurposing end-of-life mining tires and reducing their waste in the process. SEP 2022 • ISSUE 03 41As of now, we offi cially carry the Pending B Corp status. Th is shows we are committed to using our business as a force for good and that we are on the path to becoming a Certifi ed B Corporation development, and initial sales, I am especially proud of the fact that we have recently become a benefi t corporation and reached a pending B Corp status. Th is speaks to the values we cherish as a team and the standards we hold ourselves and the organization accountable to. I believe this is CRT’s biggest success in that we have been able to cement these beliefs, values, and our purpose in the foundation of the business. What makes your organization unique? We provide tire manufacturers with a sustainable alternative to virgin rubber. We ensure that tires that would otherwise be landfi lled or end up in low-grade applications get used to make new tires. We provide a true circular solution: tires can be tires again. How do you feel your organization makes the world better? We solve two problems in one go. Firstly, we help mining companies direct one of their largest operational waste streams to be processed in a true circular manner. At the same time, by selling our product to tire manufacturers, they will be able to produce more sustainable tires. By using our product, they will need less virgin rubber, which means fewer rubber plantations and less CO2 emitted. Tell us about your organization's goals. Our most important goal currently is to get our fi rst facility operational in the second half of next year. Th is will be a huge milestone for CRT, and it will mean we will be able to convert roughly 5,000 giant mining tires into our reclaim product each year. Our subsequent goal is to quickly expand within Canada and beyond. We see a strong and growing demand for more sustainable materials and products, and tires are no diff er- ent. Global tire manufacturers are increasingly An endless amount of tires are waiting to be processed. Th is is just one location where the giant OTR's are being collected. Th e majority stay in the mines and are never processed. 42 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINEA proud moment: the fi rst full pallet of product produced during the development phase and scale-up. Th is pallet was later sold to the fi rst customer for the use into new tires. CRT CCO Marc Beeldsnijder (left) and CEO Maartje van der Sande celebrate this accomplishment. searching for sustainable alternatives to lower their carbon footprint, and we plan to help them by providing them with a continu- ous stream of our high-quality reclaim on each continent. Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you'd like to share? As mentioned above, we have recently reached the pending B Corp status and are now working to become a fully certifi ed B Corp over the course of the next year. We are about to release the key fi ndings of some interesting work we have done with the Impact Institute to determine the true price of virgin synthetic and natural rubber and CRT’s alternatives. And, of course, people should stay tuned on the progress we are making with the realization of our fi rst facility based in Alberta, Canada. What do you most want people to know about your organization? We are an impact company. Th e more successful we become, the greater the impact we make. How can people help or contribute to your organization's mission? I think more generically, if we truly want the circular economy to work, we must also revisit the fi rst part of the circle: the manufacturing of products and the consumers that use them. Th is is a fundamental part of the circle in the circular economy, and we often forget that we all have a role to play here: by making more conscious choices on consumption and use of products and simply by consuming less, we make it easier to solve the waste reduction side of the circular economy. Essentially, if we generate less in the fi rst half of the circle, there’s less to “clean up” in the second part of the circle. circularrubber.com linkedin.com/company/circular- rubber-technologies-inc WE OFTEN FORGET THAT WE ALL HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY HERE BY MAKING MORE CONSCIOUS CHOICES ON CONSUMPTION AND USE OF PRODUCTS AND SIMPLY BY CONSUMING LESS, WE MAKE IT EASIER TO SOLVE THE WASTE REDUCTION SIDE OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY. SEP 2022 • ISSUE 03 43Tell us about your organization's mission. Circular Economy Leadership Canada (CELC) is uniquely positioned as a multi-sectoral, national organization ded- icated to advancing the circular economy in Canada. CELC is working to connect Canada’s circular economy community and serves as a bridge to similar networks around the world. We provide thought leadership, technical expertise, and collaborative platforms for accelerating systems change and the transition to a low-carbon, circular economy in Canada. What inspired your founders to start your organization? Th e CELC initiative is a project of Th e Natural Step Canada, a non-profi t chari- ty based in Ontario focused on creating a more sustainable future through eff ective systems change and social innovation. CELC was offi cially launched in 2018 at the G7 Oceans Partnership Summit in Halifax and was originally made up of a small number of corporate leaders, non-profi t think tanks, and academic researchers. Th is group was part of the Ontario-based Circular Economy Lab that was largely focused on eliminating plastic packaging waste and pollution. What were some of the challenges your founders encountered? Th e key issues we’ve faced include the low level of awareness among businesses, governments, and the public in terms of the circular economy and its benefi ts for Canada, as well as the fragmented and siloed nature of our supply chains. ACCELERATING THE TRANSITION TO A CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN CANADA Circular Economy Leadership Canada From implementing zero-emission transportation to banning single-use plastics, Canada is at the forefront of environmentally-conscious initiatives. Yet, even with advocates and industry leaders paving the way, there is still a knowledge gap about a game-changing model of production and consumption: the circular economy. The Circular Economy Leadership Canada (CELC) is working to bridge this awareness gap to advance the circular economy in Canada. We spoke with Paul Shorthouse, Managing Director of CELC, about being a “network of networks” for circular economy innovation. 44 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINETHESE ARE TWO AREAS WE ARE WORKING TO ADDRESS RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT WHAT THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY IS AND ITS BENEFITS AND ACTING AS A CROSS SECTOR PLATFORM TO CREATE SYSTEMS CHANGE. Th ese are two areas we are working to address: raising awareness about what the circular economy is and its benefi ts and acting as a cross-sector platform to create systems change. What do you consider your organization's biggest success? One of our greatest successes was the launch of the Canada Plastics Pact (CPP) in January 2021. CELC acted as an incu- bator to form and launch this network that now consists of more than 90 key stakeholders across the entire value chain in Canada, focused on creating a circular economy for plastics packaging in the country, including its roadmap to 2025. What makes your organization unique? We currently have more than 45 partners across Canada coming from all sectors and regions, as well as a handful of inter- national partners, with CELC acting as a “network of networks.” CELC is dedicat- ed to bringing value to our partners by fi lling existing gaps in the marketplace and supporting eff orts to accelerate the transition to a circular economy in Canada. We do this by serving as a national hub that connects people to the knowledge, networks, and opportunities to help achieve circular innovation; fostering con- structive dialogue between government and industry on critical issues where col- laboration is key to the system transition required to achieving circularity; making the business case for new approaches by shining a light on corporate leadership and circular innovation; championing a national circular economy strategy and a coordinated innovation ecosystem; and accelerating circular economy transi- tions in key sectors through our Circular Economy Solutions Series, focused on taking advantage of opportunities and tackling the barriers. How do you feel your organization makes the world better? We’re hyper-focused on the circular econ- omy, which addresses our planet’s triple environmental crises: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Th e cir- cular economy model leverages actionable business strategies to eliminate waste and pollution from our economy, reduce the demand on our ecosystems and natural resources by keeping materials and re- sources in use for as long as possible, and regenerate nature in the process. Tell us about your organization's goals. Our goal is to advance a circular economy in Canada across all sectors and supply chains, enhancing innovation and im- proving the competitiveness of Canada’s economy over the long term. Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you'd like to share? CELC’s work is carried out through our Solutions Series work streams where we have a number of projects underway in areas that include plastics, food systems, metals and minerals, construction and built environment, and fi nance. You can fi nd more at circulareconomyleaders.ca/ solutions-series/. As one example, CELC has recently launched a project in collaboration with BOMA Canada, Pacifi c Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS), CSA Group, and others from the real estate sector, exploring the use of circular strategies to extend the life of existing buildings – in- cluding innovative leasing and renovation – and, in turn, preserve the embodied carbon found within buildings. What do you most want people to know about your organization? To advance the circular economy in Canada, we must work together in part- nership to create the systems change we need. Th rough our collaborative approach and CELC’s platform for convening, we can accelerate the opportunities and tackle the barriers together. How can people help or contribute to your organization's mission? We welcome organizations to join our network as CELC Partners, investing in the work streams we have underway, establishing the business case for action, and helping to communicate the benefi ts and advantages for Canada in transition- ing to a more circular economy. circulareconomyleaders.ca facebook.com/ CircularEconomyLeaders twitter.com/CELeadershipCA linkedin.com/company/ circular-economy-leaders SEP 2022 • ISSUE 03 45Tell us about your organization's mission. Th e Textile Lab for Circularity (TLC) is a social innovation lab connecting unlikely allies across Western Canada to divert fashion and textile waste from landfi lls and move the industry toward circularity. We envision a thriving circular textiles economy in British Columbia by 2031. We believe that collaboration is key to making the circular economy a reali- ty, and we strive to build the spaces for strategic cross-sector connections and industry clusters to form and fl ourish. What inspired your founders to start your organization? While facilitating a social innovation lab for the hospitality industry in 2015, our Founder Sara Blenkhorn witnessed the severity of the textile waste problem. She saw that textile waste resulted from almost every stage of the product life cycle, with no comprehensive, scalable solutions to divert this waste from the landfi ll. Folks working on solutions were isolated from each other, and she saw an opportunity to bring them together to make more progress, faster. WEAVING TOGETHER THE FASHION INDUSTRY FOR GREATER CIRCULARITY Textile Lab for Circularity No shirts, no shoes, no service. Clothing is essential for survival and navigating modern society; however, the shirts on our backs have also evolved to be emblems of our status and reflect our unique personalities — all great qualities until it’s time to retire that novelty souvenir t-shirt we wore once as a joke. The Textile Lab for Circularity is fighting fashion and textile waste in Canada through extensive research and collaboration with industry players. We spoke with Megan Bourassa, Communications Coordinator, to learn more about the Textile Lab for Circularity’s fashion- focused initiatives in the circular economy space. Networking at the fi rst in-person social innovation lab on textile waste, in 2017. 46 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINEShe launched the fi rst textile-fo- cused lab through her consulting fi rm Leverage Lab. Th is two-year interactive lab program resulted in a white paper that mapped the fl ows of textile waste in Metro Vancouver and identifi ed leverage points to take action. Th e fi rst lab identifi ed that in Metro Vancouver alone, upwards of 22,000 tonnes of textiles make their way to landfi lls annually. We also know that approximately 95% of this landfi ll waste is repairable, reusable, or recyclable, showing a large opportunity for the circular economy. Th is opportunity is what inspired Sara to start the Textile Lab for Circularity. What were some of the challenges your founders encountered? Th ere are a few challenges we’ve en- countered and continue working on, including pivoting from in-person programming to 100% online due to the pandemic; pivoting to the chang- ing needs of the industry during this turbulent time, thus redesigning our off erings to work for companies that had pivoted away from long-term climate and waste prevention strategies to short-term pandemic mitigation; and minimizing TLC added-value activities to extend the lifetime of our initial funding to save money. As well, there are some challenges we’re encountering on an ongoing basis, including juggling the back and forth between the industry needing regulation and legislators waiting for the industry to take the lead. And more recently, we have seen an emerging need in our networks for reshoring textile/fashion production due to unstable supply chains. However, there are gaps in the workforce and infrastructure to make that a reality at the moment. What do you consider your organization's biggest success? Our biggest success since our offi - cial formation in 2019 is our mas- sive pivot that led to producing our now-annual Building Your Circular Strategy Workshop! From 2017-19 we partnered with Vancity, the City of Vancouver, Metro Vancouver, and the Vancouver Economic Commission to convene 25 businesses and organizations from textiles-related sectors to collaborate on the issue of regional textile waste. We mapped the re- gional textile system through participant and network interviews and secondary data sources, and we produced the white paper, Unravelling the Problem of Apparel Waste in the Greater Vancouver Area. Th is study revealed a systems map of appar- el waste fl ows in the Lower Mainland, establishing critical baseline data. Th is foundation positions us well to identify and act on opportunities that disrupt the conventional take-make-waste process. Th e TLC was formed as a result of this white paper and its fi ve leverage points for systemic change: increasing industry collaboration, investing in circular fi bre development, educating consumers, levelling the playing fi eld, and, ulti- mately, making circular fashion business models mainstream. We designed and began marketing a Phase 2 lab in the winter of 2020 to take serious collaborative action on the leverage points that the white paper iden- tifi ed; however, COVID-19 disrupted this plan. Unfettered, we performed an in-depth analysis of the leverage points and the emergent needs of the industry. We determined that our lab model could be parsed out into two phases: an educa- tional workshop to level the playing fi eld and tangible pilot projects down the line. As a result, we successfully recruited and guided nine organizations through our new educational program and are now gearing up for a second cohort. What makes your organization unique? We act like mycelium around the complex systemic issues of textile waste, transmitting knowledge, connections, and resources between key nodes when they wouldn’t otherwise relate. We believe that by breaking down silos in this highly-competitive industry and open sourcing key research and resourc- es, we can move the whole industry further, faster. We also employ the science-based Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development, grounding our programs in a holistic methodology that accounts THE TEXTILE LAB FOR CIRCULARITY TLC IS A SOCIAL INNOVATION LAB CONNECTING UNLIKELY ALLIES ACROSS WESTERN CANADA TO DIVERT FASHION AND TEXTILE WASTE FROM LANDFILLS AND MOVE THE INDUSTRY TOWARD CIRCULARITY. SEP 2022 • ISSUE 03 47Th e fi rst cohort of the TLC's virtual Building Your Circular Strategy program, launched in October 2021. Th e TLC's mission visualized. Moving the textile industry from the current linear economy to a circular economy. for the long-term well-being of both people and planet. Th is helps us guide the industry toward addressing the root problems, rather than implement- ing band-aid reactionary strategies. How do you feel your organization makes the world better? Our organization is composed of sustainability experts with deep experience in education and facil- itation. We make the world better by championing collaboration in an increasingly competitive world. By creating safe spaces for exploration, open conversation, and sandboxes for play, we are able to spark ideas and partnerships otherwise inaccessible. We also aim to facilitate and normalize the open sourcing of key research to move the industry forward together. Tell us about your organization's goals. As mentioned, we aim to create a thriving circular apparel industry in British Columbia by 2031. To get there, we are focused on taking action on these fi ve leverage points designed to catalyze systemic change: 1) increase industry collaboration in the collec- tion, sorting, recycling, and design for the environment; 2) invest in circular fi bres development, recycling tech- nology, and collection infrastructure; 3) educate consumers, designers, and brands about their role in a zero-waste fashion future; 4) set a level playing fi eld that supports the reduction of apparel waste; and 5) make circular fashion business models mainstream. Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you'd like to share? One project we’d like to share is our upcoming landmark research project, the Roadmap to Textile Recycling in Western Canada. Th is roadmap is a cross-sector study engaging folks from government, industry, non-profi t, academia, and funding to forge a path through the complex ins and outs of making scalable textile recycling in Western Canada a reality. Th e second initiative we’d like to share is gearing up for the second cohort of our one-of-a-kind Building Your Circular Strategy program. Th is four-session training is designed to spark circular strategies for long-term resilience in BC’s fashion and textile organizations. Together, we help com- panies understand their current system, set a circular mission, and develop a custom plan for embedding circularity into their business model. Teams will leave with their own internal Circular Strategy and the confi dence to imple- ment and communicate it internally and externally. What do you most want peo- ple to know about your organization? We truly believe that the future is collaborative. Together, we have the know-how, the resources, and the passion to make the apparel industry circular. As a non-profi t organization, we are not driven by money but rather by the quality of the connections we facilitate. We measure our success on impact — all the way from individual conversations to systemic shifts. How can people help or con- tribute to your organization's mission? Non-profi t, laser-focused Social Innovation Labs like ours are a key ingredient in catalyzing and accelerat- ing innovation. We realize this is still a new concept to many, so please join us, support us, and amplify our work! Some ways to get involved are to join or sponsor one of our pro- grams, subscribe to our newsletter, and follow us on social media at @ textilelabforcircularity. labforcircularity.com facebook.com/ textilelabforcircularity instagram.com/ textilelabforcircularity twitter.com/textilelab linkedin.com/company/ textile-lab-for-circularity 48 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINETHIS SPACE COULD BE YOURS Advertise in Make The World Better Magazine Be part of our mission to bring critical issues to light and spark positive change. Join the growing community of value-aligned organizations featured in our magazine by advertising your unique, world-changing story. To advertise, get in touch with us here: advertising@sparxpg.comNext >