A circular bridge for Europe
Ladeja Godina Košir is Founder and Executive Director of Circular Change and an internationally renowned expert for the circular economy (CE), speaker and co-creator of international CE events. Ladeja was Finalist of The Circular Leadership Award 2018 (Davos, WEF), recognised as the regional ‘engine of the circular economy transition’. She is co-author of the first Roadmap towards the Circular Economy in Slovenia and creator and team leader of the annual international Circular Change Conference. Ladeja has several international roles: Chair of the coordination group of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP) in Brussels, Visiting Professor at the Doshisha University in Kyoto, and Co-leader of the Research Group ‘Circular Economy Systems’ at the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (BCSSS) in Vienna.
Hi Ladeja, I am delighted to host you here for a conversation. I’d like to kick it off by paying a visit to your home (country), Slovenia. Might you give us a snapshot regarding the rise and development of the circular economy story in the Slovenian context?
Let me go back to when we started. Five years ago we were introducing the circular economy through events, articles and media engagement. At the time, the prevailing story was that the circular economy was related to NGOs and waste management; it had nothing to do with businesses and cities. The opinion of most stakeholders was: ‘we have more urgent things to take care of than the circular economy’. In these five years, the situation has drastically changed, both in Slovenia and elsewhere.
What moments have characterised this evolution?
In Slovenia, the first crucial turning point was the government preparing the document Vision 2050. For the first time, it was a very engaging process, open to all the different stakeholders. This gave us a window to introduce the circular economy as something of great importance and deserving a place in the national strategy. For this, a lot of persistence was needed. It is at that time that I got the nickname ‘circular economy on two legs’, as I was trying to convince all the stakeholders that this is an important and horizontal topic, for which a holistic and systemic approach is needed.
“It is at that time that I got the nickname ‘circular economy on two legs’”
A second turning point was the preparation of the document Strategy 2030, which restated the importance of embedding circular economy and sustainability into the policy agenda. In this way, we got two national documents going over the mandate of a single government. In fact, they are still here despite the fact that we have a new government now. A final milestone was the government of Slovenia joining the Ellen MacArthur Foundation CE100 programme, for which we wrote the proposal together with the Ministry of the Environment.
Was it then that you decided to work on a National Road Map for the circular economy?
Having two national documents and being part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation CE 100, we realised the next logical step would have been the National Road Map. The process took time as the government didn’t know how to approach it. Differently from other countries, there had not been a lot of research and data analysis done by consultancies and companies in Slovenia.
In our case, we had to go another way. It was an open call for a bottom-up approach. At Circular Change we applied with other partners as a consortium and got the opportunity to create this document. The roadmap focuses on 4 priority areas—food system, forest-based value chains, manufacturing and mobility—and was introduced in 2018 at the the 3rd Circular Change conference.
Talking about Circular Change, your mission there is ‘to make the circular economy a reality by connecting key players in a circular transition’. What is your approach towards the transition? In broad lines, what aspects do you pay attention to?
We deeply believe in two things. The first one is that the engagement of different stakeholders is of crucial importance. The second one is that the circular economy is something that cannot be prescribed - there are no final solutions and, right now, we don’t have all the answers. When you apply systems thinking, you see that everything is interconnected. So, even if you are addressing the issue of mobility by promoting electric cars, at the same time you are opening another question: what about the batteries and all the materials that are being used?
Whenever you come up with a solution, you immediately have another challenge. We should be very open about it and engage all the existing potential for innovation. We need transformation not only in production and consumption, but also in our values and our behaviours.
“The circular economy is something that cannot be prescribed - there are no final solutions and, right now, we don’t have all the answers”
When it comes to the transformation, at Circular Change you have introduced a multi-layered and systemic model, called ‘Circular Triangle’.
Yes, in the Circular Triangle we have three angles. One is Circular Economy as a model that is addressing mainly businesses in this transition from linear to circular. Then we have Circular Change, which can only happen if it is systemic and if everyone is engaged. It must be a long-term, systemic approach where everybody contributes something. And the third angle is Circular Culture, because without the values, without the people identifying themselves with the need for change—or wish for change—and respecting the environment in which it has to take place, change will not happen.
If we want to achieve this transition, we have to take care of all three angles and never address one in isolation. As Chair of the ECESP platform, I am really stressing the importance of culture while working with other countries.
And, as Chair of a European platform, I can imagine you being exposed to so many different cultures…
In 2019 I have been invited to address different audiences in 12 countries. Just an example – in May 2019 I was in Oslo and then in Belgrade. As you can imagine, two completely different cultures. When you say ‘sharing economy’ in Oslo, you hear ‘wow, that is something we are looking forward to!’. When you say ‘sharing economy’ in Belgrade, you hear ‘I want to own my car, because this is my status symbol’. We cannot neglect this aspect, but we need to find new ways for people to feel valuable and decide by themselves for a change for better.
“We need to find new ways for people to feel valuable and decide by themselves for a change for better”
Being often in different countries, I see myself as an ambassador of cultural change. For instance, I have recently been to Japan and again was exposed to a different culture, where nature is in their mind, soul and way of thinking. We should nourish and respect this aspect of multiple cultures. Wherever you introduce something, be open to hear and to embrace what the others have to say, or the approach they would like to have.
Regarding the necessity to engage all stakeholders in the transition, has this been happening in Slovenia?
In preparation to the Roadmap, we organised almost 20 workshops around Slovenia where all different stakeholders were invited. What is interesting is that those who came were mostly micro companies with 1-5 people employed, and creatives—from artists to architects. The whole creative industry was very present. There were people from local communities and NGOs, but almost no representatives of big corporates and multinationals, despite the fact that they operate and employ in every region where we gave the workshops. It is interesting that somehow they didn’t feel like they should come and share their experiences.
One of the missions of Circular Change is to showcase the great work that has been done in Slovenia by circular innovators. Would you like to share some examples, maybe from the creative industry that you just mentioned?
Absolutely. When we promote circular culture, we try to bridge the creative industries and circular change, in order to bring creative people into the process of decision-making and designing. For instance, last year we launched a project called Creative & Circular, together with the Slovenian Creative Association, which was introduced in Brussels as well.
As an example of great circular innovators, let me mention an SME manufacturing circular furniture - Donar. They use an innovative production process, with the inputs of recycled materials. One part comes from plastic bottles, from which they get the granulate, and another part from wasted textile. By combining these two materials, they make a shell for the chair. What is nice about them is that the materials used are recycled and the chairs are very well designed. It is of crucial importance that circular products are beautiful and appealing. It must not be the case that something is circular and ugly. This is something we should prove on the market.
“It is of crucial importance that circular products are beautiful and appealing”
What makes Donar a circular role-model despite the fact that they are a relatively small company?
They put a lot of thought into design thinking, in order to produce something that can be maintained at high value for a long time. The whole philosophy of the company is about transparency and being open for the learning process. The first chair they produced—called Collodi—had a metal structure, but they wanted to improve that. Now they have a second version with wooden legs, with wood that would otherwise be considered production waste.
‘Collodi’, DONAR
Next to this, they are also promoting a different business model, in which chairs can be rented, rather than bought. So if you are a school hosting an event, for instance, you can rent the chairs and they will take care of everything else. These circular pioneers not only preach but live the circular business model, and are ambassadors of the fact that circular does not imply a decrease in quality of life. It is not about going back to living in the cave, but living a modern lifestyle in a sustainable way.
And one innovation example from outside Slovenia?
Since you are from Italy, let me mention Aquafil. They produce Econyl, a 100% recycled nylon. They are a great example of how once you start the journey, it’s an ongoing journey. They are currently trying to produce a bio-based nylon, in a joint project called Effective - European Horizon and BBI JU. It won’t bring the final answer, but it’s a next step concerning materials and manufacturing processes. Innovation and curiosity should always be nourished in an ongoing discovery process. Once you are on a circular journey, you keep exploring and coming up with new solutions. For us, at Circular Change, it is exciting to be the communication partner in such an innovation-driven international consortium.
“Innovation and curiosity should always be nourished in an ongoing discovery process”
Coming to the topic of circular cities, what about the implementation of circular thinking in Slovenian urban areas?
To give a bit of context, Slovenia has 2 million people overall, so the whole population is smaller than the population of one European city. We see this as a privilege, as we say that we are a country of just the right size. We are a polycentric country with two major cities—Ljubljana and Maribor—and sub-urban areas that are well connected. Ljubljana has a little bit less than 300,000 inhabitants and got the prestigious title of Green Capital of Europe 2018, while Maribor already has in place a strategy for the circular economy.
In Ljubljana, they adapted an Urban Strategy based on sustainable development already 12 years ago. They have been developing a harmonious approach in mobility, construction sector, public spaces management and water system. It has been a systemic approach and we already see the results. At the beginning it was very much about waste management and—even though that is not the key essence of a circular economy—it was a good starting point as the mindset of people started shifting.
Another big impact was achieved when the city centre was closed to car traffic. Back then everybody was ‘how are we going to move now?’, but alternatives were offered. There is an important message here when it comes to quality of life. Because of these measures, quality has been improving. Someone might say that because you are circular and sustainable, you are worse off. This is not true. We can preserve the value of nature while nourishing as human society.
“We can preserve the value of nature while nourishing as human society”
Maribor has in place a strategy on the circular economy and they have interesting and innovative models, particularly regarding the water system and urban gardening. It used to be an industrial city, which has been suffering quite a lot in the last 15 years, and now there is an even greater opportunity to revitalise the socio-economic system through this circular strategy.
Collaboration is key in the circular economy. Is Slovenia characterised by a collaborative society, also in a historical perspective?
This discussion has two sides. One is that, by nature, we are collaborative. You can see this in the fact that people used to work together in cooperatives. But after the Second World War, people lost their property and cooperatives got a negative connotation. Now people fear that they are going to lose something, so I would say that we are not mature enough already for a true collaboration. In the back of people’s minds, there is still the thought ‘am I gonna win or is he gonna win?’ An example of this are cooperatives operating in sub-urban areas or villages that wished to jointly offer the locally produced food. They didn’t manage because there was always a suspicious vibe, like ‘why is he selling so much milk? Then I won’t sell any cheese’.
How can this fear be contrasted?
Whenever we talk about collaboration, it is important that it happens around a good orchestrator. When you contribute, you need to know when you are going to benefit, because not everybody wins at the same time. We need an open communication and transparent approach. Those clusters who manage to do that are very successful.
“Whenever we talk about collaboration, it is important that it happens around a good orchestrator”
Public-private partnerships is something that we have not practiced often and there are barriers on the side of the government. We suffer from lack of practice and courage for decision-making, compared to the Netherlands, which we always use as a very good case of public-private collaborations. We are not there yet.
When you talk about a good orchestrator, do you believe Slovenia has the potential to claim this role in the Adriatic region in relation to the circular economy?
Yes, and also for historical reasons, given our role in the Ex-Yugoslavia as the most developed country. Because of our geographical position and our small size, we have never been a threat to anybody. If you say Germany, power immediately comes to mind. If you say Slovenia, it is not about power, but about collaborative potential and role in bridging cultures. When we talk about circular change, this is exactly what is happening. We are invited to share our experiences both in Western countries—to explain our way of doing things—as well as in South and Eastern countries, because we have an understanding of their culture and heritage. Given this momentum, we proposed the Slovenian government that during the EU presidency in 2021 we will act as a bridge between the East and the West, also when it comes to the implementation of circular economy practices.
Coming to the European context, in November 2018, you became Chair of the coordination group of the European Circular Economy Stakeholders Platform for the first time, and you were re-elected for a second mandate in November 2019. In your first post-election letter, you wrote that “we have understood the circular economy primarily as an economical issue, however we are recognising more and more the need to address the societal and cultural aspects of our transition, to make circular change happen”. Have you seen steps happening in this direction since then?
I would say yes. During the first year of my charing I have noticed the change in narrative that you just mentioned. It is of crucial importance what kind of narrative we are co-creating right now, and it is shifting in this direction. If two years ago it was all about business models, regulation, certification and measurement, in 2019 at the annual conference in Brussels, it was often said that we should take into account the societal component; it is about societal change. The transition cannot be done without understanding and including people.
I also appreciate that European representatives are not talking about the circular economy as something they will export to other countries. Instead, Europe is particularly open to learn from others. We should always remember that this is a global topic and with globalisation we are more inter-dependent than ever, in both positive and negative ways. As Europeans, we can go to Africa or Japan, not to convince or preach others about what to do, but to jointly find the solutions that can save us as a civilisation on this very same planet. I think this is a very strong message from Europe.
We need to be humble. It is not time to be arrogant or feel like a hero, because we all need each other, to listen to each other and co-create together. The model that works in the developed world might not be the model that works nowadays or tomorrow elsewhere and not even anymore for us.
“It is not time to be arrogant or feel like a hero, because we all need each other, to listen to each other and co-create together”
One aspect I have been focusing upon in previous conversations is the relationship between the circular economy and growth. In policy documents, the circular economy is depicted as a sort of decoupling wizard tool, allowing for economic growth without increasing material consumption. On the other hand, academics—such as Tim Jackson—argue that the circular economy is better seen as a tool for managing a post-growth economy. At the EU policy level, how is this discussion developing?
Politicians, of course, have their own narrative and the growth narrative is now commonly believed that is something that brings them votes. But we have seen—interestingly enough—how much stronger the Green parties are becoming at the European level and I think this is a very promising message.
Jacinda Arnern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, represents the leader of this century. If you listen to her narrative and observe her behaviour, she is the example that being a politician does not prevent you from being human. We need political leaders who have such authenticity, inner strength and openness for learning from others and co-creating this new narrative.
If you now said ‘no more growth’, who would like to hear that? It is not about no more growth, it is about growth within limits. The Doughnut Economy shows very well where the limits are, but it does not mean we cannot develop. We need to replace not only the wording but also what we focus on. I prefer to talk about quality of life, and how to achieve or maintain the quality of life within the limits of growth. This is for me the essential question. As in a household, you know what you have and you have to make the best out of it, also being creative and joyful, and not only having to sacrifice, lose or suffer.
You are calling for a shift in mindset, also in politicians.
We need a shift in the mindset on how we deal with certain topics. Politicians believe this is what brings them votes, but we’ll see what brings votes in the nearest future. There is so much space for innovation, especially if we use the creative power and skills for collaboration and innovation that are part of European identity. Democracy, support for knowledge and innovation are our assets.
I also believe there should be more attention on the notion of capital. Capital is not only financial, but also human, natural, and social. They jointly create value. We should have an open debate about it. If we are co-creating and maintaining value—and this is making us rich—is this growth or prosperity?
“If we are co-creating and maintaining value—and this is making us rich—is this growth or prosperity?”
Let’s align on this new language, but at its roots is about how we live. With all our activities, do we manage to have a high quality of life, respect our values and regenerate all sorts of capital? It is obvious that GDP that cannot be the only measurement of this, and that we cannot use the narrative and models created 100 years ago. They are misleading us.
As previously mentioned, you have been recently nominated Chair of the coordination group for the second mandate. What mission is awaiting for you in the next year?
First of all, I would like this platform to be alive further than 2020, because it is a great opportunity to start engaging all different stakeholders around Europe and to encourage them to participate and contribute. We really want it to be the ‘network of networks’ and home for everyone, not only the members.
As I have travelled around to promote it, I have perceived the enthusiasm it has generated also for non-EU members. For instance, Serbia, Norway, Brazil and Chile have contributed with their case study and achieved some visibility. We sometimes overlook the value that is created whenever we have visibility and possibility to exchange practices.
The role of the Chair is to bring some flavour, a particular view or energy to the overall mission. I fully believe that this is the platform of the stakeholders and members, and I should be managed by them as it currently is. The Chair has the opportunity to bring in some new topics into the discussion, but the aim of the platform is to live its own life and grow in an organic way as a place where circular economy actors can meet.
In 2020 we will present the outcome of newly established working groups, covering different topics. We organised a breakfast with the Members of the European Parliament, to strengthen the collaboration. The New Circular Economy Action Plan is going to be presented in March 2020 and we have already introduced the opinion by ECESP members. To be optimistic, we will not have to talk about circular economy anymore in 10 years, because it will be something normal. The mission will be accomplished.
Conversation between Emanuele Di Francesco & Ladeja Godina Košir
Transcribed February 2020
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