The Circular Economy at Home
Feedback suggests that people in the UK have a positive view of the Circular Economy but would welcome clearer guidelines and a systematic approach from Government.
Our motto is think global, act local
If you are looking for holistic guidance bookmark this page, we continue to highlight the three basic R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, plus two more, Refuse and Repurpose
Getting back down to earth
Cork is fully recyclable
Did you know, wine bottle corks are not just biodegradable; as a natural material they absorb CO2, but their life doesn't need to end when you open a bottle.
Recycling and re-using this amazing and extremely valuable material doesn't just extend its life cycle.
The world needs this humble cork stopper to contribute to a better world. Follow this link to a BBC VLOG on cork
Save your wine corks
Start saving your wine corks today.
Cork stoppers, like the cork oak they come from, naturally retain CO2. A single cork stopper is capable of absorbing up to 56.4 grams of CO2. But for a material as special as cork, this is just the beginning. Pop! The bottle has just been opened and a new journey for cork begins. (Courtesy Amorim Cork)
There are lots of ways to save used cork, they are all pleasing to the eye.
Newsflash!
Tell your Friends
Be part of our Stoppa Cork Campaign
For every 200 corks you collect we will give you a REWARD VOUCHER
use on this site with selected suppliers
We are looking for local agents contact us
Contact Us
Save energy in every room at home
Are space heaters expensive to run? We take a look at the options for portable and fixed electric heaters plus wood burning stoves. We compare them to gas central heating and show by how much they can all hit your pocket.
How much energy do we waste at home? Recent figures indicate we lose about 20% through poor, inefficient heating systems, boilers and radiators, through poor loft or underfloor insulation, as leakage through badly fitted windows and door, and by leaving appliances on standby or from using high energy lighting.
Some examples of energy consumption around your home:
- single fridge-freezer: expect to use 1 kWh in 26 hours
- electric oven: expect to use 2 kWh for 30 minutes of use
- single tumble dryer: expect to use 4.5 kWh in a single cycle
Gas Central Heating
Wood Stoves
Fixed Heaters
Portable Heaters
Repairs How to Fix it Yourself
Learn More about How - On This Page.
3711
Repair Cafes
Worldwide
418
Repair Cafes throughout
the United Kingdom
66798
On average items
repaired every month
55665
Volunteers
Fix it Yourself
Anyone visiting a waste disposal site knows only too well, that it is always busy and the very large skips fill up very quickly. We are literally throwing away millions of items that could be repaired, or may only need a facelift.
It is heartening to learn that more and more Repair Cafes are springing up around the UK they always need volunteers, maybe you can help. Some of their global partners include WD40, Leroy Merlin and Bostik. If however you do not have a repair cafe near you, the web site offers practical advice - find it here.
Our local authorities however have established recycling centres some with small shops attached where you might purchase items. Of course OXFAM will accept good clean working items.
Being willing to REFUSE unsustainable goods is one of the five key actions in the Circular Economy. As consumers each and every one of us should encourage manufacturers and service providers to reduce waste by actively pursuing the three pillars of the circular economy which are:
- Eliminate waste and pollution.
- Circulate products and materials (at their highest value)
- Regenerate nature.
If you are a consumer, or a
business seeking to learn more we recommend you
watch this short 4 minute video by BSI. Whether we like it or not, we are all members of the
'Take-Make-Waste' society, we are all contributing to an ecological disaster; is that really the legacy we want our children to inherit. The video discusses the lack of trust society has in the Circular Economy. The phrase 'Greenwashing' has a ring of truth. Society can make a difference today by refusing to buy products and services which does not offer clear sustainable evidence at the point of sale .
Think global, act local encourages us to use the 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle more effectively and which together with Refuse and Repurpose create a powerful force for good. The recently added Refuse means we should avoid goods in single-use containers and unnecessary packaging.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in its most recent report advises improved recycling rates of Household Waste for 2023 the most recent year of available figures. Total household waste amounted about 26 million tonnes of which 44.6% was recycled. As a nation we are better at managing our household waste but there is still a lot we can do.
We should always be prepared to fork out a bit more by purchasing durable and repairable products. Where we can we should reuse containers and bags, donate or sell items we long longer want or use, and responsibly recycle or compost food leftovers. Finally where we can, please, please repair anything broken. Below we highlight Repair Cafes, there may be one near you, if not the web site has a host of practical advice on how you Fix it Yourself.
What is the Difference between Being Eco-Friendly and Being Sustainable
Thankyou for visiting this page, if you have come this far we might between us help to make our world a better place. The activities on this page are eco-friendly, together they help to reduce emission outputs of CO2 by cutting back on waste, reducing energy consumption and by repairing, repurposing items we might otherwise have disposed of.
The next step is to become sustainable and by doing so regenerate nature so that it can continue to both provide and protect, not just ourselves but our children and our grandchildren . Sustainability is the holistic perspective that we all need not just to acknowledge, but wholly buy into. If you are ready to buy in hit the button for your next steps/
Contact us, we are here to help
We act in an outreach capacity on behalf of the BSI Academy, which is a valuable starting point for all businesses that want to achieve sustainable standards. We can fully recommend the Academy, which offers on line learning for companies together with one to one tutorials.
We welcome any feedback you would be willing to provide. Our website exists to encourage consumers to discuss if they too have experienced a lack of trust in products and services. All replies will be treated with the utmost confidentiality, nothing will be passed to any third party. We will at some point publish a summary of feedback to help other viewers to consider action themselves.
Contact Us
Driven by Design
the three principles of the Circular Economy are:
- Eliminate waste and pollution
- Circulate products and materials (at their highest value)
- Regenerate nature
Source: Ellen Macarthur Foundation
The Circular Revolution Debate is LIVE!
Our generations, from Baby Boomers to GenZ are responsible for creating global pollution on catastrophic scales, but the paradox is our generations have learned at breakneck speed just how much damage we are doing to our planet. Will our descendants term our age the Circular Revolution, it seems perfectly reasonable that it may be.
This page debates how each of us can do something to speed up the Circular Revolution. We are a phenomenon of our age, no matter where we live, the weight of public opinion is changing things, what we need to work on is how we can help; diversity is part of the answer.
BSI offers online, on demand courses to help businesses understand the principles of Net Zero. It advises how to implement more circular and sustainable practices within an organisation. Find out how here.****
Read the latest BDO Report May 2024
here where investments in the Circular Economy (CE) over 2023 are bucking the trend. Total funding increased by 30% as M & A investments fell in the same period by 17%.
The report confirms consumers expect, in fact demand, that products and services will have a sustainable source, a history, proof of legitimacy, transparency. We are all consumers - we have a right to sustainability.
Aggregated Estimates of the rate of adoption of Circularity
Naturally Sustainable are indebted to BDO for their concise reporting of investments in the UK circular economy in 2023.
BDO report total disclosed investment of £1.3bn represented 50% annual growth year on year with average disclosed deal size increasing from £9m to £11m. As investment specialists they see the growth in the Circular Economy market as considerable achievement given the decrease in Merger and Acquisitions private investment over the same period.
Our business is that of research in an area we have known at strategic level since the late nineties. Yes the Circular Economy has been around that long!
We can strongly recommend BDO to anyone interested in data, quality information and trends in the Circular Economy.
A you ready to go circular We’re here to help!
We are partnered with the British Standards Institute Training Academy. Your first positive step could be read how the Academy can help your business. Click Here to find out more.
