Dow, 3M, Target Among Major Companies Advancing Circular Economy Principles

circular economy

by | Jun 16, 2016

This article is included in these additional categories:

circular economyDow, 3M and Target are among the 25 major companies and organizations that have launched an initiative to promote the circular economy.

The Minnesota Sustainable Growth Coalition says adopting circular economy principles — where raw materials are extracted and made into products that are designed and manufactured for reuse and remanufacturing or recycling — will uncover business growth opportunities and drive innovation.

Circular economy principles also promote better waste management by sending less material to landfills.

They organizations say they will “go beyond addressing environmental performance in their operations and supply chains to identify what progress can be made by working across sectors and across industries.” This includes scoping projects that advance clean energy, convert organic waste into valuable resources, and protect or restore the natural water cycle.

Members include: 3M, Andersen Corporation, Aveda, Best Buy, Cargill, Center for Energy and Environment, Dow Water, Ecolab, Ever-Green Energy, Fredrikson & Byron P.A., General Mills, Greater MSP, Great Plains Institute, Great River Energy, HealthPartners, Hormel Foods, Institute on the Environment – University of Minnesota, Medtronic, Metropolitan Airports Commission, Metropolitan Council, Pentair, Target, Tennant Company, Tunheim, Uponor, Wenck and Xcel Energy.

Environmental Initiative, a local nonprofit organization, is convening and facilitating the coalition.

The circular economy is a concept that has gained traction across industries in recent months, from the building sector to the health care industry and the plastics value chain.

The New Plastics Economy initiative, organized by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, launched late last month with the backing of major companies including Amcor, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Dow Chemical and Mars.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation says this three-year plastics initiative, which includes consumer goods companies, plastic packaging producers and plastics manufacturers, recyclers and others, is the first step towards a circular-economy approach to plastics.

In March the Ellen MacArthur Foundation launched a US chapter of its Circular Economy 100 (CE100) program.

Don’t miss our Environmental Leader 2016 Conference in June.

Additional articles you will be interested in.

Stay Informed

Get E+E Leader Articles delivered via Newsletter right to your inbox!

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Share This