Circular Economy

Bringing creative design solutions to life with smart circular twists

Szilvia Szabó — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 13:46:28 +0000

Bringing creative design solutions to life with smart circular twists

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Circular Design

Circular Business

Recycling

Upcycling

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Circular Design

This article is part of the 'Celebrating Circular` initiative and story collection that spotlights trailblazer Irish businesses making strides towards a more sustainable and low-carbon economy.

Arriving in Ireland 11 years ago from Brazil, Caio Pazini had to look for opportunities to restart his life in a new country.

Working as a handyman and carpenter for two years gave him enough experience to start his own business, Forja Works, which offers design solutions with a twist: reusing perfectly good materials that no longer fulfil their original purpose and recycling as much as possible.

“I already had an eye for recycling as my family back in Brazil has been working in plastic recycling, so I knew more about this area.”

Initially, his main driver was to balance the lack of financial resources by saving materials instead of throwing them away.

Keeping materials in circularity

Having a background as an Environmental Engineer also helped him realise the potential of different materials while working on designs.

“I have the mindset of keeping materials in flow, whether through recycling, reusing or repurposing. I see endless possibilities when I look at designs or objects, imagining the best possible way to make them work.”

“When I look at designs or objects, I see endless possibilities, imagining the best way to reuse and repurpose materials.”

Caio Pazini, Founder of ForjaWorks

In the past years, Caio has worked on a wide variety of projects, from designing restaurant interiors and outdoor coffee areas to wardrobes and event installations.

In 2023, he was proud to divert over 2000 kg of discarded materials by breathing new life into them through his work.

“I’m at my best when I can work on the creative design while finding the best way to use materials all over again. I equally enjoy turning a piano into a bar and designing benches from recycled plastic.”

One of his recent projects was creating a ‘trash wave’ installation for KIA as part of their communication at the St Patrick's Festival. In this case, he had to demonstrate and visualise the plastic waste challenge by visualising the plastic journey.

Focusing on design longevity

Another area he focuses on is improving design longevity by using modular systems that allow him to replace or fix certain items without destroying or damaging the main structure.

For instance, he would adopt this approach at a coffee shop when creating fixed seating areas, making it possible to repair blocks instead of dismantling everything. Caio’s thinking goes beyond materials.

He added a ‘buy-back' service to his business, meaning he would offer partners a fair price to reclaim the materials he used when they no longer wanted them.

“Buying back materials from my clients allows me to redress or repurpose them and use them elsewhere. I have created a ‘library of materials' at my workshop so I can mix and match what I need according to the actual design I'm working on. This is a great deal for my partners, for my business and the environment.”

He aims to have a bigger facility where he can expand the ‘library of materials’ concept and scale this approach.

Exploring full circularity

Searching to take his ideas and enterprise to the next level led him to participate in the MODOS course.

“Being part of the programme helped me find new ways to finance my ideas and market our services and products besides rethinking my business model. The contacts and overall support were also beneficial. It also opened my eyes to carbon emissions and management and how to adopt it in a meaningful way to my company.”

An added value in joining the MODOS programme was to find a community where he was understood.

“It was nice to have a space where you are not considered weird because you want to do things differently.”

Building a three-pillar system

Talking about plans, he adds that his goal is to build a three-pillar system that can cover all aspects of being circular from start to finish.

“I have opened a new business focusing on producing recycled plastic sheets, so we can handle the manufacturing while our Studio creates the design and the original ForjaWorks enterprise delivers projects.

This way, we can offer a fully circular solution that ensures the best use of materials throughout the entire process.”

Although the advantages of adopting this approach are clear, he admits that convincing people to invest in a more long-term solution and consider their impact is challenging.

In 2023, Forja Works diverted over 2000 kg of discarded materials by breathing new life into them through creative design.

Staying and growing local

On top of working on circular solutions, Caio feels strongly about keeping everything local and avoiding imports as much as possible to reduce emissions and create more jobs locally.

“I hope to become a pioneer in this sector and lead by example. This also means I need to pave the way first, which takes a lot of energy and time.”

To walk to talk, he is keen to run his business responsibly. I

ntegrating solar panels and electric vehicles into their operations is part of their ambitious carbon emission reduction plan, and playing an active part in hosting the Canal Cleaning events in Portobello in Dublin is also on the agenda.

In the midst of running and expanding his business, Caio says it is hard to balance and find time to switch off, but luckily, his work is also his passion.

“I’m full of ideas but also need to keep the focus on the business to make things work. What keeps me grounded is the actual craft, making things with my hand. It is satisfying turning materials into creations and seeing things shaping up by your hand.”

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Starting a sharing revolution with circular packaging

Szilvia Szabó — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 10:14:33 +0000

Starting a sharing revolution with circular packaging

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Circular Packaging

Sharing Economy

Topic

Circular Business

This article is part of the 'Celebrating Circular` initiative and story collection that spotlights trailblazer Irish businesses making strides towards a more sustainable and low-carbon economy.

Despite the evident negative environmental impact, single-use coffee cups are still part of our daily lives.

Ireland is one of the most polluting countries in Europe, given that approximately 22,000 disposable cups are used every hour, which makes up about 200 million cups every year, creating 3,700 tonnes of waste, according to a Government of Ireland study published in 2020.

When Sarah Fliessbach moved to Ireland from Germany six years ago, she was surprised to see that disposable cups were the norm.

“It struck me that even events were dominated by single-use cups, and when COVID hit, this approach spread like wildfire since refill was not an option in order to stay aligned with health directives. It was crazy to see all those disposable cups and food packaging piling up,” Sarah recalls.

Finding an alternative to single-use plastic cups

She started to research options that could offer another viable solution with the potential to be scaled up in time.

At the beginning of the journey, Sarah talked with many businesses to determine whether there was an appetite for an alternative and how this could realistically work.

After gathering inputs, the idea of creating shareclub was born to offer circular packaging solutions for events, workplaces and takeaway services to minimise waste.

Sarah Fliessbach, Founder of shareclub, a start-up offering circular packaging solutions.

Receiving funding from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2023 as part of their Green Enterprise Innovation initiative provided a great opportunity to kickstart the business and further develop the idea.

“We designed a mobile application that allows users to scan a QR code on our cups to join the rental system and practically rent a cup for the duration of an event or elsewhere.

Using shareclub at events presents organisers with a very tangible outcome in terms of costs and savings as well as avoiding mountains of unnecessary waste.”

With this solution, they can cater all kinds of small and large events alongside coffee shops or canteens.

“Thanks to the app, we can precisely show partners their impact and savings, which they can use as reliable data in their impact report or communication.”

Shareclub now provides circular packaging solutions for events, workplaces and takeaway services to minimise waste by offering an easy-to-use rental service.

Inspiring return and meaningful sustainability efforts

Unlike other deposit schemes, Sarah would like to inspire people to return the cups, as she says this enhances overall sustainability.

“Our goal is to keep these items in circulation and use them many times. So far, we have reached a promising 98-99% return rate.”

To ensure the long-term usability of their products, they use high-quality plastic cups, which are practically unbreakable, dishwasher and microwave-safe, and can be remade into a new product at the end of their life.

The power of learning in building a circular enterprise

Building a circular enterprise tests Sarah and her team’s skills, and learning is part of their journey.

“I`m always curious to learn more, and sustainability is constantly evolving. It's great to have initiatives like the MODOS training where you can catch up and see what others are doing in this space. The little ideas and seeing the creativity of other businesses were truly inspirational.”

Learning about zero-waste business models and product development was especially interesting for Sarah.

“Looking at water usage was one of the aspects of the training that resonated with me since our cup cleaning process involves water usage through washing facilities. It made me explore this area further and ensure we take a circular approach, especially when we scale and have a bigger volume of cups.”

She mentions that discovering available supports as part of the MODOS course, such as the Local Enterprise Office offerings, was a great addition to the learning part.

Bridging the gap between intention and action

Introducing a circular business is a challenge, as Sarah shares that while the intention and interest are there, taking action and committing to adopting a new system is different.

“We need to be able to show how we can create value to bridge the gap between wanting to do this and actually doing it. At the moment, we focus on early adopters who already have the mindset, but scaling will require a lot of education.”

Although Sarah thinks that government policy and the CSRD are pushing businesses to think differently and actively seek opportunities to adopt sustainable practices.

Making a circular solution fun and appealing

One of their recent collaborations with the Dublin Coffee Festival proved that their concept works well and that people are more than happy to participate if you make it fun and convenient for them.

“We managed to avoid using single-use cups throughout the whole event. It worked without a glitch, which we are really proud of. We wanted to help people engage instead of making them uncomfortable.”

Their goal is to make shareclub accessible and hassle-free for partners and users and spark change to make the event industry circular step by step.

“We would like to become an influential player in transitioning Ireland to a more sustainable economy and make it the new norm at events to use our solutions.”

Once they establish shareclub in Ireland, Sarah would like to explore the potential of replicating the model in other countries. She believes that with the circular movement growing stronger, they could be there to provide a ready-to-use solution.

“Climate change is personal for me, and having two small children makes it very real as they already ask questions. I want to be able to say that I was part of the solution. I want to contribute and act now and find a way to make change happen.”

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Creating nutritious, sustainable snacks from rescued natural resources

Szilvia Szabó — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 10:56:08 +0000

Creating nutritious, sustainable snacks from rescued natural resources

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This article is part of the 'Celebrating Circular` initiative and story collection that spotlights trailblazer Irish businesses making strides towards a more sustainable and low-carbon economy.

Looking at waste as a potentially valuable resource is at the heart of the Circular Economy, and the agri-food sector is one of the hotspots where this approach can be highly beneficial.

Patrick Nagle and his partner Sunkyung Choi, or as everyone calls her, Sun, are not food scientists or sustainability experts, yet they have embarked on a journey to create a business that embraces circularity in food production.

They launched Well Spent Garin in 2022, a start-up that turns spent grain, a byproduct from the brewing process, into delicious, healthy, and sustainable snacks while diverting tons of waste that would otherwise end up in landfills and adding to carbon emissions.

Brewer’s spent grain (BSG) is a byproduct of the brewing process that accounts for approximately 85% of the waste produced by a brewery.

However, building this circular business goes beyond spotting a market opportunity.

A close up to climate change

The product idea is rooted in Patrick and Sun's shared passion for long-distance trekking and enjoying crossing various landscapes.

One of their adventures was a 430 km arctic track where they witnessed the shocking impact of climate change in its most profound form: lack of clean natural drinking water due to dried-up streams that would have sustained natural ecosystems for thousands of years.

Patrick Nagle and Sunkyung Choi, Founders of Well Spent Grain

Having to ration their water supplies for two days to go on without access to fresh water was an experience that sparked the thought of learning more about climate change and how they can take meaningful action.

After investigating and experimenting with various options, they came up with the Born Again Bites snack as a sustainable alternative.

Building a circular business model from scratch

Regarding overcoming challenges in building up their business, Sun says: “We received wonderful support from the South Dublin LEO, which helped with finance and mentoring, as well as access to networking and promotional opportunities.”

She adds that participating in the MODOS sustainable business training programme was also beneficial for expanding their knowledge and gaining valuable insights on building a more circular business model.

“Each session was practical, enabling me to directly apply the learning to our start-up. For instance, applying the design thinking approach to scaling up provided me with a fresh perspective,” she shares.

Sun particularly enjoyed learning through case studies and networking with other participants, getting to know different aspects of circularity and other areas, such as effective storytelling techniques.

Well Spent Grains turns spent grain, a byproduct from the brewing process, into delicious, healthy, and sustainable snacks while diverting tons of waste that would otherwise end up in landfills and adding to carbon emissions.

Entering mainstream grocery stores

Being recently selected to introduce their product in over 200 Lidl stores across Ireland in September is a major milestone for Sun and Patrick, which they hope will propel their enterprise further.

“The moment I first saw our product on the shelves, I realised we had actually done this. Now, it makes me proud to see the Born Again Bites in shops, and I'm really excited to expand our reach,” Patrick shares.

He also sees their participation in the Lidl Kickstart programme as an opportunity to move into a better-equipped facility and achieve their goal of taking production to the next level.

Well Spent Garin`s Born Again Bites is a sustainable and healthy snack aiming to fight climate change.

“Production is a big bottleneck for our business. We need to reach a point where we can justify larger premises and professional processing to move away from the slower and less effective ‘kitchen-based’ production.”

A creative touch to share the wonders of spent grain

Although spent grain has excellent nutritional values, as it is high in fibre and proteins and contains vitamins and minerals, its use is still underutilised.

Patrick shares that educating their audience and ensuring people understand what makes Born Again Bites a better choice is one of the most crucial areas they need to work on.

“We started a collaboration with another Irish start-up, Bold Donut, specialising in gamification, to create an online mini-game that takes players on a journey to explore where spent grain is coming from and what makes our product a more sustainable and healthier option,” Patrick says.

He adds that this playful approach is a great addition to their communication, which they plan to boost to reach a wider audience and spark interest.

Sun further explains that creating brand awareness as a small company with a limited budget in a crowded market and cutting through the noise requires more creativity.

Scaling with a positive impact

So far, Well Spent Grain has received multiple recognitions, including winning the silver medal at the 2023 National Startup Awards in the Food Drink category, being shortlisted for the Emerging Category at the RDS Circular Economy Awards in 2024, and Sun making it to the finals for the 2024 IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Awards in the Sustainability Champion of the Year category.

While they are striving to further develop the enterprise and create more products, Sun shares that it means more to them than just achieving business KPIs: “I worked for a corporation for over ten years and felt empty. Now, I’m more fulfilled, and I really like the fact that I`m doing something meaningful and making things better. We are mindful that scaling our business means scaling our impact, so we aim to get more involved with local communities and create value.”

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Catalysing societal change through reimagining the cultural sector and creative industries

Szilvia Szabó — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 08:40:27 +0000

Catalysing societal change through reimagining the cultural sector and creative industries

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Sustainability Strategy

Sustainable Business

Circular Business

Topic

Business Sustainability

This article is part of the 'Celebrating Circular` initiative and story collection that spotlights trailblazer Irish businesses making strides towards a more sustainable and low-carbon economy.

Envisioning a future where Ireland’s cultural sector and creative industries operate in a restorative and regenerative way, Michael Soro and Megan Best brought Native Events to life in 2017 to provide sustainable solutions.

They embarked on a journey to change the festival industry as a starter and worked on projects to get more events to adopt sustainability practices by using their services, such as integrating solar generators and sound systems or introducing deposit schemes to avoid single-use plastic and selective waste management, among other things.

Even though they made steady progress and gathered a skilled team, the pandemic forced them to pause. Instead of looking at this as a setback, they used the break from busyness to reflect on what they had learned, where the market was going, and how they could scale their impact.

They bounced back with new ideas and expanded their offerings, which allowed them to work on various projects, such as creating the Guide for Plastic-Free Festivals and Events or designing the Sustainability Toolkit for the Arts.

Megan says that for her "The circular economy is all about sharing - materials and assets, yes, but also ideas and connections.”

Megan Best, CEO of Native Events

Redirecting the sustainability focus

Transitioning from working in the cross-section of art and sustainability, Kate O'Neill joined Native Events as a Communication Specialist to expand their reach and work with partners.

“We have the ethos that cultural events and activities can be a catalyst for societal change. We see a festival as a microcosmos for change since you have a group of people together doing things they would also do on an everyday basis – this is where you can intervene,” Kate explains their approach.

Kate O'Neill, Communication Specialist at Native Events

She adds that with planning, you can pinpoint actions that would make a difference, but you also need smart communication to get people to make different decisions, such as using public transport.

Moving into education and training

Besides events, Native Events now also works with organisations and institutions where education and training are crucial in embedding sustainability projects.

Programme Manager Brecken Byron leverages her technology and education development background to design engaging, hands-on learning experiences that could drive transformative change.

"Our goal is to achieve that shift in thinking. To really integrate sustainability, you need education. Either people are open to this new thinking or are resistant; no one wants to fundamentally change their lives as it is very uncomfortable. So, we aim to manage the journey of change and get them to buy in,” Brecken explains.

As part of its expansion, Native Events is now piloting an action-oriented online course that focuses on adopting practical steps towards sustainability in the arts and other industries.

The fear associated with change

Kate adds that sustainability and change can be scary to look at, and they need to be mindful of that in all their work.

Keeping it real and losing the jargon can also help. It is a great practice for her to use their garden at home as a “nature classroom” with her son, which gives her that everyday aspect besides enjoying spending time together outdoors.

“The perception is that embedding sustainability is expensive and requires huge changes. Instead, we show that this is doable and can be broken down into practical steps considering the timeline and budget,”

says Kate, highlighting that building trust is crucial in their work.

She explains that, especially with events, you can never be 100% accurate since many things can modify any predicted scenario.

“For instance, one of our flagship collaborations is the carbon management of the St Patrick’s Festival, which includes a lot of logistics and multistakeholder involvement. We use a framework that allows us to manage all available data besides setting up a baseline to get a sense of ‘normal’ and lay out a roadmap for changes.”

Walking the walk and talking the talk

Besides providing educational opportunities to others, the team is keen to constantly upskill and sharpen their knowledge.

As CEO of Native Events, Megan Best joined the very first MODOS course, which was more of a pilot, as she recalls.

“I thought I had a good sense of the circular economy. It was brilliant to find out how much I didn't know,” pointing out that it was an eye-opener for her to learn about new areas such as modular design or industrial symbiosis.

It further propelled them to build new connections and even enrol in another climate-focused accelerator programme for entrepreneurs, which they probably wouldn't have done without MODOS.

The power of collaboration

Besides being strategic about sustainability and aiming to integrate projects across organisations, Native Events runs public involvement initiatives as well.

“We collaborated with Nature Trust to help rebuild Irish native woodlands by organising the Acorn Gathering event in 2023 where people could come along to Wicklow to collect acorns while learning insights from an ecologist on why this is so important,” Kate shares.

“Collectively, we gathered around 150 kg of acorn, which means that about 15,000 oak seedlings can be planted.

Another project that Brecken found fascinating is the Arts Council Climate Action Training Program, where they support about 150-200 organisations in crafting their own sustainability policies.

Brecken Byron, Programme Manager at Native Events

She adds: “All projects funded by the Arts Council need to implement sustainability initiatives as part of a new framework. We provide guidelines, organise seminars, peer-to-peer sessions, and offer tailored support to practically hold their hands to get them over the finish line.”

Brecken shares that it is exciting and motivating for her to work on diverse projects at Native Events so she can play her part in positively influencing people and sectors.

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Challenging the fast fashion machine and shifting mindsets

Szilvia Szabó — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 13:17:56 +0000

Challenging the fast fashion machine and shifting mindsets

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This article is part of the 'Celebrating Circular` initiative and story collection that spotlights trailblazer Irish businesses making strides towards a more sustainable and low-carbon economy.

The fashion industry is infamous for exploiting natural and human resources and is estimated to be responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions, more than international flights and maritime shipping combined.

Textile production alone is causing 20% of water pollution globally while using clean water supplies on a massive scale. According to an EU report, producing one cotton t-shirt requires about 2,700 litres of fresh water, which would be enough to meet one person’s drinking needs for 2.5 years.

The list of environmental and ethical issues that need to be addressed in the fashion industry could go on, raising the question of whether we can really change all of them.

Launching an ethical circular fashion brand

Sandra Murphy has over two decades of experience in the global fashion industry, including working as a designer for various leading American fashion brands such as Victoria’s Secret, Gap and Hanes while running her own small independent label while living in New York.

“I’ve seen how mass production works and also did boutique scale design, learning from both sides, which inspired me to search for ways to improve things.”

After 16 years of fast-paced New York life, she returned to Ireland determined to start with a blank canvas and launch a fashion brand that would reflect her learnings and values.

Sandra Murphy, Founder of AFORE AFTER ethical circular fashion brand

“My question was how to challenge a system that has been working in a specific way for decades."

Exploring circular and sustainability angles relentlessly

She started to explore every angle of creating a brand and product that is entirely circular and sustainable, looking at aspects from selecting garments to design, manufacturing and logistics.

“I found that small things like removing a plastic tag from the garment can make a difference, and using ethical and sustainable certified materials are not making production drastically more expensive.”

Even naming her business AFORE AFTER encapsulates her commitment to considering the before-and-after stages and moving away from the linear thinking that only focuses on the before part but ignores what happens with an item after its use.

Admittedly, Sandra is still figuring out how to make her business completely sustainable, but she has already created some groundbreaking solutions.

Dealing with the complexity of garments

In her quest to use a genuinely sustainable material, she realised that the complexity of garments is an issue when it comes to recycling.

This motivated Sandra to design the ETERNAL, a synthetic-free, mono-material and biodegradable garment with zero post-consumer waste that practically can remove all technical necessity for plastic and polyester materials, delivering a truly recyclable solution.

Besides material innovation, she spotted another opportunity to fight the throwaway culture and create a circular clothing option.

So, she came up with a creative design for the ETERNAL collection that would allow this clothing to be styled in 12 different ways, expanding the use of the same piece.

“If we’re going to move away from fast fashion, every single item in our wardrobe needs to work harder. I wanted to challenge the idea that a garment can only serve one or two purposes.”

The creative design of the ETERNAL collection would allow this clothing to be styled in 12 different ways, expanding the use of the same piece and fighting the throw-away culture.

The power of exchanging ideas and experiences

Sandra is keen to learn and expand her horizons, so it was a no-brainer for her to join the MODOS circular business course.

“I was probably more prepared from the circular economy point of view, but other areas like communication and customer engagement were certainly less known to me, and the course provided an excellent insight into these areas. Working with a mentor also helped a lot in translating what I learned into everyday situations.”

Another valuable part for her was that she could exchange ideas and experiences with other businesses.

She recalls that managing sustainable packaging was a common issue for everyone in her group, regardless of their sectors.

“I decided to use paper packaging and eliminate plastic completely. I use a solution that I call a “bagvelope”, which is a mix between a delivery bag and an envelope.

I prefer this even if it means that sometimes I have to take a return due to delivery damage from rain.”

Sandra learned unexpected things during the MODOS course, and she says that no matter what level you are at, there will be something you can take from this learning experience.

There’s no copy-paste solution for a sustainable, circular business

“Sustainability in general is not figured out. You can’t blindly follow and adopt a model like a copy-paste solution. There’s a learning curve in this for everyone.”

Sandra says there's a lot to do in not just educating businesses but consumers, especially when it comes to fashion.

"When you buy an organic banana, you know exactly what that means.

But when you say sustainability in fashion, it can mean many things, and you should definitely look beyond using recycled materials, not to mention anything about production or other areas.

However, limited knowledge and a lack of transparency make greenwashing and influencing people easy enough.”

The additional hurdle of shifting mindsets

She adds that due to the complexity of fashion and the massive communication budget, big brands spend on “brainwashing” people to keep buying new stuff, making it very difficult to change how things work.

“I have a strict transparency policy so my buyers can see exactly what makes up the pricing.”

Sandra plans to build her business on the two pillars of product innovation and knowledge sharing, addressing both raising awareness and providing a solution to make fashion more sustainable.

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Being practical about sustainability opens new frontiers for innovative craft distillery

Szilvia Szabó — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 12:07:48 +0000

Being practical about sustainability opens new frontiers for innovative craft distillery

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Sustainable Business

Circular Business

Topic

Business Sustainability

This article is part of the 'Celebrating Circular` initiative and story collection that spotlights trailblazer Irish businesses making strides towards a more sustainable and low-carbon economy.

Producing award-winning gins, vodka, and traditional pot still Irish whisky could have been ambitious enough for the Blackwater Distillery in West Waterford, but they did not stop there.

Since its opening in 2014, the micro-distillery has accomplished a lot, and the new frontier in development is making its operation more sustainable.

Silvia Torresi joined the company in 2021 to make that happen, in addition to contributing to other areas of production at the company. After working several years in EU development projects from Brussels, Silvia felt she wanted to move to an area closer to her heart.

She decided to take a leap of faith and study at a postgraduate sustainability and food course at UCLA in the US to make that shift. She was eager to put her knowledge into practice after finishing her studies.

“You can study as much as you can, but unless you are doing it, you don`t have a clue how to adopt things.”

Searching for opportunities took her to the Blackwater Distillery in Ireland. “Besides working as a gin distiller, I'm responsible for all things related to sustainability, from reporting to resource consumption monitoring to adopting circularity where we can while constantly exploring new opportunities to improve our operations.”

Silvia Torresi, Distiller and Sustainability Manager at Blackwater Distillery. Image: Joleen Cronin

“Running a small business means sustainability must be part of your operation. Circular might be the official word, but I think of it as being resourceful.”

Silvia highlights that investing in this area is a barrier for many smaller enterprises. She adds that reporting can actually help set targets and develop a long-term plan, which is something to aspire to.

Waste management as a focus area

“We are a very down-to-earth company, trying to be as practical as possible about sustainability as well. Waste management is one of the key areas we focus on, which means we are not just selecting waste and training employees to sort waste properly but actively looking for ways to reduce or avoid it. For example, when we receive our bottles packed in cardboard and plastic, we aim to reuse these materials.”

In addition to waste management, they only use paper labels on their bottles instead of plastic ones, give spent grain and other side products to local farmers, and are involved with initiatives like Origin Green.

“Reduction is the main path for us in general – regarding energy, waste, etc.

Reducing our impact means not losing money on resources we use or wasting what we produce. Circular might be the official word for it, but I would rather call it being resourceful.”

On the sustainability journey

Communication is one of the areas where Silvia was looking for further developments when she joined the MODOS sustainability training, searching for opportunities to expand her knowledge.

“One of the sessions I found interesting was on communicating the sustainability journey to better connect with our audience. The additional mentoring really helped me understand how to translate what we are doing and even negotiate better deals for the company.”

Silvia shares that engaging partners, customers and employees in their sustainability efforts is an important element of her job.

She note that additional mentoring really helped her understand how to translate what they are doing and even negotiate better deals for the company.

“For me, the social part is the most exciting. Involving employees or partners and getting them to understand why what we are doing is important and how it makes a difference.”

Blackwater Distillery makes award-winning gin and small-batch Irish whiskey, adopting sustainability practices as a way to develop its operation further while creating value for local communities.

Being an active community member

Since they are a small team, it can be as simple as having team building programmes with a purpose, like going out for a beach cleanup, just chatting, and sharing a meal without the pressure of everyday tasks.

Being part of the local community through sponsoring events and working with local suppliers is also part of their approach.

However, Silvia notes that you need to consider where to start with changes and pick your battles.

She says: “In our case, whiskey is a more traditional product with certain expectations attached to it in terms of look or packaging. You can be more creative and adventurous with other products like gins, which attract a different audience that is probably more open to new ideas.”

Using paper labels on Blackwater Distillery bottles instead of plastic helps reduce unnecessary waste.

Talking about developments, she says exploring all available options regarding sustainability is part of the journey, checking what is possible within their capacity to change and optimise operations.

“When I think of further developing Blackwater Distillery, I dream of creating a net zero emissions product and moving into a larger premise where we could have all our operations in one place.”

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Blending science, community and nature in modern Irish spirits with pro-social disruption

Szilvia Szabó — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 14:47:56 +0000

Blending science, community and nature in modern Irish spirits with pro-social disruption

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This article is part of the 'Celebrating Circular` initiative and story collection that spotlights trailblazer Irish businesses making strides towards a more sustainable and low-carbon economy.

There are many ways to design an innovative product, develop a community, or care for the environment, but doing all these things together is extremely rare.

Blending science, community and nature makes creating modern Irish spirits different at Dublin-based Stillgarden Distillery.

“We call this pro-social disruption,” explains Viki Baird, Co-Founder, also known as the Boss Lady.

This approach has led the enterprise to win multiple awards since its launch in 2020, but that's more of an indicator that they are on the right path rather than a driver.

“We keep production independent and local in every bit of what we do, focusing on building a community and giving back besides running a business.”

Viki Baird, Co-Founder of Stillgarden Distillery

Recognising potential

Managing a community garden might be the most obvious manifestation of this mindset, as she shares that this element of the business is her pride and joy.

“We are based in an up-and-coming neighbourhood in Dublin 8, which didn't have the best reputation. There was an abandoned land close to us that was a hub for antisocial behaviour, where we saw the potential to create a community garden. Everyone said we were mad, and it will never work.”

With the support from Dublin City Council, they turned the site into a flourishing garden, which now plays a vital part in creating their products while inviting people to become part of a new type of community.

“We have our ups and downs, including a constant fight against vandalism, but eventually, as we hosted programmes and kept the garden open, it started attracting more people from the neighbourhood.”

Grow kits used in the Social Botanist Project

The birth of the Social Botanist Project

When COVID and lockdowns hit, they were still early in the development phase of the garden, so they created the Social Botanist project to give herb growing kits to out-of-work bartenders to take home and bring back grown plants.

Using these plants to populate the garden sparked the idea to use the two plants that thrived the most, mint and lavender, as ingredients to create their flagship Social Gin.

Harnessing a pro-social attitude and leading with sustainability

In addition to the garden, other business areas also reflect their pro-social attitude.

“We use motion-activated lights, reuse packaging that comes in with our supplies and run a bottle brought back scheme where we give discounts or free products for glasses that customers return.”

Viki explains that in production, they use vacuum distillation, which requires less energy while capturing the essence of ingredients, resulting in beautiful flavours.

“We are also mindful of food waste and aim to repurpose byproducts in making ice cream and tea bags. We give away what we cannot use to local chicken farmers, and we even have a tradition of collaborating with local bakers to make Christmas gin cakes using our byproducts.”

Stillgarden Distillery is also committed to the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, an initiative to protect pollinators such as bees and butterflies and ensure their vital role in Ireland’s ecosystem.

Their garden has dedicated sections that are maintained to go a little more “wild” to encourage a diverse range of pollinators.

Questioning the obvious to adopt changes for a more sustainable business

On a personal level, Viki doesn't like waste, which comes across in how she manages every aspect of the business.

“I feel passionate about avoiding waste and questioning what we are doing and why.”

Sharing what they have learned is also important to her, and she was thrilled to give a lecture as part of the MODOS sustainable business course.

“I think this programme gives participants a great overview with practical examples so they can challenge the obvious with more confidence.”

Building meaningful connections and empowering the local community

Being sociable and enjoying connecting with people makes it easier for Viki to build meaningful relationships with others, whether she visits their stockist, hosts events, or meets with their gardening community.

“We offer a lot of points for connection through having a lovely visitor centre, hosting the social botanist events or running tasting events and masterclasses where people can create their own spirit by choosing from about 110 ingredients.”

It is a lot to look after, and being a business owner is a 24/7 job for Viki, but nature walks with her husband and cycling clear her head and refresh her thoughts when needed.

Looking at what they have achieved in Dublin 8 regarding transforming a community, she envisions replicating this model and starting to create small local communities, potentially with production sites in other parts of Ireland and abroad in the future.

“Using our pro-social approach to change other underdeveloped areas would be an amazing opportunity to scale our impact and improve people's lives.”

The Social Gin is Ireland’s first community produced gin made with mint and lavender grown by Social Botanists at home and then planted in Stillgarden Community Garden.

Explore other inspirational stories as part of the Celebrating Circular initiative supported by the Regional Waste Management Planning Offices and Dublin City Council.

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Embracing efficiency for better business operations and minimising environmental impact

Szilvia Szabó — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 15:12:30 +0000

Embracing efficiency for better business operations and minimising environmental impact

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Sustainable Business

Resource Efficiency

Topic

Sustainable business

This article is part of the 'Celebrating Circular` initiative and story collection that spotlights trailblazer Irish businesses making strides towards a more sustainable and low-carbon economy.

A DIY and building supplies store that offers everything from paint, cleaning solutions, homewares, gardening, and building supplies to workwear might not be the most obvious place to look for a leader in climate action.

But looking behind the scenes at Burke’s Homevalue Rathnew in Wicklow, you will find an array of sustainable practices designed to run an environmentally conscious and energy-efficient business that offers customers the best products with friendly service.

Starting with the easy wins of sustainability

John Burke, Managing Director, says that the company's approach to sustainability is business-driven and must contribute to improving the bottom line.

“I believe environmentalists are mostly blinded to the reality of running a business since they are caught up in their passion.

For us, the priority is to develop the company and adopting sustainability is a good way of doing that.”

In the past 18 years, they have experimented with many areas to improve efficiency, which has decreased their environmental impact as well as enhanced operations.

John Burke, Managing Director at Burke’s Homevalue Rathnew

“Lights and energy are massive monsters, but upgrading our systems resulted in significant savings.”

One of their greatest achievements is reducing their electricity bill from €20,000 in 2008 to €8,000 in 2020 before even installing solar panels.

“Starting with the easy wins and scaling solutions that work is how we approach adopting changes. All the little things where you improve efficiency will add up in the end. It makes complete business sense, and it`s also a great warm feeling to see that we are not leaking money in different places,” John shares.

“All the little things where you improve efficiency will add up in the end, and it makes complete business sense not to leak money in different places.”

Although technical improvements are essential, having over 300 trees sequestering nearly 9 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually while making the site look friendlier.

The importance of trial and error

He believes in a “trial and error” mentality in figuring out solutions, which also led him to review an area often overlooked in optimising business operations: using IT infrastructure.

“Our servers now consume 4.5 times less energy than our previous system, and the energy consumption of five new PCs is equivalent to that of a single old PC. We also have a dedicated, insulated server room designed to minimise cooling and energy consumption.”

Besides reducing energy consumption, they also wanted to move away from non-renewable options. Installing solar panels on the building's roof allowed the company to primarily operate on solar energy for nine months of the year.

In 2019, they also transitioned from diesel to electric forklifts, resulting in significant fuel savings, reduced carbon emissions, and improved air quality within the store.

Although they are constantly on the hunt to adopt practices that will help them avoid unnecessary waste, whether from packaging or energy use, John feels that many technologies are beyond the reach of a smaller company.

Installing solar panels on the building's roof allowed the company to primarily operate on solar energy for nine months of the year.

He adds that if more companies adopt sustainability, it would generate a larger market share and help lower the prices of innovative solutions.

Adopting circular economy principles for efficiency

Using a cost-benefit analysis, in addition to constantly examining the data, helps him identify places where he can achieve the best outcome by implementing changes.

John’s commitment to adopting circular economy principles ensures that materials are reused and repurposed wherever possible, especially when it comes to managing waste.

Installing new equipment helped them turn waste management “from a cost centre into a revenue generator” and significantly improve their plastic and cardboard recycling processes.

“I enjoy tracking how our data improves thanks to enhanced efficiency. I've done a lot of heavy lifting already, but you can`t stay put, and I’m always keen to see new things.”

With this mentality, he decided to participate in the MODOS business sustainability training, which exposed him to what other businesses are doing.

“I was blown away to learn how others are approaching different things.This knowledge exchange was probably the most valuable part for me besides realising that carbon management and packaging was an issue for most of us.”

Planning ahead

He has ambitious plans to improve their operations further, including increasing their electric vehicle fleet and a big dream of having a windmill at some point.

Bringing their customers on the sustainability journey is more challenging as John doesn`t experience a rush in actively seeking out greener products.

Although they are dedicated to prioritising sourcing sustainably produced products, including water-based eco-friendly paints and paint accessories.

“We encourage our customers to start with cost-effective measures to improve energy efficiency and environmental awareness. By showing the tangible benefits, such as reduced bills and expenses, we believe in a "sold, not told" approach to going green.”

Explore other inspirational stories as part of the Celebrating Circular initiative supported by the Regional Waste Management Planning Offices and Dublin City Council.

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Leading a cosmetic revolution to leave the world “lusher than we found it”

Szilvia Szabó — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 14:15:21 +0000

Leading a cosmetic revolution to leave the world “lusher than we found it”

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Sustainable Business

Circular Design

Topic

Sustainable business

This article is part of the 'Celebrating Circular` initiative and story collection that spotlights trailblazer Irish businesses making strides towards a more sustainable and low-carbon economy.

From skincare to haircare, beauty products are part of our everyday lives, and the industry has significant environmental and social implications ranging from ethical production to animal rights or the use of natural resources and chemicals, besides adding to the global waste crisis through packaging.

With a radical approach to going against mainstream wasteful and harmful beauty industry practices, Lush has become a trailblazer in sustainable and fair beauty since its launch in the UK in 1995.

Their mission is driven by innovation and ethics to create beauty products for every need and lead a cosmetic revolution to save the planet with the ultimate goal of leaving the world ‘Lusher than we found it’.

The ‘Naked’ approach

Niamh Doyle, Lush Store Manager at Henry Street in Dublin, says that one of the most revolutionary things customers appreciate is the company's ‘naked approach’, which transcends every aspect of the business, from product development to communication and packaging.

Considering that 95% of cosmetic packaging is thrown away, the ‘naked’ approach makes a real difference in avoiding unnecessary waste, but it goes beyond that.

“Community is at the heart of everything we do, and by becoming a manager, it is my role to consistently understand and nurture our community, including our team, partners and customers.”

The "naked" bathbomb is one of the signature products Lush introduced without using extra packaging.

Making sustainability fun and exciting for people to get involved

When she started working here, Niamh was impressed by the brand’s values and communication.

She says, “Although the Lush is very serious about its impact and the challenges we face, it makes it more fun and less scary for people to get involved and make better choices.”

She emphasises the importance of having conversations with customers besides putting out communication materials and running campaigns.

Niamh thinks that plays a vital role in helping them better understand the impact they can have by choosing Lush and having their staff listen to them and understand what matters to them.

“The support we get from the company in communication is great, but we need to find ways to find what matters locally. For instance, we are just about to launch a new climate change campaign where we will invite Irish organisations to host community events at our store and talk about climate action in a local context.”

The Bring It Back recycling scheme

One of the most popular action-oriented initiatives Niamh highlights is their Bring It Back recycling scheme, where customers can return clean plastic bottles and pots for a discount or free product in exchange for their efforts.

“Although we try to avoid packaging as much as possible, with this initiative, we aim to recycle what we use at the Lush Green Hub in the UK.”

In addition to products, Niamh adds that running the store with sustainability in mind is also part of their goals, which inspired her to join the MODOS sustainability course and learn more about circular and sustainable practices.

Addressing sustainability challenges locally

“We have sustainability challenges like managing water consumption, cardboard, or waste. As a shop located in the city centre, there are waste management issues we can't overcome at the moment, such as not being able to have a compost bin, which we would normally have at other stores.”

Although Niamh knew about the circular economy, she realised that she could always learn something new, and joining MODOS helped her explore areas that challenged her thinking.

“The course was designed in a way that made you think. Nothing was good or bad, which allowed you to rethink and question practices or assumptions.

I particularly liked the concept of how businesses could learn from nature in terms of strategy or having a regenerative approach to how they operate.”

On a practical level, the MODOS training was a real booster for looking at the store’s carbon footprint and integrating this thinking into managing her team by taking an everyday approach.

Creating a blueprint for a more holistic, nature-focused business approach

Lush has created a blueprint for implementing a more holistic, nature-focused approach as a company, and Niamh feels that other businesses can capitalise on that.

“We think about the entire journey with a customer in mind and how they will use and discard products. For instance, we don`t use anything that would release microplastics in addition to other sustainability considerations.”

Today, Lush has over 850 shops and operates in 50 countries, working to create a company culture that inspires them.

Lush`s Cork Pot is a carbon-positive piece of packaging that is 100% natural, reusable, and biodegradable.

Nurturing a motivational environment

“I really appreciate the motivational atmosphere and positive attitude here, which helps make challenging situations more manageable without too much anxiety.

The mindset of ‘What can I do today to make it better?’ keeps you more grounded.”

She shares that one of her favourite innovations at Lush is the Cork Pot, a product container made out of cork.

This carbon-positive piece of packaging can help customers enjoy their products longer while being 100% natural, reusable, and biodegradable.

Explore other inspirational stories as part of the Celebrating Circular initiative supported by the Regional Waste Management Planning Offices and Dublin City Council.

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Innovating green products from renewable resources to change everyday habits

Szilvia Szabó — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 11:25:23 +0000

Innovating green products from renewable resources to change everyday habits

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Green Products

Circular Business

Topic

Circular Business

This article is part of the 'Celebrating Circular` initiative and story collection that spotlights trailblazer Irish businesses making strides towards a more sustainable and low-carbon economy.

Talking about sustainability 30 years ago was mostly a chatter among environmentalists, and very few businesses were looking at innovating products based on considering environmental impact.

Still, two brothers, Russel and Garret Walsh, decided to leverage their engineering backgrounds to establish VivaGreen in 1992 to create a knowledge-based company and design innovative products made from renewable resources to empower people to choose natural alternatives.

Based in Dublin, they became world leaders in researching and developing biodegradable, chemical, and plastic-free materials, which led them to design various high-quality eco-friendly garden and household products.

Russel and Garret Walsh, Founders of VivaGreen

Spotting opportunities to create green alternatives

Sean O’Haire, Marketing Manager, shares that the idea of creating one of their flagship products, the GreenStake, came from Garret’s passion for golf as he saw the countless plastic and metal staples used during plays, creating waste every step of the way.

He spotted the opportunity to create a green alternative that could offer a better solution, which eventually turned out to be one of the best decisions they have ever made.

“The application of this product now ranges from landscaping, gardening, and golf course maintenance to the use in fixing erosion control blankets or building tents.

This product has been 25 years in the making, but now it's in the spotlight as the market for sustainable products is surging,”

Sean explains.

Today, GreenStake is America's number one biodegradable staple, with a special ASTM D6400 certification that ensures it is plastic-free and truly biodegradable.

He adds that new policies and regulations with environmental considerations are game-changers for them in advancing this product. Today, their customers range from agri-giant John Deer to California State Parks to the Glastonbury Festival, to name a few.

Creating products with zero negative impact

The mindset of creating zero impact products has been guiding the company’s product development over the years.

One of their other major successes was designing MossOff, a unique formula made with natural ingredients that removes and prevents moss from virtually every surface.

VivaGreen created the world’s first chemical-free moss killer, which uses an innovative technology that practically makes moss suffocate without any harmful additive.

“While seeing these green products succeed in markets is great, we keep asking how we can use our expertise to create better alternatives.”

Sean explains that with this solution, you can have peace of mind knowing that it is safe around children, pets, plants, and pond life.

All these qualities and the easy-to-use method, where you only need to mix it with water, made MossOff the number one choice in Europe, with customers including Oxford University, the UK National Trust, and Windsor Castle.

Sean O’Haire, Marketing Manager, VivaGreen

Developing Tru Eco

Their passion led them on another adventure starting in 2021 to develop Tru Eco, a laundry and household range that could outperform chemical-based competitors.

This time, they aspired to make not just the product itself but every aspect of product management sustainable.

“We joined the MODOS business training to investigate how to bring our Tru Eco formula to market and examine every step of the journey so it would be fully circular. Looking at building a reverse logistics system where we can embrace reuse and refill was one of the areas we wanted to focus on.”

As Sean recalls, approaching this new challenge was a massive undertaking, but they knew where the market was going, and the course acted as a catalyst to explore this area further.

“We realised that we couldn’t be just another product. We had to stand out, offering a list of different unique selling points with our new Tru Eco range.”

Embracing circularity in product development

“Adding reverse logistics to the mix was a real challenge as it has never been done before at this scale in our industry.

It required a lot of education of partners and behind-the-scenes discussions to engage others and build up a system from scratch.”

They designed and built refill stations, but they also had to ensure they were presented and maintained properly at the stores, which initially was challenging.

Their hard work started to pay off when they saw that empty bottles were coming back, indicating that customers had a real appetite for not just using the product but participating in a refill and reuse scheme.

VivaGreen refill station for eco households products.

Collaborating for positive change

“We spent so much time and effort experimenting with creating a fully circular system, but our achievements show that it can be done. However, we couldn't have done it alone. We needed many partners along the way, from shops to manufacturers and distributors, to buy in and work together.”

Since they work with partners abroad, Sean is excited to explore how they can replicate this model in other countries.

“We have partners visiting us in Ireland to learn more about our circular and sustainable practices, and we are proud to present Irish innovation on a global scale. Also, now we use our expertise to develop solutions for others."

There’s great potential in advancing VivaGreen's mission to create solutions that are good for people and the planet, and Sean shares that recently becoming a father makes him proud to be part of creating a more liveable future.

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