By Rachel Sheila Kan, Managing Director of Circular Earth and Circularity expert
Real Circularity 101: Introduction
Many people ask me as a Circularity Professional, what is Circularity?
I often hear, “Are you in recycling?”
Many people have the preconception that it is simply about reusing an item many times.
They might picture pre-loved fashion, giving something a good old mend, or sending items for recycling.
All of those elements sit inside Circularity. They matter. They have value.
At the same time, if they sit on their own and stay in isolation, they can still remain part of a linear economy that only softens the impact.
The question I have for most products is very simple: what is next?
Hi there, I’m Rachel Sheila Kan, and I work on applying Circularity inside businesses in the context of product and business. I have a background and domain focus in fashion, textiles and product. We work with businesses to start to apply Circularity in a way that fits their reality.
Sometimes that means iterating a product in line with the circular economy, while still keeping a clear business case.
Sometimes it means building a large systems-thinking strategy for a fashion body.
Sometimes I am working with tech companies on their approach.
Sometimes we work on education with professionals inside companies through our Academy and with students and staff inside universities.
I work with Kenneth Alston, “the elder”, as he likes to call himself. He has over 35 years in Circularity and worked with originators of Cradle to Cradle, which acted as a pre-cursor to Circularity. That early space set out the principle that items must be cycled within natural and technical or synthetic cycles. Those principles now sit at the heart of Circular futures.
At Real Circularity we keep it REAL.
We know that Circularity is an iteration for businesses just as much as it is about the product cycle. We need to focus on how a business adapts in order to apply this work. It has become a huge focus, especially on strategy, so that we make value throughout all the use spans of an item.
So why is Circularity not simply reuse or just recycling?
A Real Circular system is not “recycling on steroids”.
We look to optimise product so that it is SAFE and DESIGNED to deconstruct and move back into a cycle that lifts it, rather than drags it down.
Recycling can still be a degenerative process.
We focus on making the right cycles and keeping the integrity of that item for as long as possible.
Circular systems, and especially what we call the zoom out to a systems level, can become complex. I realised that I needed to make it easier for professionals and businesses to make sense of this.
To reach a more simple expression of Circularity, I asked my younger son, who is ten, what he thought Circularity is. He has been following our work for his entire life. He summed it up when he said it in one line:
“Circularity = Infinity”
Boom.
That became the catalyst for our overall definition of Real Circularity.
Real Circularity
“Real Circularity™ is the science and practice of sustainable circularity. It iterates toward safe, infinite cycles across products, business models, finance, ethics, customer adoption, and physical systems – never siloed, always systemic.”
We loved this so much that we based our Real Circularity 101 micro course and visual playbook around the concept.
As a valued member of Play It Green, we would love to extend to you the offer of joining our micro course and viewing our Visual Playbook, so you can get a feel for how you start to apply the work inside your business.
As it says in our book, “Take Theory into Reality” with Real Circularity.
Micro-course and playbook: https://realcircularity.com/rc101/
Book: https://realcircularity.com/book/
About the Author
Rachel Sheila Kan is the Managing Director of Circular Earth and a Circularity expert working across fashion, textiles, product, technology and education. She co-develops Real Circularity with Kenneth Alston, drawing on more than three decades of practice linked to Cradle to Cradle. Through consultancy, the Real Circularity Academy, and partnerships with universities and industry bodies, Rachel helps organisations apply Circularity in a way that links products, systems and strategy in real life.
Learn more at circularearth.com
Join the Community Making Change
Do you want more content on circularity like this article from Rachel Sheila Kan from Real Circularity? Join a community that turns inspiration into measurable impact.
At Play It Green, we help people and businesses take real climate, environment and social action through simple, effective steps. From Net Zero education to nature repair and social impact, we make doing the right thing part of everyday life and business, without the overwhelm.
Join Play It Green today for just £5 per person per month and start making positive change that lasts.
