FLOOW2 WORLD’S RESET BUTTONThe B2B sharing marketplace

CLOSING THE RESOURCE LOOPS THROUGH DIGITAL TRANSPARENCY OF MATERIAL- AND WASTE STREAMS

INTRODUCTION

More and more promising and inspiring circular products and services are seeing the light of day the past years. They are all largely facing the same challenges however because they are brave frontrunners operating in isolation: they all have to find ways, and not seldom reinvent the wheel, to manage resources supply, waste management, marketing of products etcetera. Hence, circular economy cannot be ‘implemented’ by anybody since it is impossible to oversee, predict or steer the likely, let alone the probably very unlikely events that will define and shape this system.

THE POWER OF TRANSPARENCY

That’s why transparency will become the pillar of a circular economy. Only when there is transparency of resources, products, services, skills and knowledge so that these can start flowing freely we can go from brave isolated initiatives to a fully functional economic system. Through transparency, ecosystems can become connected, grow, split, morph and interact: the essential dynamic needed to allow for a sustainable economic system to evolve.

All current and aspiring parties in the circular economy have to be able to tap into the vast amount of opportunities. When there is transparency of supply and demand for resources, products, skills, services, knowledge and facilities, all players can use it to their particular advantage. Whether they are inventors working on innovative products and design looking for knowledge or resources, or a municipality that is demolishing old buildings and wants to keep the resources in the loop. ...

...Once people will be able to find each other they will be facilitated to create products they first thought impossible, form unlikely alliances, operate in markets that previously were out of reach and be inspired to use resources they never knew were available before. And that, is the power of transparency.

SOLUTION: DIGITAL WASTE & MATERIALS MARKETPLACE

Once we have acknowledged that the power of transparency is the crucial starting point for closing resource loops, we need to figure out how we are going to create this transparency. That takes us to a digital solution: an online marketplace which allows every organization, health institution, business and government agency to make supply as well as demand of (local) waste- and resource streams transparent and thereby tradable to other organizations for circular purposes. For example, recycling, upcycling or the production of new, circular products.

ZERO WASTE SOCIETY

Making more efficient use of what we already have is becoming more im-portant every day, because it’s globally acknowlegged that we are using too much resources in our current ‘take-make-dump’ economy. It’s time to transform our world to a zero waste society. Therefore, sharing of waste and resources can be seen as an integral part of the development towards a more circular economy, in which loops are closed and today’s waste will be the resources of tomorrow.

FLOOW2 B2B MARKETPLACE

FLOOW2 World’s Reset Button (est. 2012) developed a digital marketplace that allows every organization to place surplus materials, waste and resources online, to make it transparent and tradable to any other organization that is in need of those materials, waste or resources. Leading to new revenue streams, cost savings, collaboration and sustainability. Additionally, the digital platform allows them to share equipment, services, facilities and personnel as well, closing the resource loops even further towards a circular economy. ...

...The high-quality search engine allows every platform user to search and filter on different categories, for example type of waste, resource quality,offered/requested, location, radius and other preferred filters. If organizations have found the waste- or resource streams they were looking for, the deal as well as the transaction (in euro’s or alternative currencies) can be done and completed through the integrated online payment system on the platform.

Next to the general digital marketplace, it is possible to create several sub-marketplaces under the leading platform. Users can then choose to share certain waste- or resource streams just within their own organization and/or a certain region and/or another network they are member of. All these digital marketplaces are part of a larger community. Practically speaking, the ‘Closing Resource Loops’ digital platform can be connected to platforms for likewise projects in for example other cities in The Netherlands, Europe or even overseas.

LANDSCAPE OF DIGITAL TOOLS

The digital marketplace as a digital solution on its own will not close the entire resource loops, for sure. So, all existing and complementary digital tools that can contribute to closing resource loops, are already or will be integrated on the digital platform. Think about block chain, digital currencies, real time locating systems, etc. In the infographic below you will find an overview of all digital solutions.

BENEFITS

Sharing assets is a radically innovative new business model that asks for a mindshift in all layers of a society and an organization. Once the mindshift has taken place, sharing assets will bring our societye and organizations not only financial, but also sustainable and social benefits.

• FINANCIAL | Investments can be avoided by optimizing usage of existing capacity, but also additional revenue can be generated by selling waste & materials. • ENVIRONMENTAL | When optimizing usage of available capacity, waste and materials, energy and resources will be saved. • SOCIAL | This innovative way of collaborating with other organizations or departments brings a different mindset to organizations and our society. Rather than nourishing a competitive environment, you can now start looking for win-win situations and new, unexpected, interesting collaborations may arise.

SHARING WASTE & MATERIALS HELPS REACHING UN SDG’s

Sharing waste and materials helps organizations in reaching the following Sustainable Development Goals: 9, 11 and 12. Here’s how...

9) Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation. Sharing provides organizations with a tool that allows them to make existing capacity transparent and tradable, enabling the upgrade of infrastructure and retrofitting of business models, creating more sustainable systems with increased resource-use efficiency.

11) Make cities and human settlement inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Sharing stimulates all stakeholders to contribute to the development of well- managed cities that are able to use innovation and ingenuity as key drivers for sustainable growth. ...

...12) Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. Intra- and intercompany sharing revolutionizes consumption and production patterns, setting sustainable standards for years to come.

INTERESTED?

Does your country, region, city or organization has the ambition to close resource loops by making waste- and resource streams transparent and thereby tradable through a digital marketplace? In order to make more efficient use of available waste and materials, contributing to a more circular economy.

Contact FLOOW2 via: Kim TjoaKim.tjoa@floow2.com+31 (0)6 22 78 96 75