In our project on Inclusive Circular Economy, we aim to explore diverse perspectives and key questions to present a clear understanding of what Inclusive Circular Economy means in light of our vision and mission.
The Wyss Academy is seeking collaboration with brave allies who are willing to explore the unknown, ask uncomfortable questions and bring together ideas that will shape a common understanding of a circular society. We aim to build exciting and unlikely relationships between individuals and organizations around the world.
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Our journey since 2021
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Initial Reflections
In May 2021, we began by asking ourselves a fundamental question: Why should the Wyss Academy engage with the topic of Circular Economy? This reflection led to an important realization our role is not to provide all the answers but to ask the right questions and bring fresh perspectives to this critical discussion. Through this reflection, we recognized that the term 'Circular Economy' does not incorporate aspects of environmental and social justice and inclusivity. To address this, we adopted the term 'Circular Societies' to broaden the scope and emphasize the importance of integrating both nature and people into the conversation on circularity.
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Co-Creation of Principles for a Circular Society
In January 2023, we organized three online co-creation workshops focusing on the transformation toward a Circular Society. These workshops explored how this transformation could be achieved in an inclusive and globally just way, addressing interconnected issues such as net-zero emissions, biodiversity, and the sustainable use of natural resources. Participants from across the globe—including Indigenous leaders, entrepreneurs, climate scientists, and others—came together to share their insights and tackle the pressing question of how to create a sustainable future for all.
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From Knowledge to Action
The co-creation workshops led to the development of principles for a just and sustainable transformation toward a Circular Society. With these principles in place, we shifted our focus to action. In April 2023, we organized two workshops where participants from around the world collaborated to generate practical ideas for implementing a Circular Society. The call for proposals resulted in 27 submissions from 10 countries across four continents, focusing on circular food systems and alternatives to resource-extractive livelihoods. After a pre-selection process, seven video pitches were created and presented at the 2291 Festival. The jury and the audience then selected three winners to receive funding.
Inclusive Circular Economy Roadmap and Roundtable Discussions
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Our commitment to fostering a Circular Society led to a collaboration with Chatham House for the Global Roadmap for an Inclusive Circular Economy. This initiative aims to create a shared vision for a global circular economy and establish a multilateral process for integrated coordination and policy alignment. One of the initiative’s key outputs in 2024 was a policy paper titled How the Circular Economy Can Revive the Sustainable Development Goals. ​
At the Wyss Academy, inclusivity is central to everything we do. To ensure the policy paper reflected diverse perspectives, particularly those often excluded from policy discussions, such as voices from the Global South, we convened roundtables in Nairobi, Lima, Bangkok, Delhi, and Geneva, with support from Swiss Embassies. These discussions brought together diverse stakeholders, including local entrepreneurs, policymakers, civil society leaders, and informal workers, to explore how local practices could inform global circular economy policies. The insights and recommendations gathered from these roundtables played a central role in shaping the policy paper.
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Our initial work and reflections with stakeholders from around the world on a Circular Society led to our engagement and contributions at a global level. As the discussion evolved, our terminology shifted from 'Circular Society' to 'Inclusive Circular Economy'—a term more widely recognized and tangible in policy discussions.
Bringing the Topic to Global Fora
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In collaboration with our partners Chatham House and WBCSD, we organized events during Climate Week NYC in September 2024 to present the findings of the co-designed policy paper on Inclusive Circular Economy. To ensure that the voices from the roundtable discussions were heard on the global stage, we produced a video that gives insight into their perspectives and contributions.
Looking ahead, we will continue to share our insights and approach to an Inclusive Circular Economy by participating in the Solution Stage on Circular Economy that is part of Action Days at the Building Bridges Conference in Geneva on10th December 2024.
