REVOLVE CIRCULAR & COPERNICUS INSTITUTE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT WILL LAUNCH

USPA NEWS - To better understand how people around the globe perceive a transformation from a linear take-make-waste economy to a circular refuse-reduce-rethink society, REVOLVE Circular and the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at the Utrecht University will launch #ImagineCircularity on 19 April 2021. Systemic change in terms of the way we produce, consume and treat the environment needs to happen live ““ in our brains, corporate board rooms, and parliaments. In order to better understand how people around the globe perceive a transformation from a linear take-make-waste economy to a circular refuse-reduce-rethink society, the Vienna-based non-profit organization REVOLVE Circular (www.Revolve.media/Circular) and the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at the Utrecht University (https://bit.ly/3tkzrIf) will launch #ImagineCircularity (www.Imagine-Circularity.world) on 19 April 2021 - the first ever survey seeking to understand how people around the globe envision a more circular economy.

The circular economy is still a relatively new paradigm which different stakeholders understand, apply and promote in a different manner. Some also criticise the concept for focusing narrowly on resource challenges and resource efficiency while neglecting environmental and societal concerns. The first global survey on the circular economy entitled “˜Imagine Circularity´ will seek to understand how consumers, producers and product designers perceive the circular economy. The findings shall feed into policy-making processes, influence corporate decision-making, and help change consumption patterns globally. “Let´s be honest: the necessary transformation from a linear economy obsessed with an economic growth paradigm to a circular and inclusive society will not happen in well-written reports, press releases or in Zoom meetings“, says Sören Bauer, President of the Austrian non-profit organisation REVOLVE Circular. “Fifty years after the US American musician Gil Scott-Heron released “˜The revolution will not be televised´ (https://bit.ly/3dXIdFI), a funky spoken word poem, we pay tribute to him and repeat his bold statement: You have to understand and change your mind before you change the way you live, the way you consume and the way you move ahead. Our claim that the circular transformation will not be live-streamed means that no one will ever be able to capture in zoom, MS Teams meetings or YouTube the systemic change that needs to happen in terms of consumer behaviour, and the way we produce and run the global economy. This change has to happen live - in our brains, corporate board rooms, and parliaments.“----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Imagine Circularity has been designed as a survey that introduces each participant to a range of basic concepts related to the circular economy and in turn enhances participants´ circular literacy. As an opinion poll, its results will provide insights on the different understandings and perceptions on the topic across a wide range of stakeholders and countries. The aim is to engage one million participants from around the world in order to produce a representative sample of global views and understandings. Walter Vermeulen from the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands explains: “In our partnership with REVOLVE Circular we provide expertise from many years of sustainability and circular economy research to ensure the global survey is methodologically strong and captures circularity in a holistic manner. In addition to a global report, we hope to be able to produce a range of country, city, and industry reports, as many various partners from different countries are already planning to join us in this global effort. We will also use the survey´s findings for producing scientific evidence on how different stakeholders in various world regions and industries understand and perceive the circular economy globally.“ The Copernicus Institute is the main partner of the global survey initiative which will initially be launched in English only. Up till 30 November 2021, partners can join the survey initiative by translating it into their respective language; in addition, they can extend the generic survey and adapt it into a culturally customized version for their respective country.

PARTNERS AROUND THE WORLD INVITED TO JOIN----------------------------------------------------------------------------- All interested parties are now invited to join REVOLVE Circular and the Copernicus Institute to bring the global opinion poll to their university, city, country or industry. In Italy, Chile and India, several circular economy organisations are already starting to join forces to co-create their respective national version of the survey. Imagine Circularity will go live on 19 April; the early birds´ deadline to join is 14 May, followed by the final deadline of 30 November. Throughout 2021, the original English version will be extended to versions in multiple other languages such as German, Spanish, French, Italian, Polish and other, and the survey will end on 15 January 2021. A global report and several country and industry reports are anticipated for March 2022. Source: REVOLVE Circular

ABOUT REVOLVE CIRCULAR-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- REVOLVE Circular (Revolve.media/Circular) is a non-profit organization based in Vienna, Austria. It advocates globally for a more circular economy by showcasing its contours, ripples and clusters: contours as it provides independent and constructive reporting; ripples by brokering knowledge; and clusters by researching and teaching the circular economy. For more information: Revolve.media/Circular ABOUT THE COPERNICUS INSTITUTE-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The mission of the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development (Utrecht University) is to have a positive impact on the transition to a sustainable society through the development of excellent and relevant knowledge, to influence political and private decisions by communicating this knowledge and by educating the change agents of the future. Given the integrated nature of sustainable development issues, knowledge development often benefits from a multidisciplinary focus.SOURCEҬREVOLVE Circular