Hey — Harald here. Last week I visited Norway, and I can say this with certainty: A new chapter in circular history is being written here. In the fjords, a company called NTG (Norway Textile Recycling) has quietly cracked the code of textile recycling — not just as a pilot, but as a business model. And that changes everything. ❌ The Textile Problem Let’s not sugarcoat it: the textile industry is one of the world’s dirtiest. Responsible for 10% of global CO₂ emissions (more than aviation and...
7 months ago • 4 min read
🌌 Hey — Harald here. Have you seen this image before? I could not stop laughing. And then feeling the uncomfortable truth too.Many of us are stuck in fear: of climate collapse, of financial pressure, of change itself. But here’s the truth: In a universe this vast, the real tragedy is wasting our time on Earth by doing nothing. ❌ The Big Picture, the Small Story Let’s zoom in. Every year, humanity extracts 100 billion tonnes of materials. Less than 7% are cycled back. By 2050, if we keep going...
7 months ago • 2 min read
Hey there, Harald here! Over the last 12 months I’ve been quietly experimenting with something new: brand partnerships. 🚨 Not sponsorship deals. 🚨 Not one-off posts. ♻️ But collaborations that create value,. ♻️ Tangible outcomes through co-created of content and experiences. ♻️ Visible and credible. I started last year in Amsterdam with a small handful of companies. It worked better than even I hoped. And it taught me a lot about what brands really need right now. CreditL Dag Oliver 🧨 The...
7 months ago • 3 min read
Hey — Harald here. Everywhere I go, people ask: “Where will we get the materials for our green transition?”Most look to distant mines. I (also) look at our cities. 🔮 My aha moment When I stood in Amsterdam just recently and yesterday in Oslo, looking at façades and pipes, i felt it (again): we’re standing on top of tomorrow’s mines. Especially in times when resources will be more constraint and supply chains are more vulnerable. 🪨 Urban mining : What it really is? Urban mining sees cities as...
7 months ago • 3 min read
Hey. It's me Harald here 🤓🙂. In weeks like this - going from keynote to company strategy sessions and ending the day with start up coaching, I hear this coming up a lot: “Is the circular economy dead?” People are frustrated. Progress feels slow. Who can blame you, in challenging times. People see overflowing waste streams, endless pilots, and think the idea of a circular economy might be failing. I get it. I’ve been in this space for over a decade. I’ve seen hype cycles rise and fall. But...
7 months ago • 3 min read
Hey there, After several years of fierce debate, lobbying and fine-tuning, the European Union (EU) has at last adopted the final text for its extended producer responsibility (EPR). EPR...Boring, you might say. But: highly relevant. A game changer. Also for textiles. Why? Starting soon, every brand selling clothes, curtains, blankets (yes, even non-EU based ones) must cover the cost of collecting, sorting, recycling their products. ⏱️ Small brands get more time, but the clock is ticking. ⏱️...
7 months ago • 3 min read
A few days ago, I was on a call with a CEO of a large manufacturing company. He proudly told me: “We’ve doubled our recycling rate this year. Our ESG rating is up. Investors are happy.” But when I asked: “How much less raw material did you buy this year?” He went silent. That’s the hidden cost of today’s “green growth.” We celebrate recycling, reporting, and shiny ESG scores 🚀… …while the real problem remains untouched: we keep extracting, producing, and wasting more every year. 🌍 Reality...
8 months ago • 2 min read
Hello there! Putting “Artificial Intelligence” and “Circular Economy” in the same sentence can feel a bit like inviting Big Tech to a zero-waste potluck. In fact, if you're feeling skeptical about the idea that AI, with its massive energy demands and insatiable appetite for data, could actually help build a more sustainable, circular future... you're not alone. For example, Google’s greenhouse gas emissions rose 48% since 2019, partly due to increased AI compute demands. Also: AI’s thirst for...
11 months ago • 4 min read
Hello there, I let you in on a personal secret: I love heroic stories. 🦸🏽 Such stories can motivate and show the way. They can bring the 'seemingly impossible - suddenly within reach". This week, I'm working in Mauritius 🇲🇺. Highlighting the circular economy as a new business proposition and innovating through "Zero Waste workshops". Circular can also be a solution to the growing waste problem. Mauritius Nr 1 landfill Mare Chicose receives 1.200 tons of waste daily. It is a multifaceted...
about 1 year ago • 2 min read
