- WRAP announces new focus on embedding Circular Living into every boardroom and every home.
- Mary Creagh CBE MP and Patrick Grant join 200 leaders from businesses, NGOs, foundations and academia to mark Circular Living Live.
Global environmental action NGO, WRAP, set out its newly focused global mission to leading organisations at a special event in London last night - to bring Circular Living to the heart of business and public life around the world.
The mission to drive forward Circular living on this scale is supported by WRAP’s continued international expansion with offices in Australia and the USA, and a move into Europe before the end of 2024. The organisation’s growth is part of its strategy to 10x its impact, which already sees it operating around the world with governments, businesses and on citizen campaigns with international partners.
Central to WRAP’s vision for Circular Living is how it will galvanize action from policy makers, businesses, and citizens to transform the systems producing our food, textiles, and manufactured products for the benefit of climate, nature and people - mobilising funding around the world.
Harriet Lamb, CEO WRAP explains ‘Our world is being torn apart by broken systems. The food, textiles and products we use every day come from unsustainable systems of a ‘take-make-chuck out’ linear economy and produce nearly half of all global greenhouse gas emissions! They are major causes of social inequality and produce mountains of waste, pollute our water systems and destroy biodiversity. So, we must shift to new models of circular living.
‘Today, we set out our bold new mission – to bring Circular Living to every boardroom and every home, around the world. We want to make Circular Living the norm, and I believe we’re on the cusp of circular business models breaking through into the mainstream.’
For 20 years WRAP has delivered ground-breaking programmes that have slashed CO2 emissions and waste, helped restore nature and changed people’s behaviour. The concept of Circular Living brings the ideals of a ‘circular economy’ to a modern society and WRAP’s collaborative approach means the organisation will continue to expand its scope of engagement.
A special event was held at London’s OXO Tower to mark the new mission hosted by WRAP CEO Harriet Lamb and Chair Sebastian Munden, with speeches from Mary Creagh CBE MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Patrick Grant – founder of campaigning clothing brand Community Clothing, judge on the BBC's Great British Sewing Bee, and author of Less.
Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh said: “Our current throwaway society is unsustainable and harms our air, land, and oceans.
“Moving away from it is no small task – but by working together we can make this shift to ensure people prosper and nature can thrive.
“This Government is committed to moving to a circular economy in which we keep our resources in use for longer, accelerate the path to net zero and increase investment in critical infrastructure and green jobs in every region of the country.”
Patrick Grant, founder of Community Clothing, BBC Great British Sewing Bee judge and author of Less said ‘Designing for longevity is a huge part of Community Clothing’s ethos. The secret to solving the issues of the fashion industry lies in only making exceptional quality clothes with enduring value. Good clothes get better with wear, meaning we feel happier the longer we own them, and someone else is always going to want to own it when we stop wanting or needing it – a win for everyone. WRAP’s goals are very much aligned with Community Clothing’s, and I am delighted they’ve given me this chance to share our philosophy with a wider audience.’
Created in 2000, over the last 20 years WRAP has become a leading pioneer of practical business and behaviour change interventions. The organisation’s technical specialists, systems-thinkers, analysts, and behaviour change scientists work with partners - from national governments and global businesses to local authorities and in-country community initiatives - to maximise the benefit of Circular Living for the climate, nature and people.
WRAP estimates the circular economy is already a vital part of our existing economy with immediate growth opportunities to cut emissions associated with UK consumption of products by an additional 33 million tonnes CO2eq per annum, boost UK Gross Value Added by £82 billion, and create 550,000 jobs by 2030 across the UK.
WRAP has also outlined how the G7 nations could save 800 million tonnes CO2e emissions with greater focus on consumption-based emissions linked to Circular Living strategies.
Sebastian Munden, Chair of WRAP, ‘No single organisation or country can deliver the required systemic changes alone. But with more than two decades of technical expertise, impartial evidence base, and independent convening power, WRAP is perfectly placed to drive action to help make Circular Living a reality. Circular Living is the innovation opportunity of a generation to create valuable products with zero waste, respecting nature, and just as much desirability.’
Notes to Editor
WRAP is a global environmental action NGO catalysing policy makers, businesses and individuals to transform the systems that create our food, textiles and manufactured products. Together these account for nearly 50% of global greenhouse emissions. Our goal is to enable the world to transition from the old take-make-dispose model of production to more sustainable approaches that will radically reduce waste and carbon emissions from everyday products. To do so we examine sustainability challenges through the lens of people’s day-to-day lives and create solutions that can transform entire systems to benefit the planet, nature and people.
Our work includes: UK Plastics Pact, Courtauld Commitment 2030, Textiles 2030 and the campaigns Love Food Hate Waste and Recycle Now. We run Food Waste Action Week and Recycle Week.
Please contact: wrap.ngo