recircular #BecauseWasteDoesNotExist

We give waste a second life! #becausewastedoesnotexist 

recircular is an active platform that connects businesses for the valorization of waste as raw materials. recircular informs in a simple way about the different valorization possibilities for each waste stream or by-product.

It then automatically connects waste generators with potential consumers that can reintroduce these streams in their production process substituting their needs for newly extracted raw materials. 

We also involve the necessary intermediate processes to address the complexity of the waste streams. These processes can be technology, but also manual processes that can be done by social entreprises focused on employing vulnerable groups.

recircular democratizes the access of businesses to circular opportunities, no matter their size! We give out information about the reuse options of waste, so that any business, no matter how big or small it is, understands the value of its waste and the impact it can generate by reusing it. 

The problem we address is twofold, an environmental need and a financial burden: 

- Billions of tons of waste are produced on an anual basis that are not being recycled or reused and add up to the environmental problems caused by landfills. Only in Europe, we generate about 270 million tons of industrial waste, out of which only 40% is recycled or reused. The resources we throw away or burn have an estimated value of 3 billion euros. Nevertheless companies spend millions annualy t get rid of them.

- Companies, mainly SMEs, face the burden of the volatility and increase of the commodities' prices as well as the dependency on imported resources and the increasingly complex waste regulations. 

- Small business don´t have the resources (financial and human) to look for opportunities for the waste they generate, but with our tool they have access to all the information they need so they can save money or generate new income throw the reuse of their waste. This applies for developed and developing countries, where new business opportunies can be created throw the reuse of waste streams. 

We serve the the general population, contributing to the reduction of GHGs in the environment, so that the health of the people improves as well (we measure it, in fact!)

On top of that we specifically serve:

- small businesses that don´t have access to this type of information and we help them generate savings, new revenue sources while creating an environmental benefit.

- vulnerable groups, creating new sustainable business opportunities for them adapting the waste streams to the further reuse that we identify for them. We involve social groups employing vulnerable groups in the intermediate processes that are necessary for the waste to be reused. Lots of these processes can be manual or integrate mechanical tasks that can be performed by this type of social groups.

In this sense, we have already worked with a social foundation in Spain identifying for different waste streams reuse oppportunities and the necessary intermediate processes that they can perform to give waste a second life!

There are lots of  environmental initatives involving citizens, but businesses are often left out. We work directly with companies to understand their needs and the impact and improvements they can implement to improve their environmental and social impact. 

recircular is an active platform that connects businesses for the valorization of waste as raw materials.  recircular informs in a simple way about the different valorization possibilities for each waste stream or by-product. It then automatically connects waste generators with potential consumers that can reintroduce these streams in their production process substituting their needs for newly extracted raw materials. 

When a company inputs a waste or by-product into our system, recircular presents in a comprehensive way the different alternatives that exist for that waste/by-product. The platform also displays potential consumers/valorizers present in the network that can reintroduce the waste stream as a raw material in their process. recircular calculates the optimal transaction based on social, environmental and economic indicators and connects waste generators with potential consumers to promote the transaction to happen. 

Once the transaction is completed, as we have the traceability of what has happened with the waste stream, we are able to calculate the environmental and social impact of our solutions. 

We are innovating in a very traditional sector introducing the following elements:

- B2B online platform system

- Democratization of the access to circular economy opportunities to any type of business, no matter it´s size 

- Introducing a smart system, an algorithm that informs about reuse opportunities and connects the whole value chain and necessary intermediate processes as well as potential consumers.

- Introducing social businesses in the process in order to provide the necessary services to adequate the waste to a second life

- Business model: base on success fee and freemium subscription model 

- Use the power of the network to create a movement that proves that "Waste Does Not Exist¨

We have been identified as innovative by the following initiatives:

- Selected as LAUNCH Circular Innovator 2017 by the LAUNCH initiative, founded by NASA and Nike in US and supported by companies like Ikea and Ebay in Europe.

- Selected and awarded a grant from my regional government as part of the programme: "Creation of innovative businesses"

- Awarded one of the Spanish national prizes for young entrepreneurs. 

Our solution involves different aspects: part is an existing technology, part is new and we also employ a new business model. 

We apply existing platform technology and algorithm development for the online platform system and the algorithm to match the resources, reuse opportunities and potential consumers. Additionally we have adapted the LCA tool to measure our environmental value creation and we are developing our own social impact measurement tool in order to track the social value we and our users generate. 

We are able to use Blockchain technology for the traceability of the waste transactions and the improvement of transparency and trust. Our plan is to introduce Blockchain in a second development phase next year.

We also propose to innovate within the waste management sector introducing a business model related to the success and the value adding possibilities of the opportunity we have identified to give the specific waste a second life. We will charge a success fee on closed reuse transactions and a freemium type of subscription model. Both have been developed according to the feedback given by a variety of companies.

Our solution addresses the problem we have identified because we have developed the platform system according to the feedback given by companies and to the research of existing platforms that have or haven’t worked out.

We introduce all the necessary players necessary for the process to work and measure the result in terms of environmental and social impact as part of the core of what we do. This, together with the moment we are at, in which circular economy is opening up the doors to a new paradigm, are important ingredients to be able to address the problem in a way that interests the different stakeholders (companies, public administrations, social enterprises, general population). 

Theory of Change

Outputs: 

- Companies interested in reusing their waste

- Opportunities identified for waste reuse

- opportunities generated for SMEs

Outcomes:

- Companies generate economic savings

- Companies generate environmental benefits and their interest in it rises

- Companies generate social benefits and their interest in it rises

- The reuse transactions are maintained throughout time for big and small businesses

Last impact:

- The paradigm for the management of companies changes and businesses introduce circular econom, social and environmental aspects in their core

- Changes in regulation simplify and allow the waste reuse processes

- Democratization of the access to circular opportunities for any type of businesses, no matter their size

- The impact of businesses on climate change is reduced

Currently a small group of around 50 people.

In 1 year: 250

In 5 years: 7000

1 year: Launch of beta version of the platform system

           Commercial launch of the platform

5 years: 7000 users

             50.000 tons saved from landfill or incineration

            75.000 tons of emissions of CO2 eq. reduced

           500 indirect jobs created

Legal barriers related to the reuse of waste

Limitations related to small team of the startup

We are overcoming these barriers working with legal firms that support or work as well as the necessary players, including public administration, to be able to comply with the law and still reuse the waste streams.

Regarding the size of our team we are already working on getting sustainable revenue in order to go on increasing it. Additionally we collaborate with the necessary stakeholders in order to cover the needs we have and cannot fulfil internally. 

We are a limited company (would be a social enterprise but we don’t have this legal form in Spain).

6 people (team+ close collaborators) + advisory board 

Our multidisciplinary team covers the necessary expertise and has a wide international experience working in small and big companies, industrial ad entrepreneurial experience, data analysis and market research background and software development expertise.

Patricia Astrain, Founder, Business Development: Chemical Engineer with environmental specialty; Wide industrial background having worked in different industries, such as Oil&Gas, metallurgical and chemical, and countries

Eva Ruiz, Market Research and Data Analysis: Business studies; Background in data analysis and market research in various companies and countries

Alex Arribas, Software Developer: IT Engineer; Wide experience in software development, web and app systems

Advisors:

Antonio Tena: Leagal advisor; Funding partner at Barrilero Asociados

Juan Gonzalez: Financial and strategic advisor; BU West Finance Director in ABInBev

Peter Laybourn: Industrial Symbiosis advisor; CEO of International Synergies

We partner with a wide number of organizations depending on both sides’ needs and interests:

Waste Management Company: mentoring (through an impact acceleration programme) and collaboration for pilot projects that allow us to test the system

Other industrial symbiosis platforms: different types of collaborations and information sharing

Social foundations: partnership for the development of intermediate processes necessary for the waste reuse

We have 3 business models:

• Waste related projects customized for companies
• Success fee, % of the online transactions
• Subscription model with monthly fixed payments

We are currently bootstrapped and for us the path to financial sustainability goes through continuing doing paid projects for companies. That money can be reinvested in the development of our platform and the growth of the team.

As soon as we have the platform system live new revenue sources will allow to cover the mentioned costs as well.

We obviously have received some grant funding and economic prizes which help us at this stage, for which we are very grateful, but it is and add-on to our own revenue sources.

We are looking to accelerate the international growth of our project and growing our exposure throught he Solve programme can be key for that purpose. Additionaly, having access to leaders from corportaions and nonprofits is a great opportunity for us to extand our reach, pilot and feedback possibilities.

Potential clients, partners or pilot possibilities among hte companies involved with Solve, such as GM.

For example, GM focused on circular economy and waste-to-resource would be a very good partner to help us accelerate and enter new sectors.

Manufacturing companies in general can be a good fit.

We will use the prize to accelerate the development of the platform and introduce other technologies, such as Blockchain. It will allow us to increase our team and launch earlier, so that we will get quicker feedback on the improvements needed. The prize will definitely make a difference to us, as not having to reach out to additional funding will allow us to pilot the way our users indicate us to do so, will allow us to better maintain the social and environmental core of recircular and devote the limited extra time we have to pursuing our mission instead of looking for funding