Creating a circular economy

Why the global economy simply has to be circular to survive

The UN has predicted that the human population will rise from 7.6 billion to 11.2 billion by the end of the century. This, coupled with rising consumption, is creating relentless demand for materials and fossil fuels and putting unsustainable pressure on our planet’s resources.

It is also leading to soaring greenhouse gas emissions which are driving climate change and destroying natural habitats. According to the World Wildlife Fund, we have lost half of our wildlife in the past 40 years alone. Moreover, the world’s leading climate scientists have warned that, unless we can limit global warming to 1.5°c by 2030, we face a catastrophic chain of extreme weather events that will threaten the lives of millions of people.

How Olleco delivers the circular economy

This infographic demonstrates how Olleco enables food industry partners to adopt a ‘closed loop’ for all their biological resources and play their part in the circular economy.

Infographic showing how Olleco is part of the circular economy

Leading the way to a circular economy

The only way to resolve this is by transitioning from a linear economy, where we make, use and dispose, to a regenerative, circular economy where we reduce, reuse and recycle. This will ensure that the materials we use are kept in circulation and energy is only drawn from renewable sources.

Olleco was created to do just that. We work on the biological side of the circular economy, collecting organic materials such as used cooking oil, animal fats and food waste. Olleco then converts these into renewable fuels for vehicles, energy to power net zero carbon production facilities and homes, and organic fertiliser for farmers to grow fresh crops and start the process again.

Delivering the circular economy at scale

Because Olleco works with many of the biggest names in the food industry, we have a huge impact. Working with partners like McDonald’s UK and Arla Foods UK mean we can capture large volumes of materials and this film demonstrates how we have worked as a team to create a ‘closed loop’, - the core model of a circular economy.

Changing the food industry for good

Food accounts for around one third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and a significant proportion of that is from food waste giving off greenhouse gases in landfill. By diverting food waste to anaerobic digestion (AD), not only do we stop methane entering the atmosphere, we also use it to produce energy that would otherwise be produced using fossil fuels.

What’s more, the natural fertilisers coming from our AD plants reduce the need for artificial ones – another source of greenhouse gases. Transport is also a key part of the food industry’s carbon impact but by using biodiesel to fuel vehicles that is dramatically reduced. McDonald’s has reduced the carbon emissions of their UK logistics by 88% wherever they use 100% Olleco biofuels.

 

 If Olleco processed all the UK’s commercial food waste, we could capture as much carbon annually as a forest twice the size of Devon. 

 

The circular economy makes economic sense

Transitioning to a circular economy is not just good for the environment, it’s good for business. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation have identified $3 trillion of value to be realised globally by businesses rethinking the way they operate.

At Olleco, we work with businesses of every size to help them make the very best use of their resources by ensuring we recover their full value. This not only delivers savings, it also gives a competitive edge with consumers who are increasingly concerned about the challenges facing our planet. Consequently, more and more businesses are realising that the circular economy is not a fad. It’s the future.