The CIRCULAR ECONOMY around the world 17 months, 22 countries and over 100 circular economy initiatives. For entrepreneurs, Jules Coignard and Raphaël Masvigner, this is a world tour with a difference – its aim being to find the most interesting initiatives and show that a large-scale environmentally friendly business model is possible. Aurore Largerie skyped Jules en route in Columbia…
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hared environmental concerns led Jules and Raphaël to
started their world tour in London at the Resource Event, where
quit their jobs at Airbus in Mexico in 2014 to launch a non-
they introduced their project. As recent graduates from Toulouse
profit initiative called Circul’R. To kick it off, they raised funds,
Business School and Sciences Po, they are giving conferences at
gathered partners and embarked on their journey. Financial
universities en route, their first was held at the London School
partners are covering the team’s living and travelling expenses,
of Economics. They are also raising public awareness through
while others are providing them with support in kind: Air France
social media, articles, and video blogs on their website.
with some flights, AccorHotels with some accommodation,
‘The circular economy is quite a new concept to the general
Generali with insurance and Patagonia with clothing, to name
public, but if you think about it, it’s using natural resources
a few. Institutional partners such as Ashoka, the leading global
smartly and not producing waste. Humankind has been doing
network of social entrepreneurs, and the Institute of Circular
it for thousands of years. It’s only since the Industrial Revolution
Economy in France, are connecting them with some projects.
that we’ve changed the way we do things,’ says Jules.
The pair also launched a crowdfunding campaign, reaching
The worldwide network they have been setting up while
130% of the target, which amounted to 10% of the world tour
travelling aims to connect circular economy actors so that they
budget. But more importantly, it generated additional value by
can share best practice and even work together. For example,
gathering a community around their initiative.
in India, Circul’R connected AccorHotels to Goonj, a social
On the road since March 2015, the two entrepreneurs
enterprise that hires people in poverty and provides them with
Goonj hires people in poverty from rural India and provides them with basic resources for their work such as textiles 50 - info - july / august 2016
Jules Coignard and Raphaël Masvigner