Metabolic Institute

The Metabolic Institute promotes open-source knowledge about global sustainability issues, from regenerative agri-food and forestry systems to circular cities. “At Metabolic, we advise governments, companies and civil society organizations on how to come up with solutions that contribute to a sustainable world,” says Coudard. “We analyze data, develop and share strategies, tools and success examples, initiate pilot projects and build companies that offer scalable solutions to important problems.” The Metabolic ecosystem – consisting of the consultancy, institute, ventures, software and foundation entities – is a partner in various European projects. One of these was Reflow, in which urban material flows were studied.

Reuse of textiles
Participation in CIRCOLLAB offers the Metabolic Institute the opportunity to expand its network even further. “We already know a number of partners in the consortium, but there are also parties we would like to get to know,” says Coudard. ‘We see many opportunities for collaboration, for example in the circular use of textiles. In that area, we've done all the necessary work ourselves, mapping textile waste during the REFLOW project, and through the Circular Innovation Collective (CIC) working with local partners to activate the local circular textile entrepreneurial space. And within the Built Environment value chain, we have contacts that could be of interest to other consortium partners. ’

Take well-considered steps
Coudard hopes that CIRCOLLAB will deliver a number of successful projects that will enable consortium partners to show the outside world that a circular economy is within reach. “Think of a circular value chain for textile or another product,” he says. “Once that is in place, we can take well-considered steps towards further upscaling at the city and regional level.”