Circular Economic Interface for Facilitating Sustainability

Generation of a novel online interface for facilitating sustainability through diversion of excess materials to benefit non-profit organizations.

Unsustainable patterns of consumption and production are root causes of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Sustainable Development Goal 12 is focused on ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns to protect the health and well-being of current and future generations. According to the UN, from 2000 to 2019, total domestic material consumption rose by more than 65 per cent globally, amounting to 95.1 billion metric tons in 2019. “[To ensure] future prosperity ... economic growth [must be decoupled] from rising rates of natural resource use and the environmental impacts that occur in both consumption and production stages of product life cycles.” (Sustainable Development Education Platform 10 Year Framework of Programmes). We decided to focus on reducing waste and increasing engagement in circular economic strategies that divert excess products from the waste stream.

This project focuses on the generation of a novel website and app to facilitate matching of excess resources to alternative producers and/or end users, including community service organizations in need. A previous pilot project successfully diverted excess materials from a defunct business away from the landfill to generate products for which a non-profit organization had made a public request. The team’s coding and web design skills will be used to generate a novel method of increasing sustainability by matching non-profits in need of resources with available excess materials.

The project was designed to connect industrial or commercial product resources that would have entered the waste stream to benefit non-profit organizations with the diverted materials. This sustainability-focused solution has the potential to have a large global impact both in terms of environmental benefit as well as supporting increasingly strained non-profit organizations. A previous project was the inspiration for this novel coding-based initiative. The previous project involved obtaining a large quantity of fabrics that were surplus to a business that had closed. We researched multiple possible uses, and found a call for pillowcases for a shelter for women and children escaping domestic violence. We designed a sewing pattern and made a prototype to ensure we could successfully perform this aspect of the project. We were able to successfully complete the project by cutting and sewing 28 pillowcases with the surplus fabric to divert the material from the landfill. This project had the dual benefit of generating donations to a shelter for women and children that have left situations of domestic violence. The completion of this project reinforced that sustainable, circular economic practices are achievable, and increased my understanding of the mechanisms of waste diversion and economic circularity. Our team knowledge of coding, app generation and website design, and attending a Solv(Ed) online event inspired us to formulate this broader project to increase resource matching using technological solutions.

We are advocates working in the areas of climate action, sustainability, and empowerment of youth to work together to enact positive change to protect our world. We are members of a UN-based sustainability constituency, which focuses on advocacy at a global level, but also believe it is important to act at the local, grassroots level to decrease waste and increase sustainability. Our team lead is a Youth Panelist and Selection Committee Member for an initiative of the UN Foundation and WHO with an investment of over $5 million dollars, supporting more than 630 youth-led projects in over 120 countries. Having a team lead with experience assessing global innovative youth-led solutions has inspired us to create this project for positive global impact. Our team has experience with multiple coding languages, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and C++. Our team lead completed the highly competitive Summer Immersion Program with a large, global coding organization in which they created multiple websites and apps, and serves as an Associate Board Member with a global non-profit organization which aims to revive barriers and increase inclusion in coding skills by providing access to courses and coding knowledge. The team members also volunteer with a national organization dedicated to closing the gender gap in technology and STEM. These coding and web design skills will be used to generate a novel method of increasing sustainability by matching non-profits in need of resources with available excess materials. 

The completion of a previous initial sustainability matching project that produced finished goods benefiting a shelter for women and children escaping domestic violence has demonstrated the feasibility of this more extensive technological matching solution, and reinforced that sustainable, circular economic practices are achievable. The research we have conducted also increased our understanding of the mechanisms of waste diversion and economic circularity. In addition, all Team members have extensive volunteering and community service experience with multiple local, national and global organizations, including previously designing and successfully completing community service projects to benefit the cancer centre at a regional Hospital, a women’s shelter, a children’s hospital, and projects to assist the elderly, homeless, and veterans. All team members have received positive feedback in the form of letters of thanks and support from the impacted organizations and municipal and federal politicians, as well as multiple awards for their community service and leadership. We believe that educating ourselves and coming together to work as a global team are the first steps towards taking positive action for our world, but that we also each have the responsibility to do what we are able to help others at all times, locally and globally. 

There is an urgent need to increase sustainability to reduce waste and protect our environment. A dialogue about adopting a circular economy has gained traction in extremely limited geographic areas. Creating a technological interface to engage circular economic practices will allow sustainable practices to expand, increasing the positive environmental impact as well as the support for non-profit organization that benefit from resource matching. 

Impact goals for the next year include completion of a prototype website and app, consultation with existing non-profit partners about the technological solution and matching logistics, and expansion of the partner organizations on both the resource supply and end beneficiary sides. Additional pilot projects will also be completed as further proof of concept to prospective partner organizations. 

The team’s coding and web design skills will be used to generate a novel method of increasing sustainability by matching non-profits in need of resources with available excess materials. Our team has experience with multiple coding languages, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and C++. Our team lead completed an extensive Summer Immersion Program with a coding education-focused organization in which they created multiple websites and apps, and serves as an Associate Board Member with a non-profit organization which aims to revive barriers and increase inclusion in coding skills by providing access to courses and coding knowledge. The team members also volunteer with an organization dedicated to closing the gender gap in technology and STEM.The team’s coding knowledge and web design skills will be used to generate a website and app to match excess resources to benefit non-profit organizations. 

This technological solution to facilitate sustainable circular economic practices has not yet launched. The pilot project that was previously completed connected one company and its ownership to one non-profit organization, and directly impacted 28 residents of a shelter for women and children escaping domestic violence. The projected impact for an app of this nature is large, and limited only by the support of others to help impart confidence in, and raise awareness of, the importance of this viable technological solution to support economic circularity and sustainability. The reach will also extend to future volunteers who will benefit from skill development and increased knowledge about both coding and sustainability. 

The projected impact for a website and app of this nature is large, and limited only by the support of others to help impart confidence in, and raise awareness of, the importance of this viable technological solution to support economic circularity and sustainability. Campaigns on social media by the team, which all have experience as Ambassadors of a global technology conference, and use of extensive global networks of the team will aid in knowledge transfer and raising awareness of this solution. 

Organizations the team has successfully partnered with:

- Cornerstone Housing for Women

- Ottawa General Hospital

- Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario

- Travelling Pillowcase 

- Knit Your Bit for Veterans

- A Million Thanks

- Rideau Perley Rehabilitation Center

- Lions Club

- Rideau District Health Services

- Hugs for Soldiers

This solution acts as an intermediary-oriented form of organizational support, through cooperative means. The excess materials being diverted from the landfill reduces the donor’s waste disposal costs and can aid in public relations profiling of environmentally sustainable practices and charitable works with their non-profit organization match. The non-profit benefits through no-cost resources secured through matching and volunteer labour. 

The project is founded upon a donation model for the resource matching. The project team for this technological solution proposal can initially cover the operating costs, and is focused on the environmental benefit, but is experienced with grant application design and review and would apply for additional support to expand the reach and scale of the solution.