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19c8a8d5-aefd-49f6-9c2d-16d77324d22a CIRCULÉIRE MEMBER CASE STUDY COMPANY: HaPPE EARTH WEBSITE: HAPPEEARTH.COM SECTOR : MEDTECH PUBLISHED: 06 AUGUST 2025 TAGS: GREENHEALTHCARE, PPEWASTE, INNOVATION, SUSTAINABLEHEALTHCARE, MEDTECH, CIRCULARHEALTHCARE, ESG, COMPOSTABLE, BIOECONOMY, WASTEMANAGEMENT The Challenge Through its vitally important role in the protection of human health, the global healthcare sector generates an enormous and complex waste stream. If the global healthcare sector were a country, it would rank as the fifth-largest contributor to global CO₂ emissions, responsible for over 5% of total emissions, surpassing those from aviation or shipping sectors ( MedTech Europe, 2024 ). One-third of the carbon emissions generated by the healthcare sector, and most of its waste comes from medical devices ( Boston Consulting Group, 2024 ). Ninety percent of medical device waste primarily consists of single-use devices ( Health & EY, 2024 ). During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical waste became particularly visible, especially concerning Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). PPE is classified as any device or appliance designed to be worn or held by an individual for protection against one or more health and safety hazards ( HSA, 2025 ). Globally, an estimated 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves were used every month ( Prata et al., 2020 ). Typically, PPE is incinerated, and none is sent to landfill. However, during the pandemic, incinerators were so overrun that many countries were forced to send waste to landfill ( BMJ, 2021 ). By 2021, more than 8,000,000 tonnes of pandemic-associated plastic waste was generated globally, with more than 25,000 tonnes entering our oceans ( PNAS, 2021 ). An estimated 73% came from hospitals ( PNAS, 2021 ). PPE is an unquestionably necessary tool for saving lives. It prevents the spread of pathogens and infections and protects both frontline healthcare workers and patients. However, PPE such as face masks, gloves, and gowns are commonly manufactured from plastics such as polypropylene, polyurethane, polyacrylonitrile, polyethylene, and polyethylene terephthalate which can take as long as 450 years to decompose ( BMJ, 2021 ). Even when incinerated, PPE still releases greenhouse gases and contributes to air pollution ( Kumar et al., 2020 ). The challenge, therefore, is not to eliminate this essential equipment but to fundamentally redesign its lifecycle. The Circular Solution in Practice HaPPE Earth is an Irish company and CIRCULÉIRE member, founded in 2021. They make medically approved compostable PPE aprons from sustainably sourced, proprietary bio-resins. Bioresins are a type of polymer derived from renewable sources such as plants, cellulose, sugars, and other biological materials, instead of traditional petroleum-based sources ( Verde Bioresins, 2025 ). HaPPE Earth’s aprons are used the same as standard petroleum-based PPE aprons, but instead of being thrown away after use, they are sent to HaPPE Earth’s onsite medical biodigester system. The biodigester is offered as a first-of-its-kind Sustainable-Consumables-as-a-Service (SCAAS) business model and requires no capital investment from the healthcare service provider. The PPE aprons are composted alongside the healthcare provider’s food waste, where they break down in days in HaPPE Earth’s industrial composting process, resulting in a valuable, pathogen safe, nutrient-rich fertilizer. In addition, HaPPE Earth offers a real-time data monitoring tool allowing healthcare providers to track their plastic waste and CO 2 reduction and capture food waste data for use in their ESG reporting. The service is provided with a dedicated account management team to help with software integration and training, and technical support throughout the process. HaPPE Earth estimates the compostable apron and digestion system uses 75% less carbon emissions than standard single use aprons ( Health Innovation Hub Ireland, 2023 ). By managing waste on-site, the system saves on carbon emissions from transport while simultaneously preventing waste from entering waterways and avoiding air pollution from incineration. Furthermore, HaPPE Earth estimates their waste re-direction service can save the Irish Health Service approximately EUR €400,000.00, and reduce 8,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year, all while eliminating PPE plastic waste. HaPPE Earth’s aprons are being trialled in over 20 hospitals in Ireland. However, any sector that uses PPE can use the HaPPE system – including pharmaceuticals, medical device industries and food preparation. Replicability Biodegradable and compostable PPE options are growing across Europe and North America, alongside trials of systems to digest and decompose the products effectively. Some notable examples of companies working to tackle the use of PPE in the healthcare sector include: Revolution-Zero focus on reusable alternatives to medical textiles, including isolation gowns, aprons, transfer sheets, curtains, and warm-up jackets. They offer direct purchase options or Product as a Service models, and offer software for operations, regulatory compliance, asset tracking and environmental reporting. AmorSui – offer a reusable line of PPE made from premium, machine washable materials. Their fabrics are recyclable, and they are currently developing a take-back programme and subscription model to fully align with their circular economy principles. ALL CASE STUDIES

a2ad675a-3d2a-4cc8-a7c1-5ea94d4f5d0d CIRCULÉIRE NON-MEMBER CASE STUDY COMPANY: IKEA WEBSITE: IKEA.COM SECTOR : BUILT ENVIRONMENT PUBLISHED: 14 JULY 2025 TAGS: RETURN, REUSE, RECYCLE, TAKE-BACK, SECOND LIFE, FURNITURE About IKEA IKEA is a home furnishing retailer founded in Sweden in 1943. As of July 2025, there were 486 stores worldwide, serving millions of customers. IKEA has been measuring their climate footprint and setting goals to minimise their environmental impact since the 2016 financial year (FY). The Challenge Every year, 10 million tonnes of furniture is thrown away by businesses and consumers across Europe, and most of this either ends up in landfill or is incinerated ( Forrest et al., 2017 ). The fast furniture industry is wasteful, resource-intensive and polluting. In the EU, furniture waste accounts for more than 4% of the total municipal solid waste (MSW) stream ( Forrest et al., 2017 ). According to IKEA’s FY24 Sustainability Report, their climate footprint is estimated to be equivalent to 21.3 million tonnes CO2 (IKEA, 2024 ). This represents a decrease of 5% compared to their FY23 report and 28% compared to their FY16 baseline but it’s still equivalent to approx. 5.6 coal-fired power plants’ emissions in a year ( EPA.gov, 2025 ). IKEA’s report also highlights that the majority of their climate footprint comes from raw material extraction and processing (52%) and their product use in customers’ homes (17%), which includes the energy consumption of lighting and appliances over the product’s lifetime (IKEA, 2024 ). The Circular Solution in Practice IKEA’s Buy Back & Resell Programme is designed to increase the number of times a piece of furniture is used before being recycled or sent to the landfill. IKEA buys back eligible preloved items from customers and resells these good quality second-hand pieces in the store’s Circular Hub section. Aside from second-hand items, the Circular Hub also offers ex-display products and discontinued furniture. To avail of this service, customers can fill out a form on IKEA’s website, to estimate the furniture’s buy-back value. Then they must bring their assembled IKEA furniture, together with the estimate, to an IKEA store. An IKEA worker will inspect the furniture before accepting it and giving the final agreed value as an IKEA gift card. The Buy Back Program is available in 28 countries, including Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, Japan and Italy. Impact The Buy-back scheme helps IKEA in cutting their carbon footprint by reducing the amount of virgin raw material inputs required for their products. This can be fulfilled through closing the product loop by facilitating appropriate recycling after multiple uses. In addition, this scheme can contribute to promote the repair concept, by making all the different components of furniture available for purchase separately. Sometimes, the smaller parts (such as dowels, screws, washers, etc.) can be obtained free of charge at the stores. Furthermore, through this scheme, accessible and affordable furniture will be available for low-income households. During IKEA's 2024 Buyback Friday campaign alone - an alternative to Black Friday - almost 55,000 IKEA products were returned to stores for resale (IKEA, 2024 ) . Replicability The European Union (EU) manufactures almost one-quarter of the world’s furniture, constituting an €84 billion market ( Forrest et al., 2017 ). Consumers are becoming more concerned about the environmental impact of the goods they buy. Moreover, government regulations such as the EU Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR ) are pushing for eco-design criteria for products to greatly enhance their circularity, energy performance, and other aspects of environmental sustainability. Businesses will be required to provide product information from conception to end-of-life for almost all physical goods placed on the EU market. IKEA is serving as an industry pioneer in circular concepts by offering its Buy Back Programme. Businesses can be drawn to this scheme because it can increase profitability by decreasing the cost of production. Furthermore, it can be replicated to a variety of industries such as home appliances, electronics, and textiles. Among the Irish stores in the circular furniture industry are: Finline Furniture , take back old Finline sofas and give them a makeover. reducing the number of sofas going into landfill. Their upcycled sofas are striped down, re-padded, re-sprung, re-foamed and re-upholstered before being resold good-as-ne w. for a fraction of the price. Rediscover Furniture , is a furniture restoration and upcycling social enterprise housed at the Rediscovery Centre in Ballymun, Dublin. Walsh’s Furniture Repair & Assembly specialises in in repair of upholstery, leather, timber, and furniture assembly. ALL CASE STUDIES

42190427-b090-430f-90dc-e30d21bfa7df CIRCULÉIRE NON-MEMBER CASE STUDY COMPANY: RENEWABLE PARTS LTD. WEBSITE: RENEWABLE-PARTS.COM SECTOR: ENERGY DATE PUBLISHED: 16 JANUARY 2026 TAGS: WINDENERGY, WINDTURBINES, REMANUFACTURING, SUPPLYCHAIN, RENEWABLEENERGY, COMPONENTREUSE, DECOMMISSIONING, CARBONSAVINGS, MATERIALRECOVERY In the second week of September 2025, a delegation of CIRCULÉIRE members and staff was invited to Glasgow, Scotland, by Zero Waste Scotland to meet Circular Economy Industry Pioneers and Stakeholders from the Scottish Ecosystem. On Tuesday, September 9 th , our delegation visited Renewable Parts, a supply chain refurbishment and remanufacture specialist in the wind energy industry. This case study is part of a special series to transfer knowledge and learnings to Circular Economy Pioneers in the Irish Ecosystem. The Challenge The wind energy industry is experiencing rapid growth. In Ireland, wind power’s share of electricity supply has more than doubled in the last decade. It now provides 34% of Ireland’s electricity supply, second only to natural gas at 44% (SEAI, 2024) . Wind has very low emissions; about 13 grams of CO 2 per kilowatt-hour (NREL, 2001) , which mainly comes from the materials, manufacturing, and construction of the wind turbines. Once in operation, a wind turbine produces virtually zero emissions. In comparison, natural gas emits 486 grams per kilowatt-hour (NREL, 2001), making wind 97% cleaner. While this represents a significant leap forward, the industry still faces challenges. How can we make the materials, manufacturing, and construction of wind turbines more sustainable? How do we maintain them and source parts for them decades later? How can the existing turbines be improved upon? What happens to these massive structures when they reach the end of their life? Addressing these questions requires a circular approach. Many wind farms are approaching their end of life, meaning huge quantities of waste materials will need to be disposed of. In Scotland alone, 5,500 onshore turbines will be decommissioned by 2050, creating 1.4 million tonnes of waste material (Jacobs, 2021). If you were to load this onto lorries and line them bumper to bumper, the queue would extend from Cork to Belfast and back (based on a 16.5 metre long articulated truck ( RSA, 2025 ) carrying 27 tonnes ( Espace Global Freight, n.d. )). The industry urgently needs to address this waste. Each turbine has about 8,000 parts ( US DoE, n.d. ), such as gears and motors, many of which will fail or will need to be replaced regularly over its lifespan. These parts currently end up in a landfill or are melted down to be recycled. Producing the materials for replacement parts accounts for 83% of their emissions (Arias Losada, 2021) . The wind industry creates a lot of waste, but the materials used to replace parts are also a major source of emissions. The Circular Solution Renewable Parts is a Scottish company tackling waste in the wind industry. Renewable Parts began exploring the reuse of parts in the Wind Industry in 2012, but it took until 2018 for the idea to gain real traction. This illustrates both the inertia in shifting industry mindsets and the persistence required for circular business models to succeed. Their work points towards a growing recognition that achieving net-zero goals depends on the sustainability of supply chains; and remanufacturing can be central to achieving that. Renewable Parts’ approach is simple: take end-of-life components, remanufacture them to a standard equal to or better than new, and return them to turbine owners. Wind turbines operate for decades in extreme environments, and sooner or later, some of their components are going to break. The failed parts, along with parts from decommissioned turbines, are taken to Renewable Parts’ facility in Lochgilphead. Here they are stripped into components, and everything down to the bolts and washers is cleaned and inspected. The bearings, seals, and grease are always replaced, and individual worn-out components are refurbished or swapped out. Once reassembled, the parts perform like new and even have the same warranty. This reuse of material enables lower cost parts and diverts a huge amount of materials going to waste. Despite common misconceptions that remanufactured parts might be somehow inferior to new parts, industries such as aerospace have long relied on them, proving their safety and reliability. In fact, remanufacturing often outperforms original manufacturing, as data from past failures enables engineers to design out weaknesses and produce improved parts. Far more rigorous than repair, remanufacturing delivers high-integrity products that often surpass the originals, positioning it as a cornerstone of a high-quality and sustainable industrial future. Renewable Parts tracks exactly how components fail: by age, manufacturer, and even the specific conditions of the turbine e.g., wind alignment. By pinpointing the root causes, they can redesign vulnerable parts. The result? Remanufactured components that are stronger and often outlast the originals. In one example, an improved Siemens 1.3 yaw drive showed a 10% reduction in failures compared to the original design (Cross, 2024). Renewable Parts demonstrates how remanufacturing with a circular business model can improve quality while reducing time, cost, and carbon. And it's working; turnover is growing by 37% year on year (Zero Waste Scotland, 2024) , with remanufacturing already accounting for 38% of revenue. The company aims to raise this to two-thirds within five years, and in the process create more skilled jobs in rural Scotland. The Differences Between Repair, Refurbishment & Remanufacture Repair is the most basic intervention, focused on fixing a specific fault to get a product back into working order. This process typically involves minimal disassembly and only addresses the failed part without assessing the overall condition of the item. The goal is to restore function, not to improve the product's lifespan or appearance. Refurbishment goes a step further than repair. It involves restoring a used product to a functional, but not necessarily "like-new," condition. The focus is on fixing obvious faults and improving its cosmetic appearance. Parts are repaired or replaced as needed, but the product is not completely disassembled. A refurbished item will often have a limited warranty and may not meet original performance specifications. Remanufacture is the most rigorous and comprehensive process. It involves disassembling the product completely, inspecting all individual components, and replacing or restoring worn-out or obsolete parts with a combination of reused, repaired, and new parts. The goal is to return the product to a like-new or better-than-new condition in terms of performance, appearance, and quality. A remanufactured product typically comes with a new warranty that is equivalent to or better than the original product's warranty. Climate Impact The remanufactured parts offer significant carbon savings. Customers receive carbon certificates, allowing them to measure their reductions and compare the value directly against buying offsets. Between 2018 and 2024, Renewable Parts’ remanufacturing has saved 579 tonnes of CO 2 equivalent (Zero Waste Scotland, 2024) . That’s equivalent to the electricity of roughly 540 homes in Ireland for a year. In that same period, they have diverted 198 tonnes of material from landfill (Zero Waste Scotland, 2024) , or about seven articulated lorries full. The potential impact across the wind industry is vast. Research commissioned by the Coalition for Wind Industry Circularity, of which Renewables Parts is a member, found that if just ten out of the thousands of parts in a turbine used a circular supply chain, it could save 800,000 tonnes of parts from being scrapped in 10 European countries by 2035. This market would be worth 9.6 billion GBP (11.1 billion EUR) and create 20,000 jobs (BVG Associates Limited, 2023) . Circular economy solutions aren’t just good for the environment - they also make clear economic sense. This presents a huge untapped business opportunity; Stephen Fitzpatrick of the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland said, “Renewable Parts Limited are the only company in Scotland, and arguably the UK, that are picking this up. But they can only do so much. We need many, many more of those companies or for Renewable Parts to grow significantly.” Replicability Vestas , one of the world's largest turbine manufacturers, operates a refurbishment facility of 120 people in Lübeck, Germany. Failed generators are refurbished, cutting their CO 2 emissions by more than half compared to producing a new one. This supports their goal of reducing supply chain emissions in their service business by 45% by 2030 (Arias Losada, 2021) . Siemens Gamesa operates 11 repair centres globally, which offer reduced costs and lead-times, with improved reliability and availability of parts (Siemens Gamesa, n.d.) . They have also launched the "RecyclableBlade," the world's first fully recyclable wind turbine blade, which uses a new resin type that allows for the separation of blade materials at the end of life (Siemens Gamesa, n.d.) . BladeBridge , an Irish company and CIRCULÉIRE member, repurposes old wind turbine blades into new products such as bridges and outdoor furniture. The blade is used in place of virgin materials such as steel and concrete, resulting in a 20-50% lower environmental impact. The products also require less maintenance, saving money over their lifespan. Their products have been used on the Achill Sound and Midleton to Youghal greenways, as well as communities across the country. Read our BladeBridge case study here. GE Renewable Energy partnered with Veolia North America (VNA) to process blades from its U.S.-based onshore turbines, shredding them for use as a raw material for cement manufacturing. These examples show how circular solutions are fostering an entire ecosystem of companies, each specialising in different aspects of wind turbines. ALL CASE STUDIES

Do you have deep technical expertise in the Irish and EU pharmaceutical sector, with a strong understanding of areas like green chemistry, solvent management, and GxP? Can you translate this knowledge into practical, actionable insights for a business audience? If you are a skilled technical writer passionate about advancing the circular economy, IMR the secretariat and coordinator of CIRCULÉIRE wants to hear from you.    IMR is requesting applications from a suitably qualified ‘Pharmaceutical Sector Expert’ to co-author its forthcoming best practice guide: ‘A Circular Economy for the Irish Pharmaceutical Sector’ .    Project Aims and Background   The Irish pharmaceutical industry is a cornerstone of the national economy, globally recognised for its manufacturing excellence. To build on this success and address the sector's environmental imperatives, CIRCULÉIRE is developing a new best practice guide to support its transition to a circular economy.    This guide will be the go-to resource for industry stakeholders. It aims to:    Inspire by bringing specific innovation opportunities to life.  Increase knowledge and demystify the practical steps for implementation.  Highlight best practices from Ireland and abroad that can be replicated and adapted.    The guide will be targeted at C-Suite leaders, technical professionals, and policymakers, and will tease out practical insights about implementation requirements, policy drivers, and operational implications.  For more details about the scope of work and expected outputs, please read the full Call for Proposals document .    Applicants must send the completed Excel Application Form to  circuleire@imr.ie by Friday, 20th March 2026, 5:00 PM (using subject heading ‘ CfP Application - Pharma Guide Co-author ’).  Indicative Timeline & Budget    Deadline for Submission: Friday, 20 th March 2026, 5:00 PM  Communication of winning proposal: By Wednesday, 1st April 2026  Project Kick-Off Meeting: Week commencing 7th April 2026    This work has a maximum allowable budget of €22,500 ex. VAT for an estimated 20-25 days of work. All compliant tenders will be assessed against relevant knowledge, technical expertise, and proven writing and research experience.    IMR Contact Person: Paul McCormack Cooney, CE Best Practice & Toolkits Lead   E: paul.mccormackcooney@imr.ie

Xavier Dubuisson, CEO of Retrokit, and Dave Garforth, Program Director at Responsible Plastics Management (RPM), and Dr. Geraldine Brennan (Director of Circular Economy Innovation at IMR/CIRCULÉIRE). On 21 st January, Director of Circular Economy Innovation, Dr Geraldine Brennan, represented IMR and CIRCULÉIRE in the Circularity in Construction Panel at HPBA’s Net Zero Construction Symposium, alongside Xavier Dubuisson, CEO of Retrokit and Dave Garforth, Program Director at Responsible Plastics Management (RPM).    During the panel, Dr. Brennan, highlighted insights from CIRCULÉIRE member Freefoam Plastics’ leadership in closed loop production and their integration of circular principles into their lean manufacturing culture. The CE Power of Many pilot , a roof lining take back scheme, supported by IMR and CIRCULÉIRE helped shift their deployment of circular practises from recycling to ‘as-is reuse’.    Xavier Dubuisson shared his vision about Retrokit’s aim to become a market leader for the digitalisation of the housing energy renovation value chain and how circular principles can be incorporated into energy-based retrofit. Dave Garforth, spoke about Sisk, a member of Responsible Plastics Management (RPM), explaining their commitment to Zero Waste to Landfill for plastics, adopting strategies for source segregation and enabling higher quality of flexible plastics, which account for 40% of construction site plastics.     The variety of stakeholders in this inaugural Symposium, with education and skills professionals, architecture and engineering firms, industry actors working in M&E, QS, retrofit and energy management, material innovation suppliers, professional networks representatives and local authorities, reflects HPBA’s strategy to engage, educate and empower construction and building sector actors to scale-up the delivery of digitally enabled net-zero circular economy practises. Their support to the sector is also evidenced by their participation in the Sector Guide Circular Transition Indicators published in 2025 by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), which included contributions by CIRCULÉIRE member Arcology Systems.     Attendees at HPBA’s inaugural Net Zero Construction Symposium. Symposium included a keynote by Managing Director of KORE Retrofit, Barry McCarron, who shared data about the built environment sector, the availability of supports for domestic retrofit, the sector’s shift toward Zero Emission Buildings (ZEB), and how the finance sector and ESG requirements are the drivers of mainstreaming Passive Housing in Ireland, to the detriment of building regulation.     Opened by HPBA’s CEO, Amanda Steward, the Net Zero Construction Symposium was a valuable forum to discuss built environment topics: circular and biobased material, skills gaps in the sector and modern methods of construction. Lavanya Bhandari, CEO and Founder of Ecoroots, CIRCULÉIRE accelerator alumna in 2025 and finalist at the inaugural All-Island Circular Venture Awards also spoke at the Biobased Materials in Practice panel.     David Scanlon, Director at Resolve Partners, MC’d the Symposium, which provided a platform for knowledge-sharing and thought leadership to support collaboration within the construction and building sectors for a systemic approach to circular practices deployment.    CIRCULÉIRE Thought Leadership & Insights     For insights on Circularity in Construction and the Built Environment, we recommend downloading CIRCULÉIRE’s 2021 Circularity in Construction & Built Environment Sectoral Guide , and viewing the Arcology Case Study .     Invite to Leverage Circular Bio Based Construction Materials     Sign up here to attend the upcoming BioDirect 2.0 Manufacturing Roundtable on 26 th February hosted by Irish Manufacturing Research, in collaboration with Circular Bioeconomy Cluster South West and ATIM Cluster to learn more about opportunities for the construction sector to leverage circular bio-based materials.     #CircularEconomyInnovation #CEPowerofMany #ClosedLoopProduction #BuiltEnvironment #HPBA #NetZeroConstructionSymposium

Read in this Silicon Republic interview in Science Uncovered about how CIRCULÉIRE’s Programme Manager, Dr Geraldine Brennan came to work on the circular economy and how the power of the circular economy comes from viewing it as an umbrella concept and developing circular configurations from combining multiple circular strategies. Learn More