Episode #58: Reduce, Reuse, Refill: Paris's Journey to a Zero Single-Use Plastic Future – Bold Moves for the Olympics?
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Episode #58: Podcast Show Notes
Introduction
What actions can a city like Paris take to eliminate single-use plastic? How do urban economic actors become key players in reduce, reuse, and refill initiatives? And could the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics serve as an extra motivation?
Join us as Justine Laurent, Managing Director of Circulab, explains the operational and relational support necessary for such transformative changes.
Get ready to be inspired by global strategies and numerous examples, such as free-water fountains, collaborations with reuse initiatives, and incentives and certifications for economic players to help reshape our cities and villages by significantly reducing plastic use!
Before we delve into the ongoing changes with our guest, I can’t resist sharing some freshly revealed data with you.
Did you know that thanks to its zero single-use plastic ambition, Paris avoided 41 tonnes of plastic – the equivalent of 2.5 Parisian buses – in 2023?
Did you know that more than 1,000 shops display a sticker indicating that anyone can freely fill their water bottle from their tap?
And finally, did you know that – for the first time and due to its determination to make a difference – Paris secured around 200 soda fountains instead of bottles from the historic partner of the Games for the main festivities?
Curious to know how all this became possible? This episode is for you!
Resources mentioned in this episode
“Towards a global treaty to end plastic pollution: The Fifth United Nations Environment Assembly adopted a historic resolution in March 2022 with a view to negotiating, by the end of 2024, a global treaty to combat plastic pollution which is legally binding and based on a comprehensive approach covering the entire life cycle of plastics”: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/03/1113142
Check the Guidelines and Toolkits from
the Ellen MacArthur Foundation; the webpage “Designing out plastic pollution” https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/plastics/overview
and the Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency (GACERE) of the PNUD: “Policy brief: Circular Design of Plastic Products, 2024” https://www.unido.org/sites/default/files/unido-publications/2024-04/GACERE%20Policy%20Brief%20-%20Circular%20Design%20of%20Plastic%20Products.pdf < https://www.unep.org/gacere
Link to the workshop on "Scaling up circular design for plastic products" hosted by Circulab on behalf of GACERE on Monday the 15th April 2024 at the the World Circular Economy Forum WCEF in Brussels: https://wcef2024.com/sessions/ws7-scaling-up-circular-design-for-plastic-products/
Check the “Wilde Waste audio clip” series of the Unboxing Your Packaging podcast, in collaboration with Mme & M Recyclage: episodes 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, as well episode 28 about “The good, the bad, and the ugly of recycling”.
The Legacy Program: the “Plan heritage et durabilité” of Olympics in Paris: https://olympics.com/fr/paris-2024/information/plan-heritage-durabilite
Paris’ ambition in French: https://www.paris.fr/pages/paris-ville-sans-plastique-jetable-d-ici-2024-6931 and more information in English on this page “Paris quickens pace to put an end to single-use plastic”: https://www.paris.fr/en/pages/paris-steps-up-the-pace-to-put-an-end-to-single-use-plastic-27473
Ep 45: “The single-use plastic legislation: Is ban starting a shifting conversation?” with Colienne Regout of Look4Loops: https://www.look4loops.com/packaging-podcast/ep45-single-use-plastic-legislation-ban
In French: the network’s website, “Le Pari(s) du Zéro Plastique”: https://pariszeroplastique.fr/
The map with 1.200+ free fountains available in Paris: https://fontaine.eaudeparis.fr/
To be part of the zero plastic directory special for the Olympic and Paralympic Games: https://zerop.softr.app/zero-plastic-paris-directory >> https://airtable.com/app5sya90CdK35s9Q/pagLMLqYJAdWtGvAk/form
The initiative “Je choisis l’eau de Paris”: https://www.eaudeparis.fr/ with some fun videos https://www.eaudeparis.fr/ici-je-choisis-leau-de-paris
The app shows where to find free water on tap in different regions of the world: https://freetaps.earth/
Example of an “ugly” reusable cup to motivate people to return it, instead of keeping it! “Moche” means “ugly” in French: https://www.le-mosh.com/concept-mosh/
Ep 36: “The bulk: How to free products and consumers from the packaging?” with Célia Rennesson of Réseau Vrac & Elsa Bortuzzo of Yokoumi: https://www.look4loops.com/packaging-podcast/ep36-bulk-network-packaging-free-products-consumers
The post of Clara Pasquier (Justine’s colleague) about the calculator that will help quantify the concrete impact of single-use plastics avoided by many economic actors in the City of Paris: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/clarapasquier_plastiquezeroplastique-plasticfreeparis-drinktapwater-activity-7198585850115325953-VF4Q?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
Justine interviewed, in English, some international testimonials for the City of Paris:
Constance Steenkamp-Faaij, City of Amsterdam, The Netherlands: “The city of Amsterdam promises an “Amsterdammertje” bottle to do without plastic bottles”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QcNU-rULFA
Councilmember Sophie Hahn, City of Berkley, California USA: “The city of Berkeley is eliminating single-use plastic in its restaurants”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vh2wZw5WsA
(in French) Sustainable development delegate Samira Dubart, City of Lausanne, Switzerland: “The city of Lausanne is pursuing a committed policy against plastic pollution of waters”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nba5VcgM_QU
For the data mentioned in the intro, check (in French) the 2023 report on the zero single-use plastic ambition of the City of Paris, shared by Lila Durix, Head of the “Single-use Plastics Release” mission: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lila-durix-033254185_rapport-annuel-2023-zero-puu-ville-de-activity-7221074075442393088-A9Qj?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
Where to find Justine and Circulab?
LinkedIn profile of Justine Laurent: https://www.linkedin.com/in/circulardesign/
LinkedIn profile of Circulab: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearecirculab/mycompany/
Circulab website: https://circulab.com/
About Justine Laurent from Circulab
Justine Laurent has been working for over 8 years to transform our economic models in line with planetary limits and the principles of the circular economy.
Graduated in innovation and international management, and after experiences in Chile and Spain, she helps professionals to understand the relationships and interdependencies between their products and services and their ecosystem, and to build models that are resource-efficient and adaptable to the challenges of the 21st century. She offers training, workshops, and strategic advice.
She is Managing Director of Circulab.
She is Head of Learning for the ESSEC Circular Economy Global Chair.
She is a podcast host at Radio Circulab.
She is a speaker and regular lecturer at various events and conferences.
Podcast music
Special thanks to Joachim Regout who made the jingle. Have a look at his work here.
I am happy to bring a sample of our strong bonds on these sound waves. Since I was a child, he made me discover a wide range of music of all kinds. I am also delighted he is a nature lover and shares the Look4Loops 'out of the box philosophy'. He is an inspiring source of creativity for me.