Julia Vol is a guest speaker at TedxTorinoSalon “Alter Eco”.
In this interview Julia Vol speaks about the importance of sustainability and circular economy. Julia also explains the benefits of the choice of embrassing the concept of circular economy and why it is so important for businesses but even for people and governments.
Q: What person, event, experience represents in your life a turning point in relation to sustainability and circular economy?
A: For me the turning point in my understanding of what long term prosperity looks like was when I first read the first reports from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The systemic nature of the circular economy approach and the way it is formulated, has made sense in areas where traditional CSR or sustainability approaches have failed.
Q: What difficulties did you find most in your work for companies and public organizations?
A: I think that the only difficulty along the way is the linear state of mind, where people just cannot imagine a different way for our economy, and due to that, do not get the great promise of the transition towards circular economy. Although it is the opening point for many of the people we work with, it’s interesting to follow the process of them engaging and uncovering the circular economy concept, and there’s also the “aha moment”, where suddenly they get it too.
Q: What are the “enemies” of the circular economy and how to fight them?
A: I don’t think there are enemies for the circular economy as it is a concept that is rooted by two simple facts: 1. the earth has finite resources. 2. the global population and demand for services and goods is growing. There’s no arguing with these, and we can either do nothing and wait to see what happens, or we can roll up our sleeves and try to turn a challenge into an opportunity. Those who decide to do nothing, they are not the enemy, they will just get less enjoyment from the opportunities that the circular economy uncovers for businesses, cities and governments.
