I can’t believe it, but summer is here, even in Sweden!

This means this is my last edition of The Loop for the next 4 weeks because I will be taking time off with my wife and kids.

And I would encourage everyone to do the same – disconnect, turn off your phones and laptops, set that out-of-office auto-reply in your email.

Take a break!

You will come back recharged, full of energy, and inspiration.

It was exactly a year ago, after my last summer break, when it all clicked in my head and I decided to go full-on with The Circular Economist.

And I launched it on the 9th of March 2024 – exactly 4 months ago.

Since then, I have:

• spoken at 20+ events
• grown 36k more followers
• generated 19,000,000 impressions
• gotten 3100+ subscribers to The Loop
• helped 16 brands run ads in The Loop
• run 12 influencer campaigns on LinkedIn
• helped 10+ clients via my 1:1 Power Hours
• and much more…

Maybe you are not sure where to start.

Maybe you have some interesting ideas.

Maybe you are this close to starting your amazing new project…

I am positive that a few morning runs and a week off can help you get there!

During my summer break, I want to read up on content creation, and get nerdy about social media.

But if you are into the circular economy, I’ve prepared some must-reads, must-watch, must-follow resources for you to get inspired during the summer.

But before we get there, I have a special announcement to make about something I’ve been working on behind the scenes!

🎉 Special Announcement: The Circular Accelerator

I’m stoked to announce that I’ve been working on an exciting project behind the scenes:
​
From September, I’m looking to work with 3 Sustainability Managers from a medium or large-sized business who need to double down on making their company more circular.

It’s a 30-day program to help you move beyond managing waste and recycling and get on top of your circular economy journey.

I am not sure if I will ever repeat this.

It’s still early stage, and I would really love your feedback on this!

Can you let me know what you think here? https://circulareconomist.org/feedback/

📚 Top Summer Resources for Circular Economists

Must-Read Books:

1. “Cradle to Cradle” by Braungart and McDonough. This book had a big impact on me. Some say it also sparked the birth of the modern circular economy movement when it came out.
   ​
2. “Waste to Wealth” by Peter Lacy & Jakob Rutqvist. This book is full of practical insights and success stories of companies going circular. Practical read!
   ​
3. “Ministry for the Future” by Kim Stanley Robinson. If you like sci-fi, you’ll love this. This novel gave me an idea of how our world might look in the next few decades.
   ​
4. “Less is More” by Jason Hickel. It’s a thought-provoking exploration of degrowth and sustainability.
   ​
5. “Doughnut Economics” by Kate Raworth. It’s eye-opening, inspiring, positive, and super easy to read. And it’s something that’s missing in the circularity debate.
   ​
6. “Circular Economy: A User’s Guide” by Walter Stahel. Walter is a legend, and he almost daily posts on LinkedIn, make sure you follow him!

Must-Watch Videos:

1. ​Kate Raworth’s TED Talk, her book, or anything she does and says 😁
   ​
2. ​Going Circular – my favorite circular economy documentary. It’s from 2021, it follows famous visionaries, and it was initiated by the founder of Circle Economy!
   ​
3. ​Ellen MacArthur’s TED: This talk had a huge impact on me. It was one of the first things that popped up when I googled “circular economy” back in 2015.
   ​
4. ​Don’t Look Up is a top movie about climate change denialism with great humor and actors.
   ​
5. ​Brave Blue World Short Netflix documentary about our global water crisis.
   ​
6. ​Planète océan This documentary set me on a path to a career in sustainability.

Events-You-Don’t-Wanna-Miss in Q3 / Q4

1. Climate Week NYC (20-29/9, USA)
2. Nordic Business Forum (25-26/9, Finland)
3. Sustainability Europe 2024 (30/9 – 1/10, UK)
4. ESG Summit Europe (1-2/10, Spain)
5. Tech Arena Zero (23/10, Sweden)
6. Circulaze (5-6/11, Germany)
7. Ecomondo (5-8/11, Italy)
8. Slush (20-21/11, Finland)

• yes circularity is still very much an EU thing
• fun fact – you can see me live in 4 out of 8 of these!
• and yes, I have a narrow overview, I bet there’s a lot more globally!

I hope this helps, but most of all, enjoy your summer break, recharge, and come back with fresh ideas and energy.

And let me know by replying to this email:

What event are you looking forward to in 2024 or 2025?

Thank you for staying with me until now, and stay tuned for all the cool updates coming up!

Vojta