Strengthening Circular Academic Collaboration South – North: Designing Frameworks and Solving Real Societal Problems *Amaral, W. A. N; *Ometto, A.; *Costa, J.; **Buch, R., **Marseille, A.   * University of Sao Paulo (USP), Brazil ** Arizona State University (ASU), USA

The Context CE is the “new black” – gaining attention from multiple stakeholders EU: Long-term regulatory frameworks driving CE Brazil and in the USA: Mixed bag of approaches Single and isolated solutions generating short and reduced impacts Pioneer Universities: USP and ASU in Americas have identified common ground for collaboration Systemic and ecosystem approaches Raj

How might we collectively accelerate the implementation of a circular economy?

CE Ecosystem Stakeholders Business/industry Government (Federal, State, Municipal) Universities Entrepreneurs Consumers Communities Funders/Philanthropy Civil Society/Community-Based Organization Others? Raj

Collective Impact 5 conditions for true alignment and powerful results Common agenda Shared measurement Mutually reinforcing activities Continuous communication Backbone organization support Raj Common agenda: a common understanding of the problem and a joint approach to solving it through agreed upon actions. Shared measurement: Collecting data and measuring results consistently on a short list of indicators at the community level and across all participating organizations not only ensures that all efforts remain aligned, it also enables the participants to hold each other accountable and learn from each other’s successes and failures. Mutually reinforcing activities: The power of collective action comes not from the sheer number of participants or the uniformity of their efforts, but from the coordination of their differentiated activities through a mutually reinforcing plan of action. Continuous communication: continuous communication is necessary to develop trust between organizations, to ensure that common vocabulary is developed and understanding of partner’s motivations. Must be with organizations decisio-makers and common understanding of attending all meetings is needed. Backbone organization support: Creating and managing collective impact requires a separate organization and staff with a very specific set of skills to serve as the backbone for the entire initiative. Coordination takes time, and none of the participating organizations has any to spare. The expectation that collaboration can occur without a supporting infrastructure is one of the most frequent reasons why it fails. Kania and Kramer (2011). Collective Impact. Stanford Social Innovation Review

Key factors for collaboration 5 activities needed to launch and sustain effective collaborations Clarifying purpose Convening the right people Cultivating trust Coordinating existing activities Collaborating for systems impact Raj

RISN – Model for a Regional Partnership

Partnership Development To minimize our impact and enable economic development, we know this can’t be achieved through residential programs alone. We need to leverage and work with our community and industry leaders.   To date, the city has entered into partnership with these organizations – which all have strong commitments to sustainability and reducing their consumption. As part of the last focus area we are also working on creation of a sustainability platform broken into two areas: 1. Delivery of Solutions 2. Economic Development

Economic Viability of Forest Thinning

Regional Circular Organic Resource System Tree Canopy and Vegetative Cover Current GO Waste Sheds and Processors 2050 Modelled System

Our Goals Partners How it works Councils Ventures Design Challenge PARTNERS – ASU, City of Phoenix and federally funded by EDA GOALS – To accelerate the Circular Economy through entrepreneurship and innovation HOW IT WORKS – This is a 6 month customized program for early stage companies in the space of circular economy. The RISN Incubator provides technical assistance, access to technical experts including university faculty and departments like the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering for their advancement, workshops and training, business plan and growth strategy development, access to feedstock from Phoenix’s waste transfer station, and a process for continuous evaluation and pre-qualification for funding opportunities with introductions to funders. DESIGN CHALLENGE – We designed a workshop around the EMF Circular Design Guide. Is an engaging educational workshop that is also used to market CE in the community. COUNCILS – We have an Advisory Council and Selection Committee. These help to select the ventures and advise the incubator. Design Challenge

Incubator Impact Launched in September 2017 First Cohort of 10 ventures finished March 2018

University of Sao Paulo - USP circular economy timeline Innovation Center launched USP signed MoU with Ellen MacArthur Foundation 2014 I First projects in Circular Economy at USP 2008 I

CE opportunities in Brazil: The National Confederation of Industry case - CNI using the lenses of innovation and competitiveness

CE opportunities in Brazil and collaboration Business demands from multiple value chains: Food and agriculture; Fashion – textiles; Advanced manufacturing; Circular cities But Brazil was lacking a place and a “framework” The Circular Economy Innovation Center (CIEC) at USP was launched to address these needs and challenges, adding two other pillar: creation of capacities and competences and tackling new business models But collaboration with other Pioneer Universities is essential to address the complexities for the transition towards CE with positive impacts at societal level USP and ASU are about to start a project-based collaboration on circular cities and nutrient flows

The Circular Economy Innovation Center

Elements of an effective framework for collaboration Beyond reverse cycles Integration Multiple stakeholders Mind set change Project-based solutions: kick-wins and scale-up Engage

Contact - authors Prof. Weber Amaral wana@usp.br Prof. Aldo Ometto aometto@sc.usp.br Dr. Raj Buch rbuch@asu.edu Alicia Marseille amarseille@asu.edu