Josoor Institute, SC highlight benefits of circular economy

Josoor Institute and the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) recently hosted a panel session titled ‘Football, Fashion, and the Circular Economy.’ It was the latest Josoor Institute’s sustainability series and included guest speakers from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC (Q22), Adidas, and Bulgari. The session was moderated by Orjan Lundberg, the Sustainability Expert at the SC. Speakers included Erin Kelley, Sustainability Manager, Q22, Eleonora Rizzuto, Founder and President, Associazione Italiana per lo Sviluppo dell’Economia Circolare (AISEC), and Director of CSR, Bulgari, Gaia Pretner, Sustainable Procurement Manager, Q22, and Luca Mosca, Senior Manager of Brand Sustainability, Adidas. Speakers discussed the concept of a circular economy – an economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources. It is based on designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems.

The session opened with Pretner explaining how the circular economy model would be applied to a mega-event such as the FIFA World Cup in planning, procurement, construction, operations, and recycling. Kelley shared an update from the recent FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020, held in February. Circular economy principles were implemented during the tournament in proc u r e m e n t , c o n t r a c t s , awareness-raising, training, site operations, and waste handling. Thanks to various interventions, including recycling stations and using composting equipment, the organisers diverted 42% of total waste away from landfills. The majority were processed for reuse within Qatar’s landscape and agricultural industries. Mosca outlined Adidas’s approach to sustainability, including details of the company’s efforts to produce more than 15 million pairs of shoes from recycled Parley Ocean plastic in 2020, mentioning that Adidas expects to phase out the use of virgin plastics and polyesters in products by 2024. Rizzuto shared her experiences in launching AISEC to promote a vision beyond just recycling but also including a holistic and territorial approach. She also outlined clothing brand Bulgari’s approach to running a sustainable business, saying that the luxury sector has embraced sustainability by implementing behaviour change throughout the supply chain while promoting resea