In the last post of this series, I am focusing on people and organizations pushing for #circularity to build security and a better future. Their work addresses the role of #education, #democracy, and #geopolitics in circularity.

97) Almira Selin Kahya and Simon Röckinghausen co-founded the School of Circularity. Through their non-profit, they work to educate, connect, and empower students to accelerate the circular economy. Almira and Simon believe that education is a powerful tool for circularity, as it can bring about the mindset shift needed. The two work with students from all backgrounds and universities to help create systemic change and foster collaboration between different disciplines.

98) Anna Tarí founded the Circular Economy Club and the Circular Economy Institute. She connects circular economy professionals with one another and fosters collaboration and knowledge sharing. Through her work, Anna is working to create a world where resources are not wasted, but designed to be reused, regenerated, and repurposed. She believes that knowledge, skills, and community play a key role in building circular systems and transitioning over to a circular economy.

99) Louise van Schaik, Rem Korteweg, and Vera Kranenburg have conducted research into the geopolitics of critical raw materials at The Clingendael Institute. Their research has broadly examined how raw materials and supply chains can be used for economic coercion and the role circularity can play in countering this.

100) To close out this series, I want to share a more personal story that has shaped my take on circularity. My grandfather, Oiva Nikander was born in Finland, drafted into the Continuation War when he was 18, and never got the chance to attend university. Returning to his village as one of just three men from his generation to survive WW2, Oiva decided to dedicate his career to building a just, sustainable, and peaceful future. When Sitra was founded in 1967, he joined the innovation fund to conduct research into the electrification of mobility – work that he considered essential to safeguard the independence and future development of Finland as a democracy. Oiva was always repairing and mending things, and he believed that together ordinary people could do remarkable things. For him, circularity was strongly interconnected with peace, democracy, and the rule of law. He also believed that education, innovation, and community building were key for circular and sustainable development. While Oiva passed away nearly two decades ago, I like to think that a little bit of him lives on in Sitra. That is why my final tip for who to follow this year goes to Sitra and the World Circular Economy Forum WCEF for the brilliant work they have done, and continue to do, in pushing the circular economy forward.

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate and a wonderful end of the year to all! 🖤

🔔 With all 25 parts posted and all 100 stories told, the circular advent calendar has now come to its end! If you would like to have a look back on all the posts of the series and explore the full list of circular impactmakers, you can easily do that on LinkedIn, our blog, and our app.