Companies adopting circularity will be the companies of the future | Perspectives with Martijn Lopes Cardozo (Circle Economy)
Perspectives with Martijn Lopes Cardozo
CEO at Circle Economy
To leave a successful entertainment career introducing interactive concepts within the American television industry, and venture into the world of ecology, upcycling and sustainable business models, may sound, to some, like a utopian endeavour. However, our guest Martijn Lopes Cardozo is far from a starry-eyed idealist. His entrepreneurial mindset and innovative approach brought him away from commercial work, and straight to the forefront of the rapidly developing and highly crucial movement of the circular economy.
“Turning 40 was a bit of an inflexion point. (...) I started realizing - what’s my goal? What’s my purpose? Is there more to life than making money? What type of heritage do I want to leave my kids?”
Martijn’s return to his home country of the Netherlands, after a decade in the consumerist mecca that is Los Angeles, has marked an almost cathartic shift in both his personal and professional story. He became a founding member and partner of Light Point Ventures, providing practical advice in impact investing and transformation towards circular economy models. From 2014 to 2019 he was the CEO of Black Bear, a Cleantech 100 company and global leader in the circular economy, extracting high-quality materials (namely steel and carbon black) from end-of-life tires.
Currently, Martijn is the CEO of Circle Economy, a company that focuses on implementing sustainable solutions and interventions within industries and societies, converting the economies of cities from linear to fully circular. Circle Economy has already begun transforming about 20 cities, including Amsterdam.
“The basic concept [of the circular economy] is you take inspiration from nature. If you look at nature, it doesn’t really produce any waste. Everything is used in a productive way. And you’re basically trying to replicate that model in the way you organize the economy and maybe even society.”
Only 8% of the world is circular at this time, and that is why Martijn’s voice and authority are such an invaluable resource. We talk to him about tangible solutions, sustainable strategies and the importance of adopting those strategies in order to accelerate necessary change.
Thanks to his pioneering efforts, many companies in all sectors are adopting renewable, ecological models and tools. One of them will soon be an AI software developed by Circle Economy, which will allow people from all over the world to look up their city, analyse its circular progress and receive a tailored set of sustainable recommendations.
“I think that (...) it’s quite a challenge, but it’s quite a good challenge for the creative industries.”
We have proudly taken up this challenge and informed our perspective even more thanks to Martijn’s inspiring stories and in-depth knowledge. It is becoming increasingly clear that a circular economy is the only way for future-oriented businesses and individuals to sustain themselves while also sustaining our planet.
Tune in to our conversation to learn more about how you can contribute to this change-making movement through resilient action and conscious solutions.