A circular economy is an alternative to our traditional linear economy of make, use, and then dispose of.  A circular economy seeks to keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them while in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life.

As well as creating new opportunities for growth, a more circular economy will:

• Reduce waste in landfills
• Drive greater resource productivity
• Position us to better address emerging resource scarcity issues in the future
• Help reduce the environmental impacts of our production and consumption.

At its core, it involves keeping goods ‘in the loop’ for as long as possible, if not indefinitely. Ideally, businesses or networks of businesses can create their own closed-loop systems so the individual or group can eliminate their need for virgin or non-renewable materials, resources, and energy. A circular economy will also look to regenerate our natural ecosystems and repair the damage inflicted by the linear economy.

The Sustainable Spa Association (SSA), with MeetthefiveR’s are inviting spas from around the world to take part in the challenge. You can register your spa here to receive the overview and participation brief.   There are no fees payable.

As part of the collaboration between the Asia Pacific Spa & Wellness Coalition with the Sustainable Spa Association and our commitment to taking greater steps towards sustainability, we would like to encourage all spa operators to consider participation in this challenge to find a creative solution for one of their waste streams.

Choose one of your waste streams to send to or be collected by a local business or organisation that will then be able to make use of that material for their operations.

Participating spas will ultimately forge a partnership with another local entity and thus support and strengthen their community.

The following questions might be useful in coming up with a strategy that will benefit both your spa and them:

How much of the chosen material is generated each day/month/year?

How much does your spa spend on disposal services?

What exactly does the other business or organisation use this material for?

How much does the other entity spend on this material?

Is the transfer of material beneficial to both?

Will there be an exchange of money for this transfer of goods?

How will the material be transported from your business to the other entity?

Delivery? Collection?

How often should the material be transported?

Who will be in charge of this new collaboration?

How will you both produce the marketing content for this new collaboration?

Be sure to talk about your collaboration process when you share your entry using the hashtag: #SpaWasteNotChallenge