Mana & Summa Equity: How to pioneer the circular economy in practice?

In its report, Summa Equity investigates the challenges and opportunities related to creating a circular economy. Summa estimates the EU circular economy could be worth >EUR 1.5 trillion by 2040. To get there, we need coordinated efforts from a wide range of stakeholders, and companies across sectors need to play a central role in leading the change. In particular, Summa calls for a paradigm shift in how we perceive and manage waste. Material production and waste management stand for a striking 22% of Europe’s total GHG emissions. For comparison, aviation stands for 2-3% of emissions.

In June 2023, Summa hosted an event to share key findings from the report and invited Mana’s Elise Svedal Nilssen to discuss how to pioneer the circular economy in practice. Elise shared examples of NG Group’s innovative solutions to improve reuse and recycling (e.g., Mana's sister company Zirq Solutions makes flower pots from used insulin pens) and explained why Mana was established to develop sustainable solutions for waste that is hard to recycle and reuse. Today, such residual waste is sent to incineration and landfills, contributing significantly to GHG emissions (1.4-1.7CO2e tons per ton waste). Mana will instead use this waste as raw materials to produce clean energy and products.