What do a biofuels entrepreneur, a Shanghai university professor, and a Washington D.C.-based software companyall have in common? They’re all focused on what’s called the circular economy, an economy that is designed to reuse or recycle its waste, and which continues to grow but is decoupled from gobbling up natural resources.
These three—LanzaTech CEO Jennifer Holmgren, Tongji University Professor Zhu Dajian, and Optoro—are also all winners of last year’s The Circulars, a project created by the World Economic Forum and the Forum of Young Global Leaders. The Circulars gives out awards to business folks, entrepreneurs, academics, and companies that have done exceptional work in developing or calling attention to new processes and ideas for reusing and recycling waste in all its forms.