CIRCO was invited to participate in this Strategy Week, with the specific goal of exploring the possibility of setting up a local CIRCO Hub in Lagos from which to guide companies through their first circular steps. Lilian van Hove is Hub Coordinator at CIRCO. She did this exploration as well as giving a workshop. We called her for a review of this journey.
Lilian, you’re back from Lagos. What exactly did you do there?
“I gave a workshop Circular Entrepreneurship for 90 companies, potential local network partners and designers during the Lagos Strategy Week. The consul general in Lagos, Michel Deelen, also attended the workshop. It was a first introduction to the CIRCO method, with which we have already trained 2,500 companies. In addition to the workshop, in a group session and individual interviews I gauged interest in cooperation within a newly established CIRCO Hub in Lagos.”
What is the state of circular design in Nigeria?
“In Nigeria, the focus in terms of circularity is mainly on recycling and waste management, because of the large amounts of plastic waste the country faces. Very hard work is being done to set up systems for this. At the moment, there is little focus on circular design, where the emphasis is on longer use of products and minimizing waste at the front end through adjustments in the design process. This is an important focus for the further development of the circular economy in Nigeria.”
What emphases did you bring to the Circular Business workshop?
“Unlike in Europe, in Nigeria we don’t need to make consumers aware of the value of repair. They are by nature already much concerned with life extension of products. Therefore, in the workshop I mainly emphasized the opportunities it offers companies if they can link a circular business model to this. In addition, I paid a lot of attention to the concept of Products that Flow: how can we as designers, entrepreneurs, marketers and users deal more sustainably with consumables? I noticed that this is a topic of great interest, precisely because Nigeria is dealing with a huge flow of (plastic) waste.
How were participants’ reactions?
“The response to the workshop was extremely enthusiastic, with participants actively engaged and eager to pitch their own ideas. The designers present appreciated the ‘design language’ and the focus on design as one of the possible solutions for a future-proof economy. In addition, a major player such as Nestlé in Nigeria showed immediate interest in further collaboration through a CIRCO Track.”
What are the next steps?
“Currently, there are already four organizations that want to form a CIRCO Hub in Lagos together. The next step is to further guide these organizations in setting up the Hub, with the ultimate goal of training local trainers who will support companies in their first or next circular steps.”
How do you personally look back on this trip?
“The huge mountains of plastic waste along the roads and in the rivers made a big impression on me. I knew about this problem, but it comes in extra when you see it in front of you. I really understand the focus on recycling and waste management, it is really badly needed. At the same time, I am glad that during the Lagos Strategy Week we were able to put the perspective and possibilities of circular design next to it. Application of circular design and development of circular business models, makes entrepreneurs more resilient. Especially in a country like Nigeria, where the government has so many other challenges, the CIRCO approach can provide immediate perspective.
Hopefully, the efforts of all local organizations and international collaborations will ultimately lead to a strong, promising economy where much less waste needs to be recycled.
The Lagos Circular Economy Strategy Week made headlines in Nigeria. Watch Arise News’ coverage below.