Circular Monday, formerly known as White Monday, is the day of circular consumption that falls on the Monday before Black Friday each year. This year, 2022, the day falls on 21 November.
Circular Monday was founded in 2017 by the Swedish circular fabric repair company Repamera AB, and has since grown into a global campaign. In 2020, the name "White Monday" was changed to "Circular Monday" to make the message clearer.
The aim is to spread the word about companies offering circular products and services, and encourage circular consumption that is kind to both the wallet and the planet. The hashtag #circularmonday brings together posts and campaigns, providing information and encouraging circular consumption.
"Another shopping day?" many people probably think when they hear about campaigns and hashtags encouraging consumption. Well absolutely, but unlike Black Friday for example, circular shopping actually reduces the amount of waste.
So, what does circular economy really mean?
The circular economy is a model of production and consumption that involves sharing, renting, reusing, repairing, renovating and recycling existing materials and products for as long as possible. The opposite of a circular economy is a linear economy where products are made, used and discarded. "Take, make, waste" is an English expression often used as a deterrent, and is exactly what a circular model discourages.
In short, the circular economy can be described as consumption that is kinder to the environment, and leaves less of a carbon footprint than traditional manufacturing and consumption of gadgets.
Here are some examples of what you as an individual can do to contribute to sustainable and circular consumption:
Rent and share: you can rent tools, clothes and vehicles when needed, instead of buying brand new items. Platforms like Hygglo, Heap carsharing and GoMore have business models for just this.
Repair: repair your stuff when it breaks, instead of buying brand new.
Of course, it's possible to repair more categories than vehicles and bikes - clothes, tools, furniture and electronics are also perfectly repairable. At Omocom, when we receive a damage report, we always encourage you to repair the damage in the first place, if possible. Good, huh?
Tip! Omocom works with the awesome MIOO who can repair your bike, at a time and place that suits you!
Buy used and recycle: it's not just houses, apartments and cars that are good to buy used - let's get into the habit of buying used stuff in other categories too! Clothes, toys and furniture are examples of gadgets that abound on sites like Blocket, Marketplace and flea markets. Transport your used goods seamlessly via Tiptapp, which has a neat integration directly from Blocket's website.
Used and refurbished electronics such as mobile phones can also be bought in excellent quality from e.g. Inrego, Refurbly, PhoneHero and others, and often repair and recycling of old and new electronics is also offered directly from the supplier.
Make sure to recycle old electronics, toys, clothes, etc. - both to reduce the carbon footprint and because the material can be used again, in new or upcycled gadgets.
Utöver alla grymma plattformar som Omocom samarbetar med, är vi även engagerade i cirkulära nätverk som ämnar för att främja en cirkulär ekonomi.
EUREFAS - The European refurbishment association representing the refurbishment industry in Europe, to promote the circular economy and help to build a greener world.
Cradlenet - Accelerates the transition to circular economy in Sweden. A cross-sector network for companies that want to become circular.
Le Club de la Durabilité - A network of entrepreneurs of change towards programmed sustainability Ellen MacArthur foundation - On a mission to accelerate the transition to a circular economy