(GOLDEN, COLORADO) – Colorado’s Circular Economy Development Center, established to grow recycled commodity end markets in Colorado, will be housed in Golden by a company that is already participating in the circular economy. It’s an ideal start to an endeavor launched July 1 by the state and led by Circular Colorado.
The Circular Economy Development Center (CEDC) will expand end markets by analyzing supply chains and the flow of materials in the state and surrounding region. By engaging stake holders in Colorado from the manufacturing, transportation and recycling sectors the center will be able to develop action plans to meet Colorado’s waste diversion and circularity goals. The state’s recycling rate has stalled at about 16%, well below the state’s 2021 goal of 28% diversion.
Vartega creates recycled carbon fiber, a low-cost alternative to virgin material for automotive and industrial applications. Vartega is making carbon fiber more accessible by solving the world’s toughest advanced materials recycling challenges to create circular supply chains, decarbonize transportation and enable a sustainable future. Learn more at www.vartega.com.
“Vartega shares Circular Colorado’s mission to establish circular economies for a variety of materials in Colorado, so having their team co-locate with us is a natural fit. We couldn’t be happier to host them and to support the CEDC,” said Vartega CEO Andrew Maxey.
A circular economy eliminates waste and pollution, circulates products and materials (at their highest value) and regenerates nature. These goals are incorporated from the start, during product design. In contrast, a linear economy extracts resources to make products that end up as waste and are thrown away. The circular economy is a resilient system that is good for business, people, and the environment.
The CEDC is funded through the Colorado Department of Health and Environment with two existing grant programs, the Front Range Waste Diversion (FRWD) program and the Recycling Resources Economic Opportunity (RREO) program. Learn more at www.coloradocedc.org.