How Muuse is making the circular economy a real thing (and why we need your help!)

Picture a city where waste doesn’t exist, not because we’ve found a better way to dispose of it, but because everything we use is continuously repurposed. A world where materials flow seamlessly from one use to another, never losing value, never becoming waste. This is the promise of circularity, but achieving it is easier said than done.

How we walk the circularity talk 

At Muuse, we believe that cities of the future will be defined by circularity, where every resource is optimized, reused, and ultimately repurposed.

When it comes to achieving sustainability goals, reuse has a massive impact. For example,  Muuse’s initiative in Singapore (OTH) alone has already saved 1.2 metric tons of CO2 during a year. If scaled up to 3,500 containers per week, it could save 21.3 metric tons of CO2 annually, equivalent to 10 flights from Singapore to Toronto.

In this specific case study, it was shown that reusables generate up to 81% fewer emissions than disposables over their lifetime. For example,Our reuse and return system actively prevents waste and our reusable food and beverage containers are designed to withstand multiple uses, reducing reliance on disposables and eliminating unnecessary waste at its source. 

In fact, 1 Muuse cup can be used up to 1,000 times, significantly reducing the need for single-use alternatives. The impact is already visible: at Singapore’s Hawker Center, we have diverted 200,000 single-use items from landfills, while at Hong Kong’s bustling business center, Taikoo Place, we have prevented 30,000 disposable items from going to waste, just to name a few.

To think beyond sustainability and make this circular vision a reality, we’ve ensured that every aspect of our system is thought through. We take a material longevity-first approach, ensuring that the products we introduce into our system can remain in circulation for as long as possible. All Muuse containers in Singapore are made from polypropylene (PP, plastic no. 5), a durable and highly recyclable material, while our cups are crafted from stainless steel, with 75% made from recycled content. 

But as we push towards a truly circular system, we’ve encountered a challenge that many reuse initiatives face: end-of-life solutions for reusable containers remain difficult to access.

The end-of-life challenge

Even the most durable materials eventually reach the end of their lifespan. When that happens, how do we ensure they don’t become waste themselves? This is where circularity demands more than just good intentions, but the right infrastructure, partnerships, and volume to make upcycling viable.

We’ve explored multiple avenues to keep our materials in circulation. For example:

• Plastic panels could be used to create return stations.

• Polypropylene (PP) materials are repurposed into coasters, tabletops for schools and coffee shops, and even bricks.

• Rubber components could potentially be integrated into road construction materials, but existing solutions currently do not have enough demand.

• Stainless steel has the potential to be transformed into cutlery, but we have yet to find a partner capable of processing the relatively small quantities we produce.

  
  

One of the biggest constraints we face is volume as many upcycling partners require a minimum material quantity to process efficiently. With Muuse operating at a growing but still limited scale, we haven’t yet reached the critical mass needed to make certain solutions viable. This means that while upcycling remains our goal, recycling is sometimes our only fallback.

Why upcycling, not recycling, is the goal

For Muuse, upcycling is the priority. Unlike recycling, which requires breaking down materials and often introducing new raw materials like plastic to maintain quality, upcycling preserves material integrity without the need for additional resources. This approach ensures that materials remain in circulation without adding to the demand for virgin resources. According to a study conducted on Muuse’s LCA by Unravel Carbon, upcycling containers in Singapore reduces lifecycle emissions by 5.3% to 5.7% compared to recycling them in Malaysia.

This focus on upcycling is directly tied to Muuse’s commitment to end-of-life management. Design choices can determine up to 80% of emissions generated throughout a product’s lifecycle, so ensuring that products can be upcycled rather than recycled is a key strategy in reducing environmental impact. 

That said, we recognize that upcycling is not always feasible. In some cases, due to limitations in infrastructure or processing capacity, recycling remains the more accessible option. This is why we continue to explore scalable solutions that make upcycling more viable while ensuring that when it is not possible, materials are responsibly recycled instead of discarded.

Let’s collaborate! 

We know that a perfect circular system cannot be built alone. Muuse is actively seeking partners to help overcome the remaining gaps in our system. Specifically, we are looking to:

• Identify upcycling solutions for PP materials at low volumes. 

• A partner to upcycle stainless steel items into new products and create the mould of that new product

• Identify a partner interested in low volumes of PC, rubber and silicone from our early ages

• Find support on moving those items around

  
  

The cities of the future won’t be built by a single company or initiative, they will be shaped by a collective commitment to rethinking waste. If you or your organization have ideas, resources, or expertise to help Muuse close the loop, we’d love to hear from you!

Get in touch!