Businesses, building owners, manufacturers, recyclers, and communities that want to create products from recycled materials, find a re-use for by-products and production waste, or provide raw materials to contribute to a more sustainable, circular economy now have a place to go for help in western Colorado. The Grand Junction-based Business Incubator Center (BIC) has partnered with Colorado’s Circular Economy Development Center (CEDC) in a venture designed to promote the use of recycled materials in manufacturing processes in Colorado.
The CEDC was established in 2022 through legislation. Its mission is to grow and create markets for recycled commodities and facilitate necessary infrastructure, systems, logistics, and marketing to create a sustainable circular economy in Colorado. In a circular economy, a product has multiple life cycles via recycling or reuse and intentional use of by-product and production waste.
The Business Incubator Center has long served as the launch pad for scores of western Colorado businesses. It stimulates local economies through the creation and retention of sustainable jobs, helps entrepreneurs form capital, and aids businesses via various programs that spur growth and innovation.
“Our goal is to foster and maintain relationships with a variety of stakeholders to stay informed of local and regional challenges and opportunities related to establishing circular economies. Circular economy components such as recycling, transportation, manufacturing, and economic development are informed by local and regional factors,” said CEDC Director Laurie Johnson. “Our partnership with BIC is ideal for that since our respective missions are closely aligned.”
Dalida Sassoon Bollig, Chief Executive Officer for the Business Incubator Center, said: “Our commitment to our communities in western Colorado aligns with the essence of a circular economy. Through our strategic partnership with Circular Economy Development Center, we are dedicated to building robust pipelines across diverse sectors. Together, we aim to identify and manage challenges, and help entrepreneurs and small businesses seize opportunities for sustainable growth.”
The Business Incubator currently supports several businesses in the Incubator Intensive Program that are actively implementing circular economy practices including Surpstone, whose owner Jill Layton uses recycled plastics to recreate custom garden stones, and Confluence Woodcraft, whose owner Dave Grossman builds modern furniture and reuses wood by-products to create handmade zero-waste furniture, charcuterie boards, coasters, and gifts.