HO CHI MINH CITY -- Twice a week, Veritas Vietnam staff drop by Starbucks to pick up old coffee grounds, from which the company concocts shoes, cups, and masks for clients like Mercedes and InterContinental Hotels.
It is an alluring proposition: Reduce waste by making goods less harmful to begin with by replacing plastic with organic inputs. This is one of several strategies underpinning the concept of a "circular economy," meant to replace today's throwaway culture with products that last.