The Greek island of Tilos is home to one of the world’s most successful zero-waste projects. Led by Polygreen, a circular economy solutions company, the 700+ residents of the small island completely eliminated its landfilling and brought its recycling rate to a record high of 89.2 percent during a two-year period.
Researchers have been studying the project to identify ways to scale up the Tilos model for major cities around the world. That includes a team from INSEAD Business School’s Sustainable Business Initiative (SBI)—Professors Atalay Atasu, Luk Van Wassenhove, and Amitava Chattopadhyay—and Necati Ertekin, assistant professor of supply chain and operations at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.
In early April 2024, Ertekin presented the group’s ongoing research efforts to Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and other government officials when Mitsotakis visited the island.
Following the prime minister’s visit, he authorized the expansion of the zero waste management model from Tilos to an additional 15 Greek islands, initiating the second large-scale expansion of the Tilos model after Abu Dhabi.
