Harnessing the Circular Economy

Our current human economy is based on a linear model in which we take, make and waste. Materials are grown or extracted, largely from finite resources, converted into products for our limited use, then deposited in landfills or incinerators when we are done with them. This system is wasteful and unsustainable in the long term.

Recycling programs have been built to recover value from certain high value streams such as metals and easy to process materials like paper, but these only account for a small fraction of our overall waste. Conventional recycling plays an important role in reducing impact, but faces many challenges and is only part of a greater solution in which products are designed with end of use in mind. A variety of factors exist that prevent wider recovery and recycling of materials including:

-Contamination from the mixing of materials

-Products lacking an end of use plan during the design process

-Lack of infrastructure to support re-manufacturing and recycling

-Poor financial incentives to choose recycled feed stocks over virgin materials

The Circular Economy is a systematic construct with the intention of not only maintaining material value over the long term, but also regenerating the biosphere that supports our human activity. In this system products are produced with a systems-level view and designed with a full lifecycle in mind. This starts with raw material sourcing and considers the entire supply chain past end of use to material recovery. The core principles of a circular economy can be applied to any industry and implemented in phases. This often requires a re-thinking of business models, but the process creates the opportunity for greater efficiency and innovation.

Over the years I have worked with businesses throughout a range of industries to re-imagine their waste streams as value streams and have found that there are always opportunities for improved resource efficiency.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is a great resource to learn about the circular economy and how these principles can be put into practice in any market segment.

https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overview?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1sXw7sGqigMVGzutBh3L1QfNEAAYASAAEgIZxvD_BwE