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Circular Economy

Updated: Jan 8, 2021

Circular economy advocates have long warned against the dominant take-make-waste model that is the bread and butter of most economies. On the contrary, circular economies are industrial models that are regenerative in intent and execution, aimed at improving resource performance and combating the volatility that climate change can bring to businesses. A new report by the World Economic Forum, "Rethinking the Road to a Circular Economy," answers the question of why we need to move toward a "circular economy."


Products and services in a circular economy are designed to be reused in biological and technical cycles. The narrow components of the product cycle define and establish circular economies for recycling, in which large amounts of embedded energy and labour escape disposal or even recycling. Ultimately, the tight product cycles distinguish the circular economy model from the traditional take-make waste model of raw material recycling, in which a large part of the embedded energy or labour is lost for disposal and / or recycling. Growth can make it impossible to recycle raw materials, even if recycling is 100% efficient.


"A circular economy conserves resources, drastically reduces the amount of waste society generates"

Economic Model

Implementing a circular economic model would, as discussed above, have several benefits for the environment, the economy and business. A circular economy conserves resources, drastically reduces the amount of waste society generates, and would also help reduce financial waste. Although there is no doubt that our current industrial model is unsustainable, how different would a so-called "circular economy" be?

In the aviation sector, the circular economy is an emerging concept and, although its application is not yet widespread, exploiting the circular economy concept can offer valuable environmental, social and economic opportunities. We hope that circular economies can also be seen as an opportunity to offer a more sustainable and sustainable alternative to the current industrial model. Circular economy plans in some regions of China can combine eco-industrial development with clean production as the main strategy for the application of the circular economy.

Unlike other economic models, where economic aspects take precedence over social and environmental ones, the circular economy represents a significant improvement for the economy and consumers. In fact, it is based on a model of absolute value creation that is positive and capable of moving from a simple model of efficiency reduction to a more complex model in which there is no such thing as waste. Quantitative energy recycling and reuse is also a feature of the circular economy, as it would contradict the current industrial model, which focuses on fossil fuel use.

This opens up new avenues of consumption, from leasing clothes to producing things people need on demand. Building a circular economy requires changes in product design and business approaches that have ripple effects throughout the supply chain and the entire economic system.

A sustainable circular economy involves developing and promoting products that can be reused, repaired and restored. It is an economic model that highlights business opportunities where cycles and non-linear processes dominate. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation defines a "circular economy" as "a sustainable, cost-effective, high-quality, environmentally friendly and environmentally sustainable economy. Circular economies are those conceived as restorative or regenerative and aimed at distinguishing technical and biological cycles from each other. Circular sustainable economies involve the development, repair and promotion of products that are designed and promoted in such a way that they can not only be recycled, but also reused, repaired or restored.

The circular economy is best demonstrated at the level of production and is a cycle that closes the loop on something that might otherwise end up in landfill. There are many examples of circular economies in the world, such as China and India, and manufacturers can design waste and regenerate natural systems to reduce the impact of industry on the environment.

Jobs can also contribute to the circular economy by using renewable resources such as renewable energy sources. If we, embodying a circular economy strategy, extend what has already been done, Then the production process can be considered circular, and jobs have contributed to this.

If we look at the entire life cycle of a resource, it is clear that those in favour of the circular economy concentrate on a very small part of this whole system, and thus misunderstand how it works. In the economic system established today, where the river has a clear beginning and end, goods are produced, used, thrown away and used again and again. Gradually, the linear economy is being replaced by a "circular economy," in which things are either produced or used in the linear economy and then thrown away.





Sources:

https://solve.mit.edu/challenges/circular-economy

https://reports.weforum.org/toward-the-circular-economy-accelerating-the-scale-up-across-global-supply-chains/from-linear-to-circular-accelerating-a-proven-concept/

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10098-019-01722-z

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https://www.raconteur.net/sustainability/circular-economy-profit

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