Educating towards a circular economy
What is a circular economy?<p>&gt; The notion of a circular economy has attracted increased attention in recent years.
The concept is characterised, more than defined, as an economy that is restorative
and regenerative by design and aims to keep products, components, and materials
at their highest utility and value at all times, distinguishing between technical and
biological cycles. It is conceived as a continuous positive development cycle that
preserves and enhances natural capital, optimises resource yields, and minimises
system risks by managing finite stocks and renewable flows. It works effectively at
every scale. This economic model seeks to ultimately decouple global economic
development from finite resource consumption.<p>How do we get there?<p>1. A key feature of a circular economy is to
be restorative and regenerative by design. The recovery of materials and products
is not only addressed at end of use, but is enabled at the design level (e.g., by the
choice of materials or a design for disassembly). Companies will need to build core
competencies in circular design to facilitate product reuse, recycling and cascading.<p>2. Business models that move from ownership to performancebased
payment models are instrumental in translating products designed for reuse
into attractive value propositions. By prioritising access over ownership, these
models drive a shift from consumers to users. Companies with significant market
share and capabilities along several vertical steps of the linear value chain could
play a major role in driving circularity into the mainstream by leveraging their scale
and vertical integration.<p>3. A value preserving materials backbone is a core requirement for
the transition to a circular economy. To create value from materials and products
after their use, they need to be collected and brought back.<p>The &quot;circular economy&quot; sounds like a buzzword for more aggressive recycling and eco-friendly materials use. Disposable goods are cheap. What incentives do companies&#x2F;governments have to make their products more expensive?