Category:Circular Economy: Difference between revisions

The concept of the circular economy is based on the idea that products can be reused, and after reuse the materials can be reclaimed to enter again into the system of production. If all materials could be reused in this way, further extraction of raw materials would be needed only where more goods were in use. The concept thus aligns with the aim of long term sustainability, even where raw materials are becoming scarce.

Wikipedia defines the circular economy as "an economic system aimed at minimizing waste and making the most of resources".

The idea is also related to reflection on the cycles of nature. "The Circular Economy is based on the abundance of flows generated from our alignment with ecosystemic metabolisms. Put simply, we should be imitating natural cycles as closely as we possibly can. The Circular Economy holds the keys of positive perspectives about the future of business, the future of the environment and about our future as people. It depicts a world without waste, where unused resources will find a function in an economy that will regenerate itself while growing within our systemic boundaries"
— Alexandre Lemille [1]

Other people doubt the realism of this vision. For example, Kris De Decker, in How Circular is the Circular Economy (2018), gives a critical summary of the limitations of the Circular Economy, pointing out how modern manufacturing makes it difficult to imitate the recycling that nature performs. Potential crucial updates on the concept of Circularity are the following:

• Perma-Circularity, which stresses the necessity to avoid growth in the use of material resources

• Circular Economy 2.0, which introduces the role of Humans in the Circular Humansphere

Key Ideas

Wikipedia gives these as theoretical influences:

• Cradle-to-cradle design, see: Cradle to Cradle
• regenerative design, see also our section on Regenarative Approaches
• Industrial Ecology,
• Biomimicry and
• The Blue Economy (2010); see our entry on the Blue Economy
• Barry Commoner's laws of ecology, (1971)

Useful Learning Resources

Introductory

• Kris De Decker: How Circular is the Circular Economy (2018)
• Which European country is leading the circular economy shift?: (2018)

Deeper Study

• Our article on the Circular Economy
• Optimizing Circular Value (2017) by Alexandre Lemille
• Against wasted politics: A Critique of the Circular Economy. By Francisco Valenzuela and Steffen Böhm. Ephemera, volume 17(1): 23-60

Related Categories

• Regenerative Approaches : non-extractive approaches to creating value while restoring the health of the planet and its communities

• The Sustainable Manufacturing looks specifically at modes of material production that are sustainable for the long term

• The Thermodynamic Efficiencies looks at the use of material and energy resources that respect a balanced metabolism between humans and the planet

• The P2P Accounting looks at measurement and accounting issues.

• * The Commons Economics looks at how to establish a sound economic approach