Circular Economy

One of the most important ways that our world needs to change in order to stop global warming now and for all future generations is by restructuring the way we make and consume ’stuff’. As well as rethinking the ideas behind what we do with that 'stuff' after use. 

What is a circular economy?

A circular economy is a proposed way to change the way that we make and consume such that there is no longer any waste. No more landfills filling up, and no more garbage islands. It is a way we can transform our economies from planet-harming over-consumption to planet-helping consumption. 

Cradle-to-Grave & Cradle-to-Cradle

Currently, most of the products created are used, then maybe reused once, before getting thrown ‘away’. It then goes out of our sight and we never think about it again as we go to replace it with a newly purchased good.

This is called a Cradle-to-Grave lifecycle, and it is an unnatural concept humans created, the creation of which was one of our largest missteps. 

Nature doesn't have waste. 

There is no natural system for throwing things ‘away’ or for something natural to no longer be of use to the ecosystem it is a part of.

When a plant or animal dies, it decomposes, giving its nutrients - its energy - back to the environment, so that something else can grow. 

Landfills were never supposed to exist.

We were thoughtless enough to cause this problem, but we are also smart enough to solve it.

Solving it will require shifting away from the Cradle-to-Grave lifecycle and towards a Cradle-to-Cradle lifecycle.

An economy that runs on Cradle-to-Cradle products has a couple of key traits that make it awesome:

1)

When a product is used, or ‘done’, the trash can will no longer be an option. Instead, it will be composted or recycled so that all of its materials can be stripped and used anew in something else.

2)

Materials that are not infinitely reusable will be replaced with ones that are.

Metal can always be melted down after use to be reused. 

Wood can always be grown again -> In fact researchers at MIT have found a way to bio 3D print wood in a lab, customizable to any shape and density, you can learn more about that here.

Every single bio-material can go back into the ground at the end of its life to naturally biodegrade and return its nutrients to the soil, supporting other life.

3)

Products are created with an infinite reuse intention. Products can be modular, so that they can easily be broken down into their recyclable and compostable pieces, ensuring nothing is lost.

4)

Recycling is restructured. All of our products will be made using materials that have already lived multiple lifetimes before reaching your hand.

5)

We can still have a capitalist economy. We can still consume and buy stuff as we love to do. All it means is that we won’t be hurting the planet in doing so for any longer.

Adapting the standard product life-cycle

It is about reworking the way that we build, use, and recycle products. It is about emulating nature and getting rid of the idea of ‘waste’ that we created, because nature knows no such thing. It is evolving how we choose and use materials. 

This also means that plastic products, which cannot be fully and properly recycled in today’s world, would be phased out of use. We are already finding plenty of alternatives to replace plastic in a biodegradable fashion. There is the corn-based PLA that can decompose in an industrial composter. There are also plastic alternatives being made from coconut, hemp, and bamboo too. 

The world will get by just fine without fossil-fuel-based plastic, science has got us covered.

The circular economy and a sustainable future desperately requires a shift away from all things finite, in favor of their infinite counterparts.

Utilizing the infinite

The oil in the ground is finite. It will run out, and we can’t make more.

Trees are finite but are infinite when we plant responsibly.

Metal is finite, but it can be reused infinitely.

Coal and Natural gasses are finite, while solar energy is virtually infinite.

If we can properly implement a circular economy it would do wonders for stopping global warming. The impact it would have on our social norms would also make sure that we never come as close as we are now to killing our planet entirely. 

So how do we actually implement it? What concrete steps need to happen before our landfills stop growing, and our manufacturing industries adapt?

Replacing Plastics

Plastics are the main material that ends up in landfills and causes other materials that get meshed up with plastics to end up in landfills as well. This is because when you make plastic, you take the virgin resin - which is a product of fossil fuels - and then add all sorts of chemical additives to change the properties of the final plastic. 

This is how we can have plastic that is stretchy or hard; with high and low melting points; with different colors and textures. All the changes in properties come from a specific mixture of additives that are added to the virgin resin. The reason plastic is so hard to recycle though, is because we don’t have a way to remove these additives after a product’s life is over. So in order to recycle the plastic, we have to melt it down, and then add new virgin resin in order to make up for the lack of quality that comes from the amalgamation of chemicals in the plastic.

This is why replacing plastics is one of the most important steps towards creating a circular economy. 

Luckily there are so many natural alternatives being created every day that are compostable. 

A plastic-free future is within reach.

The issue in replacing plastics isn't a lack of options, it is a lack of people willing to break the status quo. It is a lack of people willing to accept the change the world needs. 

The speed at which we adapt will save or cost lives. 

Manufacturing and end-of-life regulations

The most important step when it comes to implementing a circular economy has to come from our governments. 

It would require a governmental body (such as the Department of Commerce in the United States) to provide rules and regulations on the manufacturing of products, specifically which materials can be used, with mandates for an end-of-life plan for any product.

Some products would get returned to the company so that they can reuse those materials in new products.

Some products would be directly compostable.

The rest would go to a newly designed recycling center where they can be easily disassembled into its pure material components. These materials would then be composted or sold back into the market (a potential revenue source for the government), ensuring that its materials/nutrients are not lost.

A global effort to restructure recycling would ensure that everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, would have a useful place to go after it has been used.

Incentivizing Companies

Along the way to this future, companies will need time to adapt, to find ways to make their products sustainable. I would suggest having a 5-year in-between period. During this time I think a landfill tax should be appropriate, and it should be company-facing. If a company has a product that will end up being thrown away, because it can’t be fully recycled and or composted, they will have to pay a tax. 

Green products should have a market advantage.

What this means for the individual:

As an individual, it is hard to make changes on large-scale issues such as this, but there are still plenty of ways that individuals can make an impact. The most important way, I think, is through a shift in social attitudes and in having relevant conversations.

If you are an entrepreneur or a creator, sustainability and circularity are going to be key to making a product that can stand the test of time. So take notice when you throw things in the trash, remember what they are, because there is likely a market for a green replacement there. 

Use your voice to remind the world that nature doesn’t have trash, so we shouldn’t either. Once enough people want change and are willing to fight for it, it’s inevitable. 

It also helps if you can make use of whatever composting and/or recycling options you already have. It feels like such a little thing, but it is so important. Biological waste can’t decompose in a landfill, whereas if it ends up in soil, it can do good for its ecosystem. And while our current recycling systems aren't perfect, they are far better than landfills.

There is a lot that has to be done before this future is possible, but it IS possible, and it is not as far away as it seems. Great social change has happened before, and it will continue to happen. If the world wants a greener future, a greener future is what it will get, we just need to be loud enough about it!

Sources: 

I am not the founder of this idea, I learned about it largely from the book Cradle-to-Cradle by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. 

If you want to learn more there is lots of amazing work being done by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation which you can check out here.

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Keep Journeying, 

Charlie:)