Circle economy? Huh?
We’ve now probably all heard the term ‘circle economy’. Rather than throwing things away, we keep our resources in circulation. Seems pretty simple and great for the environment, yes? So why aren’t we doing it?
Linear vs circular
In nature materials flow. One species’ waste is another’s food, the sun provides energy things grow and then die and nutrients ultimately return to the ground. There’s no waste and a finite number of resources are kept in circulation.
It’s critical because of that one seemingly insignificant word: FINITE. No matter what the technological advances have been in food and crop production, our planet has got finite resources for producing things, and finite space for disposing. of them again.
But somewhere along the historical timeline, humans broke this natural chain and forgot that finite existed.
We started taking resources to make things, turning them into products which can’t be reused or reabsorbed, and then throwing them away. A linear economy was conceived whereby as soon as the ‘newest’ phone is released we would throw away our old ones without a second thought. Where as soon as a new fashion trend emerges we’d rush to buy it, only to then discard it when another style came along. And we assuaged our guilt by recycling, failing to realise that the problem lies with overproduction and overconsumption, and that recycling barely scratches the surface of the waste produced.
We’ve been stuck in this model for so long that some of us have forgotten that this isn’t the natural order of things. And, worse, because nothing is expected to last it isn’t built to last. Longevity is designed out of products to cut costs, increase profit margins, and guarantee we buy more as the old thing wears out (an inside source at a VERY well know pushchair brand recently told me they were deliberately building obsolescence into their previously long-lasting products as reuse was costing them too much profit!!!!)
Surely that has to stop?
That’s where the circular economy comes in. The circular economy asks us to re-think and re-design the way we create, consume and dispose of products. Reimagining the relationship we have with our ‘stuff’ if you like. It involves:
designing for longevity (physical and emotional), multi-use, and decomposition;
use of materials which are easier to deconstruct and reuse, decompose or recycle;
implementation of systems and services to facilitate reuse and repair of products until they meet their full potential;
End-of-life practices which recover, reuse, and fully break down wasted items.
It DOES NOT (and this is key) allow for overproduction, overconsumption and waste - which is why, dear fast fashion brands, offering a clothes recycling bin or recycled packaging whilst dropping a new trend every single day and encouraging a culture of single use is NOT circularity.
A circular economy requires behaviour change
Unfortunately, without widespread adoption by consumers the circular economy is just a theory. It needs us to reject the prevailing culture of overconsumption, reuse the things we already have, choose ethically sustainably and durably produced products when we need to buy new, look after our stuff so it lasts as long as it possibly can, and reuse things when we’re done with them.
But the truth is that the linear system of consumption has become so ingrained in us that it’s hard to break away from. Disposable products are considered to be more convenient and sustainable solutions seem more complicated in comparison.
Our economy has shifted so much in the past 70 years that convenience is king out of necessity not just choice. Families no longer have someone permanently in the home who has the time to shop local, repair damaged items, launder properly, make meals from scratch, upcycle items at the end of their lives. And even those people who do stay at home are encouraged to pick up a side hustle, home educate, become an insta-parent, take up yet another hobby, sport etc etc.
So, as a result of our busy lives, we don’t feel guilty when we throw things away, buy yet another takeaway coffee cup, or ignore the chocolate stain on our kids t-shirt. Because our need for convenience has become so normalised and accepted as a survival technique that we no longer realise there’s anything wrong with it.
But there is some good news.
The good news is that in the last few years HUGE innovation has taken place - recognising both the need for new systems and support for consumers to adopt new habits. The circular services which are emerging build in convenience, as well as incredible design, style and quality to make them at least as, if not more, desirable than their throw-away competitors. From re-fillable deodorants, to re-usable cotton pads, and super-easy to use rental services (if we do say so ourselves), the circular economy is becoming more and more accessible.
All we need now is behaviour change. For us as consumers to realise the power our everyday decisions have to shape whole systems and economies. To just give it a go and slowly but surely turn our habits around.
The linear economy wasn’t implemented overnight, and realistically neither will the circular economy, but bit by bit we can get there!