What is a circular economy?
A circular economy is an alternative to a traditional linear economy (make, use, dispose) in which we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life.
Why a circular economy is important
As well as creating new opportunities for growth, a more circular economy will:
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reduce waste
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drive greater resource productivity
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deliver a more competitive UK economy.
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position the UK to better address emerging resource security/scarcity issues in the future.
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help reduce the environmental impacts of our production and consumption in both the UK and abroad.
Over the years the scope of corporate social responsibility has changed, moving from an internal perspective, where responsibility was focused on what happened inside and with its most obvious stakeholders: in the productive process, with the collaborators and clients, to assume the responsibility from the raw material or input until the final disposition of the residues or the recycling of the same ones.
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Companies are currently analyzing the value cycle of their business, their impacts, risks and opportunities, taking into account the expectations of their stakeholders with the objective of managing them, obtaining the license to operate, strengthening the reputation and finally achieving sustainability of the company. This is certainly a holistic, more comprehensive and aligned with the business strategy.
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Today, when talking about sustainability, we must also talk about circular economy, understanding it as the economic model that "seeks to ensure that products, components and resources in general maintain their usefulness and value at all times," Ellen Macarthur Foundation. Responsible companies usually work to avoid waste, to reuse, recycle and market by-products or waste, to avoid generating an environmental impact. This is necessary and important, however, to ensure that resources and products maintain their usefulness and value is essential to incorporate the concept of sustainability into product design.
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Some of the questions we should ask ourselves in designing them are: How do I use the least amount of resources for their development and future transformation? What is the input of greater durability, resistance for the product to have the greatest validity possible ?; How do you recycle the product or degrade? How do I avoid a negative impact or better yet, how do I make a contribution to the environment? What can be transformed and how do I relate to that market?
It is a matter of passing from a linear look, tome, produce and waste, to a circular or spiral, where we continue to take advantage of the raw material, the input, the resource: tome, produce, reuse, recycle, Possible, which leads us to extract less resources.
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To try to explain the concept of circular economy we can mention some examples: Ikea, seeks its customers to repair their cushions, sofas and chairs; Ecopapel uses non-forest alternative raw materials for papermaking; Colombian architect Oscar Andrés Méndez of Conceptos Plásticos makes Lego-type bricks from plastic rubbish and rubber for housing construction being a construction system 30% cheaper than traditional ones;
A brewing company in the USA has developed biodegradable rings for the six pack made from by-products of the brewing process, not only avoiding a negative impact for marine fauna, but also generating a positive impact because they serve as food for these species. New businesses arise, such as the rental of wallets, party dresses and accessories for ladies; Perhaps they are developed for other reasons, without thinking about circular economy, but finally it is.
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Governments also incorporate this model at the heart of their economic strategies. In Scotland, the government's strategy "Making things last" has identified priority issues in which it works to achieve significant economic results. Among the priority topics is the reduction of food waste and the growth of the bio-economy, related to the salmon and whiskey industry and the reduction of waste and their reuse in construction, among others.
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​Maybe some of you reading this article will be thinking of the stories you heard from your grandparents or parents where furniture, electrical appliances and everything was made for "all life", and if it was damaged it was repaired, not discarded ; If one tired of the shape or color changed it. Or maybe you will be remembering the stories of how they converted kitchen waste into compost for the garden. Circular Economy and the pendulum of history, we return to things we have done before, which we probably did for other reasons or for no reason, but which today we must do again in a planned and strategic way to conserve our resources, our planet for the next generations .
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Sustainable Development and Circular Economy
By: Malena Morales Valentín
Expert in Sostainable Development and Corporate reputation