COVER STORY
The circular economy is a systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution” The Ellen McArthur Foundation
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WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
The circular economy is rising fast up the agenda: an increasing demand to develop sustainable design models based on less material usage, recyclability and technical and aesthetic durability principles. So what should the industry be doing? Sue Corrick finds some answers
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circular economy is based on the principles of designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems. This is in contrast to the traditional ‘linear’ model which is based on the concept of ‘make, break, and discard’ or ‘take, make, waste’. The circular economy is a concept in which everything is engineered to be constantly reused or recycled. It requires rethinking of design, manufacturing, selling, re-using, recycling and consumer ownership to keep resources in use for as long as possible and to extract maximum value. ‘Business as usual’ sees contractors and the supply chain following the waste hierarchy; reduce, reuse and recycle, to a greater or lesser extent. But the concept of the circular economy goes beyond the 3 R’s and aims to maximise total material resource efficiency. There is massive economic advantage for businesses adopting a circular economy. The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) calculates profit of up to £23bn per year for UK businesses through low cost or no cost improvements and McKinsey estimates a global value of $3.7 trillion per year (ref. WRAP) The construction domain is one of the largest users of energy and is responsible for 38% of emissions globally. Further, it is responsible for 30% of the extraction of natural resources in the world. Hence, to reduce its ecological footprint this industry must shift from a linear to a circular economy. This will not just protect the environment but also benefit the local economy by encouraging sustainable production models.
ARCHITECTURAL IRONMONGERY JOURNAL
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