The Path Toward Transitioning to a Circular Economy

By Sarah Aljamal

In the 18th century, there was a fertile ground for Britain to become one of the first countries to industrialise While this industrial revolution led to an increase in economic growth, it laid the groundwork for forming what is now known as a ‘linear economy’, which has massive negative consequences on the environment, ecology, economy, and society. The linear economy is the current ‘take-make-dispose’ model of the economy in which a business uses the earth’s natural finite resources to produce goods and services for consumer use. When the products’ life cycle ends, the products are discarded, and new ones are produced using the same finite resources. The problem with this model is that it is abstract. It views the economy as a machine where resources are the inputs, and goods and services are the output. ( Ellen MacArthur Foundation). The main goal is to increase efficiency using as few inputs as possible. It fails to recognise that the economy, society, and environment are inherently interconnected. This separation from the broader natural environmental is what makes this linear economy unsustainable; it completely dismisses the effects that increased production can have on the environment, like increases in greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to global warming

Because of this, a new type of economy is being created, a ‘circular economy’. This model is based on three core principles: designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems. (Ellen Mac Arthur foundation). In nature, there is no waste, because it is a system so perfectly designed and so coherently organised. A cherry tree, for example, is part of a much bigger, natural ecosystem. When it blossoms, it doesn’t only produce new generations of cherry trees but also provides nutrients for the microorganisms in the soil. The ‘waste’, or output of the cherry tree became an input for other organisms in the natural ecosystem. This is what the circular economy strives to do, to eliminate waste and mimic the natural environment, a phenomenon more commonly known as biomimicry.

Products and materials should be kept in the economy for as long as possible either by being reused, repaired, or remanufactured It’s estimated that a circular economy can save 700 million USD worth of annual material in the fast-moving consumer industry, reduce carbon emissions by 48% by 2030, and cause a 550 billion USD reduction in healthcare costs associated with the food sector. (Ellen Mac Arthur Foundation).

Unfortunately, trying to reach a 100% level of sustainability currently might be counterproductive for businesses; the price of implementing the core principles of the circular economy may be higher than the value of the materials recovered. (Circular. Academy). Additionally, while the circular economy is an industrial model that aims to overcome resource scarcity and decouple economic performance from environmental degradation, it is a model that is still flawed. As emphasized by Hobson and Linch, (Hobson, Lynch, no date) cited in (Pla-Julian and Guevara, 2019, p.68), until now, ‘frameworks for, and analysis of, the CE have arguably side-stepped detailed considerations of its broader socio-economic implications, being all-but silent on what a CE society might look like.’ Hence, it might be beneficial to implement ideas from the ethics of care if we want an economy that both increases consumption and production in a sustainable way, and takes into consideration the socio-economic dimensions of the economy The ethics of care is a feminist approach to ethics, which opposes traditional moral theories and focuses on emotions like care and compassion.

This approach may be beneficial when designing the circular economy because it tackles crucial invisibilities that are the roots of the dual crisis of environment and care. (Pla-Julian and Guevara, 2019, p.68). Using the ethics of care philosophy, the circular economy should implement principles that show care for the vital systems of nature and households The ethics of care is an inherently feminist theory which recognizes the gendered relations of power in the context of change towards a more sustainable economy. (Pla-Julian and Guevara, 2019, p.70). Hence, it could be a useful approach to contribute to ending gender discrimination.

Moreover, the circular economy model completely dismisses the social sustainability element. The model focuses on refurbishing and remanufacturing, which means that there will be increased demand for human labour. This may increase production and employment; however, these processes are often not standardised, which puts workers’ safety at risk. (Circular. Academy). Additionally, there are not yet any internationally recognised standards to assess circularity performance, although there are measurements tools to assess the circularity of one organisation. (EMF, 2014) cited in (Circular. Academy).

References:

Despite all these challenges, the transition to a circular economy seems inevitable when evaluating the current state of the environment. It’s expected that the transition will be met with resistance, so it will require the collaboration of businesses, consumers, and the government. While it is challenging, the path towards the circular economy will be the first step towards an environmentally, ecologically, and economically sustainable world with zero carbon and zero waste hl=en&lr=&id=NLB1Ty75DOIC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&ots=plDghtTVvo&sig=itEitvWnSZunAsJNTSZM4V-o06E&redir esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false ( Accessed: 30 November 2022). Circular. Academy. Circular Economy: Critics and Challenges. Available at: https://www.circular.academy/circular-economy-critics-and-challenges/ ( Accessed at: November 26, 2022). Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Circular Economy in Detail. Available at: https://archive.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/explore/the-circular-economy-in-detail? gl=1*drl0nd* ga*ODQ2NDkzMjk4LjE2Njg5OTQwMjg.* ga gl=1*1ibllfg* ga*ODQ2NDkzMjk4LjE2Njg5OTQwMjg.* ga V32N675KJX*MTY3MDIyNTQzNS4xMi4xLjE2NzAyMjc4NzEuMTMuMC4w& ga=2.111285639.243179456.1670225435846493298.1668994028& gac=1.56870488.1670225435.CjwKCAiAp7GcBhA0EiwA9U0mtt-XEKN-seq3XUlCGgg-iTjOFohTyAVLUFLZZka7Y1aKq8creg7vbRoCjNEQAvD BwE. ( Accessed at: November 21, 2022)

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V32N675KJX*MTY3MDIyNTQzNS4xMi4xLjE2NzAyMjYxMjguNDkuMC4w& ga=2.153704507.243179456.1670225435846493298.1668994028& gac=1.53052122.1670225435.CjwKCAiAp7GcBhA0EiwA9U0mtt-XEKN-seq3XUlCGgg-iTjOFohTyAVLUFLZZka7Y1aKq8creg7vbRoCjNEQAvD BwE. ( Accessed at: November 23, 2022).

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