Table of Contents
- Introduction
- What is Circular Economy?
- How does it work?
- Why ‘reuse’ is more important than recycling?
- Only in theory? or something more practical?
- Conclusion
Introduction
By 2050, it is projected that plastics in ocean will exceed all marine life by weight. Plastics release harmful chemicals into the soil which seep into groundwater and other freshwater sources. These chemicals then make way to our bodies, either directly or indirectly through plants.
A whole book can be written about the dangers of plastic. But even that wouldn’t be enough as new research keeps pouring in. All doom and gloom, eh?
Nope, a hero has arrived to save the day.
Circular Economy.
What is Circular Economy?
A circular economy is a closed loop where plastics are kept inside the economy and out of the environment. This means designing products and systems which preserve the economic value of plastic, prevent leakages to Eco-systems and wastage of material is minimised (ideally, eliminated).
The circular economy is a widely proposed solution to the problem of plastic waste. Think tanks are compiling data which help policy makers makes policies that are conducive to creating this kind of economy.
Circular Economy is not a concrete solution, though. It’s more a set of guidelines that policymakers must follow in creating a sustainable and scalable economy. A system where business have an economic incentive to invest in sustainable technologies.
How does it work?
There are a few broad themes on which a circular economy works. These range from developing innovative technologies for recycling, designing products which can be reused (remain in an inner loop in circular economy terms), elimination of single use plastic packaging and sourcing raw feedstock from renewable energy sources.
One of the biggest themes in circular economy is ‘reuse’.
Why ‘reuse’ is more important than recycling?
Recycling is hard. It takes a massive amount of energy. It needs globally connected waste collection systems. And most of all, it needs an end market for recycled products. But since products made from raw feedstock are cheaper, this proves to be a barrier.
According to Ellen Macarthur Foundation, an estimated 11 million tonnes of single use plastic end up in the oceans. This number is projected to triple by 2040. That would bring the total plastics in the ocean to 600,000,000 million tonnes by 2040.
To keep up with the projected rise in demand of plastics, almost 500 million people will have to be connected to waste collection mechanisms every day. In reality, infrastructure cannot be scaled at a speed to achieve this.
Thus, reuse is an essential idea of the circular economy to work. More importantly, it needs to work in practice and not only theory.
Only in theory? Or something more practical?
The foundation provides two broad models on which reuse can work in the real world.
These two models are: refill and return. Refill users retain the ownership of product and receive refills through a subscription service. These refills can either be delivered to the doorstep or done at a store.
The other is ’return’. Return users return the product back to the business. Again, this is done either at the doorstep or at convenience stores.
“Such models can help deliver a superior user experience, customise products individual needs, gather user insights, build brand loyalty, optimise operations and save costs.”, said the foundation website. It added that reusable packaging is a “USD 10+ billion innovation” waiting to happen.
Conclusion
Achieving circular economy is not going to be easy neither perfect. It may never be achieved in its ideal state. However, its ideas even if implemented partially can mean huge benefits to the environment and ultimately, us.
As mentioned previously plastics are not only an environment problem but also a biological one. Microplastics are in our food supply and consequently they are part of our bodies. There are additive chemicals in plastic products which have been shown to have negative health consequences. Moreover, plastics also pose a threat to unborn children through infiltrating the bodies of yet to be mothers.
Thus, solutions like circular economy are very much needed.
