The Circular Economy is transforming our world. Here is why…
Jobs
The Circular Economy works best locally, minimising transport costs and emissions. This means that it creates local jobs. And because many of the activities associated with the Circular Economy require entry-level skills, like collection and cleaning, many of these jobs help those furthest from the workforce into secure employment. This includes long-term unemployed, neurodiverse, individuals with disabilities, and those at risk of homelessness.
Cost savings
Extracting raw materials from around the world, transporting, refining, shaping and finishing them is expensive, with those involved at each stage taking their profit margins. Contrast this with the Circular Economy where all of the resources required are already assembled. While recycling can be expensive, the higher forms of circularity, including remanufacturing which brings items back to as-new condition, are cost-effective and present substantial cost savings compared to products made from virgin raw materials.
Climate change
A large proportion of the world’s carbon emissions are from making stuff. These are called embodied emissions. Research has shown that reuse, repair and remanufacturing all save over 80% of an item’s embodied carbon emissions. These Circular Economy solutions are vital to achieving Net Zero Carbon.
Habitats
The Linear Economy’s raw material extraction and then landfilling of items are damaging habitats at both ends of a linear product’s life. Compare this with a Circular Economy product, which has many lives.
Resource use
The Circular Economy offers us the chance to reuse already deployed resources, without the need to keep extracting more, because products are used for multiple lives. For a country with few mineral resources, the Circular Economy will help the UK to reduce the flow of its wealth overseas.
Nature gets it, recycling atoms and nutrients to create beauty and life. Let’s learn from 4 billion years of evolution.
The easiest places to implement the Circular Economy are in your home and office. For homes, see Vinted for clothes, Vinterior for furniture and Backmarket for tech. For offices and everything that goes in them, contact Rype Office.