Circular economy principles

There are three core principles to a circular economycircular economyA systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. It is based on three principles, driven by design: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature.. It must:

• eliminate waste and pollution,

• circulate products and materials,

• and regenerate nature.

Meeting these principles is all about design. So, the circular economy is a design problem. Right now, most things we use are made for a linear system: we take materials from the earth, make things, and then throw them away. This destroys biodiversity, pollutes the environment, and drives climate change. Clearly, this can't continue.

By redesigning our economy using circular principles, we can create positive change. The linear economylinear economyAn economy in which finite resources are extracted to make products that are used - generally not to their full potential - and then thrown away ('take-make-waste'). is a choice we've made. Let's choose a circular one instead.

We can eliminate waste and pollution by designing products, materials, and infrastructure to go back into the economy after their use. While recycling is a good start, if we design things from the beginning for a circular system, we can prevent waste from ever being made.

We can circulate products and materials by maintaining, reusing, and refurbishing them. If they can't be used anymore, we can take them apart, remanufactureremanufactureRe-engineer products and components to as-new condition with the same, or improved, level of performance as a newly manufactured one. them, and, as a last resort, recyclerecycleTransform a product or component into its basic materials or substances and reprocessing them into new materials. them. Biological products can be composted to return to nature. This way, we keep finite materialsfinite materialsMaterials that are non-renewable on timescales relevant to the economy, i.e. not geological timescales. in the economy and out of the environment, and safely return biodegradable materials to the earth.

We can regenerate nature by focusing on improving natural environments and building biodiversity, instead of focusing on what we can take. We can use farming practices that restore soils and increase biodiversity, and we can return organic materials to the earth. By adopting a regenerative model, we can mimic how natural systems work. In nature, there is no waste. Waste is a human invention.