Right now, our future is plagued by a linear economy that reigns in the majority of the world, with the exception of a few fascinating cities.

This process is as follows:
We harvest natural resources from Earth and manufacture unsustainable products, which are then sold to customers for consumption, and ultimately end up as waste – whether in 12 minutes (the average time a plastic bag is used) or a couple of years.

So, what is a circular economy? The World Economic Forum defines it as, “an industrial system that is restorative or regenerative by intention and design. It replaces the end-of-life concept with restoration, shifts towards the use of renewable energy, eliminates the use of toxic chemicals, which impair reuse and return to the biosphere, and aims for the elimination of waste through the superior design of materials, products, systems, and business models.”

There is a lot to unpack here. Let’s get started! “Circularity” revolves around a product that is created with its future use in mind, so a circular economy means that product returns to the supply chain as opposed to a landfill when its use is spent.

A circular economy is inspired by nature, where all things come from and go back to the Earth. That said, there are two fundamental cycles. The first is the technical cycle where products are reused, repaired, remanufactured, and recycled. Maintaining and reusing products is the best way to retain their value – repair and refurbish these products, if possible, before remanufacturing it (which takes more energy, but not as much as initially manufacturing) or breaking it down and recycling the individual materials.

The second is the biological cycle, which entails biodegradable materials returning to the Earth through composting and anaerobic digestion. According to the Oxford English dictionary, anaerobic digestion is the decomposition of sewage or other organic waste material by anaerobic microorganisms, typically used as a means of waste disposal or energy production. This process is essential in returning vital nutrients to the Earth’s surface like nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, among others, which revitalizes the topsoil and allows for food and renewable resources to grow greatly.

These essential cycles bring us back to the concept of circularity.  A circular economy will only be successful if designers start to consider what happens to their products after use. Chemical reactions ensure that certain products can never be recycled.

Also, just as we must separate recyclables, the fashion industry must stop cross-contaminating fabrics. Ever heard of a poly-cotton blend or nylon and rayon to make the same garment? These are examples of products that can no longer be recycled, only repurposed. And for how long? Fast fashion isn’t made to last, which promotes our ever-present throwaway culture. The oldest thing in your closet is probably the most sustainable. In fact, polyester wasn’t even formulated until 1941, and then became popular in the 1950s.

As humanity progresses, it is essential that we take a good look at what our future holds if we don’t work towards a more circular economy. Our planet has limited resources and, if we continue to consume and waste as much as we have been since the Industrial Revolution, our human race is in trouble. Global warming is only getting worse and our time is running out – both literally and figuratively.

As Swiss architect and circular economy pioneer Walter R. Stahel once said, “The goods of today are the resources of tomorrow at yesterday’s resource prices.” Check out his book titled The Circular Economy: A User’s Guide to learn more!