Riassunto analitico
Over the last 150 years, our industrial economy has been dominated by a one-way model of production and consumption in which goods are manufactured from raw materials, sold, used, and then incinerated or discarded as waste. In the face of a rising global population and the associated growing resource consumption and negative environmental impacts, it becomes increasingly apparent that business, as usual, is not an option for a sustainable future. While the concept of a circular economy has been discussed since the 1970s, switching from the current linear model of the economy to a circular one has recently attracted increased attention from major global companies and policymakers. In time for the World Economic Forum 2012 in Davos, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) and McKinsey Company published a report which evaluates the potential benefits of the transition to a CE: it could create an opportunity of US$630 billion a year for only a subset of the EU manufacturing sectors (Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2012, p. 5)). Next to the huge economic benefits, the EMF pointed out the significant environmental and social benefits derived from a circular economy. These figures have created huge awareness for the topic as many companies were willing to seize their chance to get a part of this potential revenue opportunity.
As a result of the growing interest in the business opportunities created by a circular economy, its practical applications to modern economic systems and industrial processes have recently gained momentum among companies and governments. Understanding the concept of the circular economy is a key prerequisite for a successful implementation within a business. As the concept of circular economy has been evolving since the 1970s building on different schools of thought, its description and principles have been stressed from the different points of view in the academic and grey literature. Therefore, it is crucial to get a common understanding of what a circular economy entails.
Besides climate change, material and energy consumption represents the greatest environmental challenge for society. The annual consumption of minerals, fossil fuels, and biomass is expected to double by 2050. A fundamental change in practices is vital if we are to meet the needs of a growing population and pave the way to a resource-efficient and sustainable economy and society. This requires moving away from a linear economy where resources are extracted, made into products and disposed of, to a circular model whereby resources are maintained in the loop, which represents a major revolution, but a necessary one. The circular economy aims to maintain the value of the materials and energy used in products in the loop for the optimal duration, thus minimizing waste and resource use. By extending the products life cycle this creates economic opportunities and competitive advantages on a sustainable basis.
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