SUSTAINABILITY
Having recently moved back to Australia after 12 years
working on the circular economy in France, I have been
surprised at the general reaction of “of course it can work
in Europe, but this is Australia”. I started quietly quizzing
businesses, policy makers and thinkers to try to figure out
if the circular economy can be relevant for us.
What is the circular economy?
The circular economy is a new/old concept that
is getting a great deal of traction at the moment.
It brings together the good old “reduce, reuse,
recycle” hierarchy with elements of sustainability
and new business models, in such a way that it all
just makes good sense.
At its core, a circular economy means that
products, components and materials stay at
their highest utility and value for their optimal
duration. It goes beyond the “zero waste” concept
though, as it doesn’t aim at just optimising the
current “linear” model. Rather, it strives to create
a complex economy that resembles eco-systems,
intentionally creating value along the way, rather
than just being “less bad”. It also means replacing
finite materials and energy with renewable ones.
In practice, this means designing ‘smart’ products
that last longer and can be reused many times,
sharing things more, making repairs the norm,
recycling materials effectively and converting
some waste materials into biofuels.
GOVLINK » ISSUE 3 2016
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