The Circle of Life (& the Economy)

     

     Economics has been a part of human life on earth since the 11th century, back when trade routes flourished between major cities. Where there are resources to manage and people who need them, there will be economic structure. The thing that I had never really stopped to consider before is that there are several styles of economic structures that we can function by. Unfortunately, the most popular approach (for nearly 200 years now) is a Linear Economy. A linear economy uses the process of, 

Take > Make > Use > Dispose (& Pollute)

     While it sounds really bad, it is not all bad. The linear economy structure has created economic wealth, increased available jobs, has added to modern conveniences, improved quality of life, and it has even reduced mortality rates. While these benefits are good, really good, they are also unsustainable. 



     The biggest fault in this approach is the assumption that there will always be resources to extract for the production of these products. Only to then place these products in a dump where the resources are no longer in use and more virgin materials need to be extracted to make more. All biological systems operate with a cyclical process. Simply put, we all know that plants grow, plants are eaten, those things that eat the plants are eaten, those things die, nutrients are placed back into the earth that support the growth of new plants, and on it goes… So why would we suddenly choose to operate on a linear process? Sure it works, but it doesn’t last. 

     In an attempt to find a solution the idea has been floating around (since the 1970s) to “close the loop”, and create a cycle, through what is rather appropriately referred to as a Circular Economy, 

Make > Use > Reuse > Remake > Recycle > Make > Use > Reuse > Remake > Recycle

… and on and on in a lovely little circle of repurposing, remanufacturing, and reusing. 

     The prefix “re-” is used a lot. The latin meaning of “re-” is “again and again”. And just to throw down some vocabulary lessons, one meaning of the word “again” is “returning to a previous condition.” It’s as simple as that: return things we already have to their previous condition and either continue our use of these precious resources, or share them with another, is the in-a-nutshell version of a circular economy. So while the concept is simple, the transition is not so simple. Transitioning to a circular economy has a long runway. For example, the Netherlands signed a letter of intent in January 2017 to commit to being a thoroughly circular economy by 2050. This 30+ year plan involves programs such as Waste to Resource, where the government is working with companies that handle the raw materials and manufacturers to create products that are easier to repair - promoting the circularity of products. 

     While we can’t all be a part of which structure our government chooses for the economy, we can do our part to encourage a circular economy in our personal lives. There are many companies and programs already on board with programs and policies that support a circular economy. 

     As always, short and sweet is the vibe, so stay tuned for more info on these programs and how we can make small changes in our lives to create some circularity in small, but impactful ways...