What is a Circular Economy?
We’re at a turning point. The supply of materials and resources we once thought to be infinite is anything but. From plastics to gold, freshwater to textiles, we urgently need to re-think our current system of take-make-waste. But, is there an alternative that will support the economy within the limits of our planet?
In the last 20 years, the rate of household waste recycling in England has increased from 11% to almost 50%. And every year global recycling efforts ensure that more than 700 million tonnes of carbon dioxide are not released into the atmosphere.
But if we want to address pollution issues and our changing climate, recycling needs to be about more than just doorstep collections and trips to the tip — we need a truly circular economy.
What is the difference between recycling and a circular economy?
Our current norms mean we extract resources, make them into products, consume them and then at the point of disposal decide between throwing them in the bin where they end up in landfills, or we recycle them. But a recycling economy still creates waste, and encourages the creation of new products rather than the repair or resuse of existing ones.
In a circular economy, the life of the product is extended by maintaining, repairing, redistributing or re-manufacturing loops, which reduces pressure on energy and resources. The longer resources are in use the more value we get from them while also reducing the amount of waste we pour into landfills.
A circular economy means:
- better design, so nothing is wasted in the manufacturing process
- keeping things in use for longer by repairing instead of replacing devices and white goods
- using our waste products in new and innovative ways
Recycling is part of the circular economy but should only be used when reusing, repairing or remanufacturing aren’t suitable alternatives. Changing how we produce and consume is an urgent challenge — and research can help.
Reused waste can be beautiful
For example, waste ceramics, recycled glass and other mineral waste that would normally be sent to landfill are now being used to make bespoke tiles that can be seen in Harrods, COS in Warsaw and even Nandos. Artist and researcher Professor David Binns found a way to take the waste products and turn them into something practical and beautiful. The result is Alusid, who produce tiles made from 97–100% recycled waste, which are more environmentally sound in their production methods than traditional ceramic and can be recycled at the end of their life.
Every second, the equivalent of a rubbish truck of textiles is landfilled or burned
Do you know that the world’s clothing industry is responsible for 10 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions? By 2050 the industry could be accountable for a quarter of the world’s carbon budget without radical action.
The Institute of Positive Fashion at the British Fashion Council wants to help the fashion and textiles industry address these challenges. It aims to tackle the industry’s waste problem by moving it towards a circular business model that makes use of waste and isn’t so reliant on resource-heavy raw materials. The Institute has launched a 12-month research project to explore our relationship with clothes, looking at garment consumption and care, with the aim of reducing the number of garments going to landfill.
Meanwhile Professor Sharon Baurley at the Royal College of Art is launching a project to encourage us all to become ‘custodians, not consumers’ by looking at why conspicuous consumption makes us feel good, and how to replicate that feeling in a different relationship with our textiles — one in which we’re proud to own and care for a garment throughout our lives.
What can you do to help?
- Think before you recycle or throw things in the bin. Could the item be repaired or reused?
- When possible opt for durable clothing over throwaway fast fashion.
- Write a list when you go food shopping and stick to it to help reduce food waste.
- Do you really need the latest device or TV? SIM only contracts can reduce your monthly outgoings and keeping your current phone reduces pressure on vital resources (did you know there is more gold in a tonne of mobile phones than a tonne of gold ore!).
Want to know more?
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