The Impact Of Circular Economy Practices And Sustainability On Entrepreneurial Ecosystems – Manufacturing, use and disposal? No, reduce, reuse and recycle. The current paradigm of the linear economic model could be coming to an end and its place will be taken by the circular economy.

The current model of production and management of resources, goods and services, which seeks to promote short-term consumption, is leading the planet towards an unsustainable situation. The current economic system is the opposite of the life cycle of nature and clashes with sustainable development, focused on the long term. In nature, there is no waste or landfill: all elements play a permanent role and are reused at different stages.

The Impact Of Circular Economy Practices And Sustainability On Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Taking the cyclical nature model as an example, the circular economy is presented as a system of resource use where reduction, reuse and recycling of elements prevail: minimizing production to the essential minimum, and when necessary to use the product, focus on reusing elements that cannot be released into the environment.

A Circular Economy Differs From A Linear Economy, But How?

In other words, the circular economy promotes the use of as many biodegradable materials as possible in the manufacture of products – biological nutrients – so that they can return to nature without causing environmental damage at the end of their useful life . When it is not possible to use ecological materials – technical nutrients: electronics, hardware, batteries… – the objective is to facilitate a simple decoupling to give them a new life by reintroducing them into the production cycle and composing a new piece. . Where this is not possible, they will be recycled in an environmentally friendly manner.

Unlike other economic models where the economic aspect prevails over the social or environmental aspect, the circular economy represents a substantial improvement common to both businesses and consumers. Companies that have implemented this system demonstrate that reusing resources is much more profitable than creating them from scratch. As a result, production prices decrease, so the selling price also decreases, thus benefiting the consumer; not only economically, but also socially and environmentally.

Do you think that the principles of the circular economy will change the current economic, social and environmental model? Join our survey and share your opinion. The business value of sustainability is now well known. However, the value of a circular economy is perhaps less known and certainly less understood. Moving towards a circular model can help businesses build resilience in the face of commodity price volatility, supply chain risks and changes in legislation.

Circular Economy In Food Supply Chains

The goal of the game is to move from a linear economy to a circular economy that “eliminates” waste and pollution, keeping materials in continuous circulation. A circular economy is designed to be restorative and regenerative. Following the strategic framework of a circular economy requires us to consider not only the impact of the product itself, but also

Turning the circular economy concept into action can be achieved using circularity tools such as the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI) and complementary lifecycle-based approaches, including:

There are many tools and approaches to assess the sustainability of your products; It can be difficult to know where to start. The good news is that many of the methods and tools are related and often inform each other.

Inspiring Circular Economy Examples

Before using any of these methods or tools, it is important to establish your goals and have a sustainable development strategy. Understanding what is important to your business and your stakeholders is essential. You also need to think about what sustainability issues might affect your business and what your biggest risks are. This will help you create a roadmap with actionable and manageable steps.

Even if you have similar ambitions to other companies, your roadmap and action plan will likely be very different. The sustainable life cycle approach is excellent for informing strategy and design files.

Life cycle thinking is a holistic way of looking at the entire life cycle and value chain of a product, from the extraction of raw materials and their processing, to manufacturing, delivery, use and finally waste management and recycling.

The Limits Of The “sustainable” Economy

Like the circular economy, it is based on a “systems thinking” perspective which consists of considering a product as part of a system, which also includes the service associated with it.

Examining each stage of your product’s life cycle allows you to identify where you can have the most positive impact: environmental, social and economic. It also reveals if you change the load. This occurs when a positive impact is achieved at one stage of the life cycle but inadvertently creates problems at another.

Once you have a better understanding of your entire life cycle, you can choose to carry out a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). This is a great way to quantify the environmental impact of your product at each stage of its life cycle using a wide range of indicators, such as carbon footprint, energy consumption and consumption. of water.

What Is Circular Economy?

An LCA provides information about your products or services that allows you to make decisions based on scientific environmental data. If you want to compare products with LCA, you will need to have it reviewed by three independent experts to ensure it meets standards.

LCA reports are detailed and technical. If your audience needs an easier-to-read document, you might consider publishing an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) instead of or alongside the report. A DEP is based on your LCA, but is condensed into a document that seeks to achieve complete transparency and integrity for its reader. It must be verified by a third party. It follows a specific set of rules for different product categories. This allows you to make comparisons with data-driven insights. An EPD is often compared to a nutrition label: it presents environmental information in an easily accessible and comparable way without assigning a positive or negative value to the product.

While LCA focuses on understanding the impact of materials through indicators, the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI) analyzes the circularity of materials. This tool is the brainchild of Jim Goddin and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, one of the leading institutes advocating for the circular economy.

The Circular Economy And Supply Chains

The MCI addresses a challenge that manufacturers often face in the circular economy: measuring the circularity of their products. Using MCI leads to a scorecard for materials ranging from 0 (for a linear system) to 1 (for a perfectly circular system). The MCI tool moves the circular economy from a high-level concept to one enabling tangible actions.

The MCI analyzes the circularity of materials, which is part of the circular economy but not the circular economy as a whole. You can significantly reduce your carbon footprint while still operating in a linear system. Likewise, you can achieve a perfect MCI score while harming other aspects of the environment. A multi-pronged approach combining these tools will help you realize your broader, circular environmental ambitions. Information on the circularity of an ICM can be combined with broader environmental data from an LCA study via DEP.

InfraBuild was the first Australasian company to integrate MCI into its EPDs. Although this gives them a broader view of environmental outcomes, it is not possible to have a complete view without taking into account social impact. This is where Cradle to Cradle (C2C), the ultimate product certification, comes in.

Circular Economy Approach For Sustainable Solid Waste Management: A Developing Economy Perspective

While many companies and initiatives aim to do “less harm,” Cradle to Cradle aims to do “more good” and design products that are good for the world.

Like MCI, C2C examines the circularity of materials, trying to ensure that all materials are converted back into nutrients for a natural or engineered process: “growing” the next product. But C2C goes further and attracts other influential factors to achieve a true circular economy, beneficial for the economy, the environment and society.

A C2C certification is the optimal sustainability certification. It evaluates its products based on indicators of material health, material reuse, renewable energy and carbon management, water management and social justice.

What Is Circular Economy & How Does It Work?

C2C will help you contextualize all aspects of the circular economy and is an excellent way to check whether the objectives of a circular economy have been taken into account holistically and to their fullest extent.

When combined, LCA, MCI, EPD and C2C contribute to achieving a truly circular economy integrating social, environmental and economic dimensions. From a commercial point of view, they also help create products that will perform better in a market increasingly linked to social and environmental performance. Open Access Policy Institutional Open Access Program Guidelines for Special Issues Editorial Process Research and Publication Ethics Article Processing Fees Awards Testimonials

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Un/desa Policy Brief #105: Circular Agriculture For Sustainable Rural Development

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