Introduction
The circular economy is a system where materials never become waste
and nature is regenerated. In a circular economy, products and materials are
kept in circulation through processes like maintenance, reuse, refurbishment,
remanufacture, recycling, and composting. The circular economy tackles climate
change and other global challenges, like biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution,
by decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources.
The circular economy is based on three principles, driven by design:
Eliminate waste and pollution
Circulate products and materials (at their highest value)
Regenerate nature
In our current economy, we take materials from the Earth, make products
from them, and eventually throw them away as waste the process is linear. In a
circular economy, by contrast, we stop waste being produced in the first place.
The butterfly diagram: visualizing the circular economy
Dig deeper
Find out more about each side of the butterfly diagram – the biological
cycle and the technical cycle. These pages focus on the different stages of the
two cycles and explain the concepts used.
The circular economy system diagram, known as the butterfly diagram,
illustrates the continuous flow of materials in a circular economy. There are two
main cycles – the technical cycle and the biological cycle. In the technical cycle,
products and materials are kept in circulation through processes such
as reuse, repair, remanufacture and recycling. In the biological cycle, the
nutrients from biodegradable materials are returned to the Earth to regenerate
nature.
Explaining the circular economy: Rethink progress
There's a world of opportunity to re-think and re-design the way we
make things in a circular economy. 'Re-Thinking Progress' explores how through a
change in perspective we can re-design the way our economy works - designing
products that can be 'made to be made again' and powering the system
with renewable energy. It questions whether with creativity and innovation we
can build a restorative economy.
Circular economy key ideas
Get to grips with the fundamentals of circular economy thinking with these
bitesize explainers and immersive deep dives. Expand your understanding and
explore how the concept can be applied to different parts of the economy.
Why it’s an example of the circular economy
Apeel mimics nature to increase the shelf life of fresh produce by using the
evolved defences of the plant kingdom.
This technique designs out:
food waste by preventing produce from prematurely rotting
plastic waste – no manmade packaging is needed
energy and resource waste – by covering one avocado with Apeel, 23 litres
of water and enough energy to charge a smartphone 9 times is saved
In this way, Apeel's innovation is driving key principles of the circular
economy.
All fruit and vegetables have a ‘peel’ to protect them from drying out and
rotting. Apeel Sciences use the building blocks that exist in the peels, seeds, and
pulp of all fruits and vegetables called lipids and glycerolipids. These natural
substances keep moisture inside the food and keep oxygen out.
Maintaining moisture and reducing oxidation dramatically slows the rate
that fruits and vegetables spoil, and supports the plant’s natural abilities to
protect itself.
Apeel is distributed to partners as a powder and mixed up with water at
packaging centres. It can be applied by spray, dip, or brush on methods. The fruit
is coated until wet and then left to dry.
“ Plants provide all the ingredients we need to keep produce at its best from
vine to kitchen.”
Application Case Studies or Examples of Circular Economy
It knows where you live. It knows what car you drive. It knows who you’re
meeting with today and how much sugar you take in your coffee. (At least it will,
after the next software update.) This is the Edge, and it’s quite possibly the
smartest office space ever constructed.
A day at the Edge in Amsterdam starts with a smartphone app developed
with the building’s main tenant, consulting firm Deloitte. From the minute you
wake up, you’re connected. The app checks your schedule, and the building
recognizes your car when you arrive and directs you to a parking spot.
Then the app finds you a desk. Because at the Edge, you don’t have one.
No one does. Workspaces are based on your schedule: sitting desk, standing
desk, work booth, meeting room, balcony seat, or “concentration room.”
Wherever you go, the app knows your preferences for light and temperature, and
it tweaks the environment accordingly.
The Edge is also the greenest building in the world, according to British
rating agency BREEAM, which gave it the highest sustainability score ever
awarded: 98.4 percent. The Dutch have a phrase for all of this: het nieuwe
werken, or roughly, the new way of working. It’s about using information
technology to shape both the way we work and the spaces in which we do it. It’s
about resource efficiency in the traditional sense the solar panels create more
electricity than the building uses but it’s also about the best use of the humans.
Kalundborg Symbiosis: six decades of a circular approach to production
Description
Kalundborg Symbiosis is a partnership between 9 public and private
companies in Kalundborg, Denmark. Since 1972, they develop the world's first
industrial symbiosis with a circular approach to production.
The main principle is that a residue from one company becomes a
resource at another, benefiting both the environment and the economy.
Such symbiosis creates growth in the local area and supports the companies'
CSR efforts and climate change mitigation. The partners of Kalundborg Symbiosis
have worked together since the 1960's, resulting in a collaborative approach and
openness to new symbiosis opportunities.
By working together and exchanging material, water, and energy
streams between the partners, Kalundborg Symbiosis increases
resilience and economic gains, while reducing the environmental impact
and expenses. Building a functioning industrial symbiosis is not about working
together for the sake of each other and the environment, but a continual search
for a better way of doing business. Projects completed over the years range from
algae production facilities to bio-ethanol production, with some projects already
being implemented at larger scales.
Explore the Kalundborg symbiosis
Kalundborg Symbiosis is a partnership between sixteen public and private
companies in Kalundborg. We also work closely with project Biopro.
Together, since 1972, we have developed the world's first industrial symbiosis
with a circular approach to [Link] main principle is that a waste stream
in one company becomes a resource in another, benefiting both the environment
and the economy. In a local partnership, we can share and reuse resources,
saving money and minimizing [Link] symbiosis creates growth in the local
community and supports the green transition.
Circular Rotterdam: New jobs in a zero waste economy
Opportunities for new jobs in a zero waste economy
We developed a strategy to help the City of Rotterdam transition to a circular
economy, analyzing data and running workshops to understand the current
urban economy, and identifying key sectors where materials are being wasted
and circular jobs can be created.
Client: City of Rotterdam
Partners: Circle Economy, Blue City and Spring Associates
Date: July 2018
References: [Link]
1. Vauban District, Freiburg, Germany
Description: A car-free urban neighborhood emphasizing sustainability.
Circular Features:
o Homes powered by renewable energy, complemented by abundant
green spaces.
o Integration of public transport and cycling infrastructure to reduce
reliance on cars.
Impact: Noted as a model for sustainable urban development,
contributing to reduced carbon emissions and enhanced quality of life.
Reference: Scheurer, J. (2001). "Urban ecology and sustainability:
Vauban, Freiburg."
2. ReGen Villages, Netherlands
Description: A prototype self-sufficient community.
Circular Features:
o Closed-loop systems for water, food, and energy management.
o Incorporation of vertical farming and composting to achieve zero
waste.
Impact: Aims to provide resilient, self-reliant communities with minimal
environmental impact.
Reference: ReGen Villages Official Site.
3. Circular Rotterdam, Netherlands
Description: A city-wide strategy to promote circularity in construction.
Circular Features:
o Reuse of construction materials to minimize waste.
o Implementation of circular business models in urban planning.
Impact: Part of Rotterdam's ambition to become a fully circular city by
2050, with goals to reduce material consumption by 50% and create
thousands of new jobs by 2030.
Reference: City of Rotterdam Circular Strategy 2030.
References
Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2013). "Circular Economy Overview."
Pomponi, F., & Moncaster, A. (2017). "Circular economy for the built
environment." Journal of Cleaner Production.
World Economic Forum (2021). "Circular Cities: A Guide for Urban
Leaders."
European Commission (2020). "Circular Economy Action Plan for
Buildings."
Deloitte Netherlands (2015). "The Edge: Smart Sustainable Building."
Kalundborg Symbiosis Official Website.
Scheurer, J. (2001). "Urban ecology and sustainability: Vauban, Freiburg."
ReGen Villages Official Site.
City of Rotterdam Circular Strategy 2030.
Braungart, M., & McDonough, W. (2009). "Cradle to Cradle Design."
“CIRCULAR ECONOMY & ARCHITECTURE”