In the Loop: Industry gears up for the circular economy

Transitioning to a low carbon economy is an endeavour so vast and varied that it can sometimes boggle the mind when attempting to conceive of it in totality. Energy, transport, food, manufacturing, construction – individual areas, each with enormous challenges to overcome, each with different technologies and approaches that we hope someday will collectively enable a net zero future. However, there is an underlying principle in our approach to virtually all these sectors, one that we must fundamentally shift in order to ensure our continued survival.

The vast majority of our economic activity across the globe is linear, a ‘take, make, waste’ model where resources are turned into products or outputs that ultimately end up as landfill or pollution. A linear economy is not only damaging to the environment, it is also unsustainable over the long-term, with economic growth intrinsically tied to the depletion of finite resources. A circular economy seeks to close the loop on those resources by reusing and recycling energy and raw materials. In many ways, circular economy can be considered a blueprint for humanity’s future, a way to eliminate waste, protect the environment and develop a model for sustainable growth.