International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), Impakter.com, December 16, 2023
The sustainability transition requires transformative systemic change, shifting away from mass production and consumption towards the dematerialization of production processes and maximizing the value and longevity of materials and products
Circular Economy (CE) is widely recognized as the new economic model aiming to maintain the value of materials, parts, and products as long as possible, minimize the extraction and use of virgin resources and waste generation using design strategies that slow the flow of resources, close loops between production and post-use, and increase resource efficiency.
However, despite the well-understood imperative to depart from the unsustainable linear model of “take-make-waste,” concrete Circular Economy actions have been predominantly incremental.
Typical examples include the excessive focus on recycling, and substituting materials and practices that superficially seem “less bad.” Other measures, commonly referred to as “Rs,” generally have more significant impacts. Reuse, repurpose, repair, and remanufacture typically retain more value, and reduce is the most important but also the most avoided of all Rs.
The sustainability transition requires transformative systemic change, shifting away from mass production and consumption towards the dematerialization of production processes and maximizing the value and longevity of materials and products.
Bold leadership is needed to move towards a new economic and social system that decouples economic prosperity and well-being from resource consumption and environmental degradation, as called for in SDG target 8.4. Transformative policies and regulations followed by action are needed to foster the development of a more holistic, impactful, and transformative CE at a planetary scale.
