How do we define the circular economy?

Can you imagine a world where the concept of waste doesn’t exist? Where the idea of designing a product so that it will break or go out of fashion (known as built-in obsolescence) is a distant memory?

A circular economy is an industrial system that is restorative or regenerative by design. It:

  • Restores, re-uses and regenerates materials rather than throwing them away, so a product no longer has a linear lifespan but rather an ongoing life-cycle in one form or another
  • Uses renewable energy sources wherever possible
  • Eliminates the use of toxic chemicals which impair reuse
  • Aims to eliminate waste through superior design of materials, products, systems and business models