Circular Economy 101
Illustration of linear economy versus a circular economy model, credit: Plan C
Metro Vancouverites produced 477 kg of municipal solid waste per person in 2017. British Columbia is working towards the goal of 350 kg per person by 2020/21 - so how will we get there?
‘Waste’ does not exist in nature - water, nutrients, and minerals are constantly reused throughout ecological systems. Waste is merely a human design flaw that can be eliminated through rethinking how we extract resources, manufacture products, and treat our possessions.
The circular economy eliminates this design flaw to the benefit of consumers and our planet.
The circular economy is a reinvention of our current linear economy system. The linear system is best described as ‘make, take, waste’ where resources are consumed and then never reused. In the circular economy, waste is designed out to keep products and materials in use indefinitely while regenerating natural systems.
If you have ever used a car share service, rented a tool from Home Depot or hopped on a Mobi bike in downtown Vancouver, you’ve already participated in the circular economy system. These businesses represent a move from individual ownership of goods to treating the use of goods as a service. When companies own their products, they are economically incentivized to create durable goods and repair them when needed. Our current linear system motivates companies to have consumers constantly repurchasing their products as a result of planned obsolescence.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation explains this concept further in a short video:
Illustration of different economy models, credit: Government of the Netherlands
This concept can still seem quite abstract at times. Here are some current examples that range from highly innovative ventures to simply returning to practices of the past.
Milkmen
Storefront of the Sharing Depot in Toronto, credit: @thesharingdepot
Milk delivery in glass bottles that consumers return for reuse is making a comeback. In 1975, 94% of milk in the UK was delivered through this system but was only 3% in 2016. However, milkmen across the UK are now citing 1000s of new customers, all requesting solely glass bottles. This circular system is resurfacing as consumers are looking for ways to ditch plastic.
Library of Things
The Sharing Depot is a library of things in Toronto. Their business model offers a membership fee that grants you access to a variety of infrequently used items such as camping gear, house party supplies, board games, toys, and sports equipment. Partaking in schemes like this has the additional benefit of decluttering your home or allowing urban dwellers to utilize goods that they don’t have the space to store. There is a similar example of this scheme based out of an actual library in Helsinki, Finland.
Clothing Subscription
Tradle is a baby clothing membership where parents order bundles based on the season and their child’s size. They then exchange for new garments as their child grows or the weather changes. This eliminates the massive amounts of baby clothes that are quickly outgrown and disposed of in our current system of individual ownership.
Product Refill Services
Loop is an initiative led by TerraCycle that allows consumers to buy products that are delivered in reusable containers and then picked up from their home when they have run out. Loop has partnered with major brands such as Tide, Häagen-Dazs, Pantene, Dove and many more to begin offering their already popular products in circular packaging. This service is set to launch through Loblaw in Toronto in 2020 with rollout across Canada following pilot runs.
Find more examples at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Case Studies page.
The transition to a circular economy will involve actors across society - government, industry and consumers. The important part is not to point fingers at each other for not doing enough, but to share exciting ways that we can move to this system for the benefit of both ourselves and the Earth. We all need to consume less and consume consciously. I will be sharing more ideas and opportunities to support our growing circular economy in Vancouver and BC soon. Leave any ideas or questions in the comment section below.