¿Cuáles son los principales impulsores y barreras para adoptar los principios de la economía circular?

A switch to a circular economics model will have big benefits for organisations and society as resource use decreases. It will require a rethink of current business models and this is the most difficult part of the transition. In our experience, mindshifts around the speed of investment returns will need to change to a longer term perspective. Regulation is a critical factor in driving this.

The circular economy is not new. Previous generations practiced a circular commerce model. However in our consumer driven society we moved away into unidirectional use and discard model. The circular economy rebalances our consumer driven model and enables society to enjoy the social, commercial, economic and environmental benefits.

Analysis by the Ellan MacArthur Foundation showed that of global emissions, 55% comes from energy systems and 45% from products - food, buildings, packaging, etc. Dealing with this 45% requires circularity. Furthermore, we are transitioning from a carbon intensive economy to a new mineral economy - the IEA estimates the 2050 Net Zero pathway will required 6x minerals such as lithium, copper, cobalt etc to build renewable infrastructure. Doing this new economy the same linear way will land us back in square one very quickly Also, population growth combined with aspired increase in household income and quality of life, under the linear model, will lead to exponential resource use and waste production.

In linear economy we value principles like growth, profit, competition, power, speed, extraction and we deal with consumers - in circular economy we value degrowth, collaboration, equality, shared wealth, regeneration, kindness and we deal with citizens. This is the fundamental shift that needs to happen to accelerate adaptation of Circular Economy.

True circular economies are specific to the geographical location or industry base, therefore to be truly successful we need to take a topographical approach. This enables regions to regain their 'balance' and address their issues. It is not a silver bullet.

Another big barrier is adopting circularity requires investing into transforming business models and systems, which requires challenging assumptions and applying disruptive thinking. For example, while some companies fear cannibalization of income, such as due to reduced new product sales, business growth can still be achieved by adapting business models (e.g. towards services-based)

Adopting circular economy principles is one thing, taking action is another. Some companies will attempt to go circular alone in which they try to take back, reuse and/or recycle their own products. This is challenging. Others will see strategic advantage in going circular together with other companies. This can be accomplished in serval ways. The most ambitious is to establish a circular marketplace and become a platform operator. A good example is International Holding Company which recently established the Rebound Plastics Exchange. Another is to participate in existing circular marketplaces. For example, Google is an active participant in Rheaply's free-to-join its reuse marketplaces in major cities in the US.

Our biggest driver must be to redress our imbalance with nature. If we place nature at the core of our model we can then use this as the biggest f=driver and also the biggest opportunity.

One of the biggest barriers is if we approach the issues with blinkers on. We must look at all issues and opportunities especially the socio economic opportunities.

Energy is one of our biggest issues and at the same time opportunities. We must transition from fossil fuels and build a new circular economic energy model. One that balances need with opportunity and uses green energy as the catalyst for growth, addressing our climate issues, generating clean energy, providing national solutions and ensuring we generate energy secure communities.

This is exactly what I am researching in my #ExecutivePhD at #BentleyUniversity with @JillBrown. I am focusing to see how well structured public policy can address the impacts of linear economy and help promote an increase in circular adaption. There has been a lot of research in very specific markets and waste reduction but I am trying to find a common link that triggers a successful adaption. I welcome any research you’d like me to look at! Thank you, Esel

Our employees are a key to this. They know from their day-to-day work what the company can do better in their respective areas, promote networking, and volunteering can effectively contribute to new opportunities.