We provide support and guidance to private and public institutions as well as local communities that want to level up their performances to be part of and strengthen the development towards a circular economy.
The core of a circular economy is that there is no such thing as waste - only resources out of place. This implies that products are developed in such a way that their materials can be easily taken apart and reused or recycled into new products and services - requiring that well functioning take-back-systems help close the material and energy loop.
The idea of a circular economy is not new and has been promoted under various labels - such as Industrial Ecology and Sustainable consumption and Production.
"Sustainable production and consumption can be defined as production and use of products and services in a manner that is socially beneficial, economically viable and environmentally benign over their whole life cycle."
Over the past 25 years, the conceptual understanding has matured in the public along with the growing urgency to halt the resource exploitation of our planet -latest by the inclusion of Responsible Consumption and Production in the SDGs.
Circular economy approaches was on the rise just as the COVID 19 pandemic hit the economy, particularly for plastics and packaging. International policy efforts and explosive media interest in the ocean plastics crisis has driven both consumers and regulators to seek action. Companies are responding with new strategies to reduce waste.
In some cases, it’s a bit of back to the future, with businesses seeking to close the packaging loop with new product delivery models based on traditional solutions with a contemporary twist. In other cases, its new, breakthrough technologies for chemical recycling of plastic materials. Although the momentum is here there is still a long way to go in creating a fully circular economy. Looking into the Decade of Action these are some emerging trends: