All about the Circular Economy

Linear Economy

In the natural world, there isn't any rubbish or landfill. Energy is provided by the Sun, one species' waste is another's food and when things die, their nutrients return to the soil - in a circle of life. Unfortunately, humans do things in a more linear way...

When we want the latest phone or computer. we tend to bin the old one. When our dishwasher breaks, we buy a brand-new one. But this wasteful approach, known as the linear economy isn't working! We're running out of resources to make new things with, and we're producing too much toxic waste.

Circular Economy

That's why we need to move to a circular economy, inspired by the natural world - where everything has value and nothing is wasted - like the diagram illustrates.

Example

In a circular economy, smart phones would be designed so they could be repaired more easily. And when they stopped working they would be simple to take apart so that the precious metals and materials inside them could be reused in another product, or returned safely to nature..