The circular economy was born as an alternative to the current economic model: it aims to redefine growth, focusing on positive benefits for society as a whole. It is a new system that produces goods and services by taking advantage of resources and reducing the consumption of raw materials and energy sources.
This circular model builds economic, natural and social capital. The regeneration of natural systems, the maintenance of materials in use and the design without waste and pollution are three principles that constitute it.
Among the main benefits of the circular economy, we find:
- Increased short-term value creation.
- Improved operational efficiency.
- Gaining new customers who share values of the new model.
- Driving innovation.
- Access to new markets.
The fundamental issue is to reuse and share existing materials and products for as long as possible, which makes the circular economy a model of production and, at the same time, of consumption.
In 2012, a project called The Great Recovery was launched, which aims to establish the circular model in the business system. This project contemplates the entire process:
- The training of the design industry for the integration of sustainability as a basis;
- Embracing new business approaches that take into account aspects such as provenance, longevity and shelf life from a circular perspective;
- Creating access to new spaces that enable R&D around circular principles by designing for longevity, service, reuse in manufacturing and materials recovery;
- The promotion of this policy.
Sustainability is in the definition of the circular economy; and it is the companies that integrate this principle as a company policy that will be more resilient to possible problems of a natural or social nature.
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