Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, established in 2010 (Ellen MacArthur Foun-
dation, 2010), states: “A circular economy is an industrial system that is restorative
or regenerative by intention and design. It replaces the end-of life concept with
restoration, shifts towards the use of renewable energy, eliminates the use of toxic
chemicals, which impair reuse, and aims for the elimination of waste through the
superior design of materials, products, systems, and, within this, business models”.
It entails the whole economy and promotes new business models as well as changes
in attitude with those involved in consumption becoming users rather than con-
sumers per se. A circular economy proposes radical changes in material productiv-
ity, through a systematic optimisation focused on cyclic closures and the avoidance
of wastes
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as its central objective.
Reflection 2: Increasing material e
ciency is a key factor in a Circular Economy
and thus requires more detailed attention. Allwood et al. (2011) observe that all
consumer goods are progressively composed of increasingly mixed materials which
raise the cost of collection and separation and make recycling less economically
attractive. In integrating multiple functionalities into products, one sacrifices dis-
assembling capabilities. Besides, global distribution of consumer goods is typically
one way, thus complicating the logistics and infrastructure of material collection
and sorting. Accordingly, they propose four strategies for increasing material ef-
ficiency: longer-lasting products; modularisation and remanufacturing; component
reuse; and leaner product design.
Their first strategy: longer-lasting products, entails a more intense use via own-
ership sharing, repairing and resale. The former has been evaluated in the previous
principle. The other two will now be elaborated on. Design for easy repairing is
a need in Re-Economy. Repairing should be as local as possible, specialised and
labour intensive. Accordingly, economies of scale do not apply and the work tends
to be more artisanal in nature, frequently carrying high labour costs. Although the
car industry is far from being artisanal, there still remains some good practices
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that could be further adopted in the repair business such as product specification,
detailed disassembly documentation, standardised repairs, spare parts resale, etc.
Preventive maintenance likewise should be a key component with special attention
given to critical parts as a way of extending overall product life. Common parts
should be used and where possible simplified. Designing skeletons as central parts
of products, allows for the treating of others as product add-ons that can easily
be replaced. In other words one does not need to buy new computer casings, dis-
plays, and keyboards if it is really a question of storage capacity or obtaining the
latest software. In short, simplicity makes for more manageable life cycles (Ellen
MacArthur Foundation, 2010).
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Parto et al. (2007) proposes that the waste hierarchy should follow: waste prevention, design
for waste prevention, product re-use, material recycling, material recovery for use as a fuel, with
incineration and landfill as a last resort.
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Whelan et al. (2006) provide the good example of electric motor repair.
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