The main goal of a circular economy is to minimize waste generation while ensuring that existing materials and resources re-enter the product cycle and their value is preserved.
In contrast to the linear economy where a product becomes waste after use, in the circular economy model, waste, which is the output of a process, can be properly assessed and used as raw material for another process when treated correctly.
Unlike the conventional production, use, and disposal process in a linear economy, a circular economy focuses on production, use, and transformation. With the introduction of circularity as a new concept in our lives, we bid farewell to the concept of waste, and the products at the end of the process are viewed as raw materials.
Reusing waste as raw materials is both economically and environmentally friendly.
Raw materials extracted from a source go through various costly resource enrichment stages for compatibility with processes. In the meantime, excessive chemical usage harms the environment during both the resource extraction and processing stages.
Post-production waste has a significant disposal/disposal cost, and if buried in the soil, it continues to harm the environment.
By reusing waste as raw materials, both the raw material and disposal costs are minimized, and circular economy models help producers support more sustainable and eco-friendly raw material usage by utilizing renewable resources.
Through collaborative efforts by various organizations, seven steps have been identified to achieve a circular economy, known as the "Seven Elements":
1. Design for the Future
2. Use Digital Technologies
3. Preserve Existing Products and Extend Their Lifetimes
4. Prioritize Renewable Resources
5. Use Waste as a Resource
6. Review Your Business Model
7. Collaborate to Create Shared Value
As the concept of sustainability becomes integrated into our lifestyles, adhering to a circular economy is no longer a model that only companies or producers can apply.
By extending the usage period of a product we purchase, reusing our waste, buying second-hand products, or engaging in exchanges, and even by sewing up a torn sweater, it is possible to comply with the principles of a circular economy while gaining individual awareness.
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