The document discusses the circular economy as an alternative to the traditional linear economy. It defines the circular economy as keeping resources in use for as long as possible by recovering and regenerating products and materials. It then discusses several thinkers who proposed concepts related to sustainability and limiting growth, including Kenneth Boulding's "Spaceship Earth" and Herman Daly's "Steady State Economy." The document also reviews principles of circular design from Cradle to Cradle and examples of circular business models including closed loop production, waste recovery, product life extension, sharing platforms, and product as a service. It concludes by examining some challenges to and enablers of the circular economy.

1. Dr Ben Davies,
Bath Spa University
BRSLI, 10th Jan 2017
The Circular Economy:
Prospects and Challenges

2. What is the Circular Economy?
• A circular economy is an alternative to a
traditional linear economy (make, use,
dispose) in which we keep resources in
use for as long as possible, extract the
maximum value from them whilst in use,
then recover and regenerate products and
materials at the end of each service life.
(WRAP UK)

3. Kenneth Boulding, (1910-1993)
Spaceship Earth
‘The Economics of the Coming
Spaceship Earth’ (1968)
‘Anyone who believes in infinite
growth of anything physical, on
a finite planet, is either a
madman, or an economist’
‘Mathematics brought rigour to
economics. Unfortunately, it
also brought mortis’.

4. Herman Daly
‘The Steady State Economy’
‘An economy with constant
stocks of people and
artifacts, maintained at
some desired, sufficient
levels by low rates of
maintenance ‘throughput’,
that is, by the lowest
feasible flows of matter and
energy from the first stage
of production to the last
stage of consumption.’
(Steady State Economics, 1977)

5. John Stuart Mill
‘The Stationary State’
• “It is scarcely necessary to
remark that a stationary condition
of capital and population implies
no stationary state of human
improvement. There would be as
much scope as ever for all kinds
of mental culture, and moral and
social progress; as much room
for improving the Art of Living
and much more likelihood of its
being improved, when minds
cease to be engrossed by the art
of getting on.”

6. Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the
way we make things (2002)
Michael
Braungart
William
McDonough

7. Is Eco-Efficiency Ideal?
‘As long as human beings are regarded as “bad”,
zero is a good goal. But to be less bad is to
accept things as they are, to believe that poorly
designed, dishonourable, destructive systems are
the best humans can do. This is the ultimate
failure of the “be less bad” approach: a failure of
the IMAGINATION.’
(Cradle to Cradle, 2002)

8. From eco-efficiency to
eco-effectiveness
Do ‘less bad’ (efficiency)
Do ‘good from the start’
(effectiveness)

9. Technical and biological nutrients

10. ‘Monstrous hybrids’ – inseparable
wastes WEEE Man

11. C2C Bio- and Techno- spheres

12. The cradle to cradle philosophy:
The Mirra Chair (Herman Miller)

13. Alternative systems

14. Principles for Circular Economy
Products
• Durability (extended life)
• Dematerialisation by design
• Ease of maintenance and repair
• Ease of disassembly/reassembly
• Potential for upcycling/re-purposing
• Material separation and recovery
• Keep materials in their highest value use, for
as long as possible

15. Principles for Circular Economy
Systems
• No waste: WASTE = FOOD
• Renewable energy
• Closed production loops
• Material separability and traceability
• Industrial ecosystems
• Biomimicry

16. (1) Closed loop production: Ecovative
• Mycelium-based growth
matrix
• Product characteristics
exceed styrofoam
• Scalable, dispersed
production
• Inverse facilities:
– every warehouse houses
10,000 manufacturing
hubs
• At-home kit:
manufacture your own
products
• Infinitely recyclable

17. (2) Waste Positive Reuse and Recovery:
Econyl, from Aquafil (Nylon 6)
• 100% recycled nylon
• 100% yarn quality
characteristics
retained

18. (3) Product life extension:
Caterpillar
• Retain and refurbish
model
• Design for
replacement/repair
• Supply chain control
• Protection of
proprietory material
and quality reputation

19. (4) Sharing platforms: StuffStr
• Utilise surplus
capacity
• Connect across
and within
communities
• Offer goods and
services
• Encourage
donation, return
and exchange

20. (5) Product as service: Philips Lighting
• Product as service
• ‘Pay per lux’
• Upgrading and
replacement for free
• Maintenance
contract
• Profit margin on
efficiency gains
• Long term
relationships
‘I told Philips, ‘Listen, I need so many
hours of light in my premises every
year. If you think you need a lamp, or
electricity, or whatever – that’s fine. But
I want nothing to do with it. I’m not
interested in the product, just the
performance. I want to buy light, and
nothing else.’ Thomas Rau,
RauArchitects

21. System conditions - enablers
• Digital technology
– Mobile technologies
– Machine-to-machine communication
– Cloud computing
– Big data analytics
• Engineering Technologies
– Modular design
– Advanced recycling
– Life and material sciences technology

22. Some critical challenges
• Failed market signals
– Levelling the playing field
– Value Added Taxes or Value Destroying Taxes
• Standardisation v. Uniqueness
– Modularity and re-useability
• Transparency and accountability
– Product passports/ nutrient labelling
• Address planned obsolescence
• Support for supply chain collaboration

23. The
Circular Economy
in the
Asia Pacific Region
www.circularecconomyasia.org