The circular economy_ from consumer to user
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Our current linear economy relies on cheap easily available resources and fossil energy
we take, make, use and dispose
eating into a finite supply of materials and generating waste
what's more resources and energy are getting increasingly tough
and expensive to exploit
so can it work a long time?
this is where the idea of a performance based circular economy comes in
what if we didn't buy the goods themselves but the service
What if we favor access and performance?
In this model manufacturers and retailers
would remain the owners of the products.
Maintenance and repairs becoming parts of the deal
even better, their running costs like electricity were included
for companies it makes sense to retain precious materials
when their future availability is uncertain and when prices are forecast to rise
premature obsolescence would be phased out rather than designed in
Buying expensive goods upfront would no longer be a necessity
it already happens with mobile phones and cars, why not fridges, washing machines, power tools and so on ?
of course there is a wide variety of needs, of individuals, of businesses.
This is not a one size fits all proposition.
Hundreds of different solutions can be designed with tailored contracts
variety, freedom, flexibility and frequent upgrades.
Take car sharing schemes. We can either use vehicles owned by manufacturers
car sharing companies or signed up to a local person to person network
communication technologies means that our world is fast becoming a platform where we find
exchange services or even remarket goods
it's all about access, and it works for homes and offices too!
couldn't a contract for a number of copies or washes from high end appliance
be more beneficial for both providers and users?
better service at a better price
Companies win too! Materials extraction and production
can represent up to 75% of the energy used to make goods
so if remanufacturing were introduced at scale it would dramatically reduce our energy needs
at systems level this would help the switch to renewable sources
a system that works long term by designing our waste
and keeping valuable products in the loop
and maintaining or remanufacturing them, treating jobs in the process
Shifting to a performance model is part of the solution
when it comes to accelerating the transition to a circular economy.
There is a world of opportunity for businesses as well as individuals
and the shift has already begun