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

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)
William McDonough
Michael Braungart

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)
Cradle to Cradle p. 67

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

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
‘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