No circular economy transition now
Rachel Meidl, 2023 – Fellow in Energy and Sustainability at the Baker Institute. “Closing the Loop on the World’s Fastest-growing Waste Stream: Electronics” 6/14,
//DH
A circular economy is most effective when working symbiotically across supply chains to create value. However, a strong waste-centric and “end-of-pipe” narrative limits the vast social, economic, and environmental opportunities that newer circular models can offer, such as dematerialization and greater resource optimization. These economic opportunities are far broader and more diverse than those focusing solely on end-of-life activities, especially in an ideal circular economy where products and processes are designed to avoid the creation of waste in the first place. But the current global economy is only 8.6% circular and trending down from previous years.[29] Absent a shift in policies, business and consumer behaviors, and innovation, the amount of e-waste alone could more than double by 2050,[30] driving society further away from realizing a circular economy.