2024-08-29 06:30:19
Moving from a linear to a circular economy would help address the depletion of natural resources, the increase in waste, the difficulty in sourcing electronic components and the obsolescence of products. However, this transition requires a paradigm shift for companies, both in terms of production methods and recycling.
An excerpt fromCircular economy: a response to obsolescenceby Gautier VANSON, Pascale MARANGÉ and Éric LEVRAT
Our consumption patterns produce large quantities of waste. This results in a deterioration of the environment, and even an acceleration of climate change, making it essential to quickly change habits, particularly at a time when natural resources are being depleted. Companies, in particular, are thus forced to engage in more sustainable development sectors, from the production of a product to its revaluation at the end of its life, all while taking into account its impact on the environment.
In addition, a difficult geopolitical context sometimes complicates the supply of raw materials. However, these obstacles have the advantage of highlighting our vulnerability in the event of a crisis, whether war or political tensions.
Linear economy vs circular economy
The so-called linear economy, used in many companies, is considered less and less viable. It relies on natural resources without taking into account their depletion. In this operation, after use, the products manufactured from these resources are stored in landfills or incinerated. The consequences of this type of production are accentuated by the phenomenon of obsolescence, itself the origin of new problems – societal, environmental and economic –, due to the increase in waste.
The circular economy then appears as a way to combat this exhaustion, but also against the environmental risks to which our societies are subject. It involves in particular reviewing our use of waste, which must now be reduced, better managed and better recovered in order to produce again. It is based on products designed to be reused.
For the company, it is therefore a question of reviewing its operation from the design stage of its product. The circular economy thus requires it to overhaul its internal organization and to take into account the external environment. The objective is therefore to destroy the notion of waste as it is currently conceived, in favor of reuse. This process involves so-called regenerative elements, obtained after separation of waste in order to restore its value, like the sheet metal of a car or wood from which the paint has been removed. It is therefore essential that a product is developed by imagining, from the outset, the multiple operations that will need to be carried out so that each of its components can be reintroduced into the circular economy. All new revalued products will in turn have to take into account all of these end-of-life requirements.
Becoming sustainable, but how? ?
The goal is to move away from a restrictive context and adopt a natural mode of operation that favors recycling. While legislation, standards and public awareness are essential for this new ecosystem to be sustainable, strategies that take into account all aspects of the circular economy will need to be put in place in order to be acceptable and accepted, both in financial and societal terms.
Energy should not be neglected either. It will require the development of low-consumption processes or even micro-ecosystems in order to limit energy-intensive transport flows.
Finally, maintenance will be a key position, allowing the regenerators to be kept in good condition as much as possible, and in any case to delay their disposal as far as possible.
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