Week 7 ✩ Circularity

This week, we explored the theme of “circularity” & conducted a debate with the motion: “This house (i.e we) would enforce a circular economy”. I was put on the side of against, which is quite difficult to find evidence to combat this motion, however there are a few examples of different ways we can tackle negative environmental impact.

Recycling has been around for centuries & it’s helped the planet exponentially – The University of Colorado estimates that recycling between 2020 & 2050 will reduce emissions by 5.5 to 6 gigatons of carbon dioxide (equivalent to taking one billion cars off the road a year). It’s clear to see that it’s very beneficial to the planet, however there are some drawbacks to enforcing a circular economy.

Transition costs are a big worry for most companies, both big & small – smaller companies simply cannot absorb the costs. A 2020 study by the European Commission found that a transition to a circular economy can cost the EU up to 1.8 trillion euros – new processes, technology & infrastructure required for sustainable systems don’t seem necessary for the majority of big, profit-driven companies. As well as this, in regions where environmental regulations are non-existent, companies have less incentive to enforce these systems – regulations vary throughout the world, so it’s quite difficult to enforce this idealogy of circulation on the entire planet.

Relying on a circular economy also requires this trust within the consumer that they would repeatedly buy these sustainable products & use them appropriately. We will have to assume that they will adapt to these new systems,

meanwhile a large majority of people prioritize convenience & cost over sustainability. This is evidenced by a 2021 study conducted by Deloitte: only 57% of people would change their purchasing habits, however 64% said that price & convenience were the most important factors when buying a product. In 2023, 62% of people stated that sustainable products were too expensive. In general, cost is a big issue when converting to a circular economy.

Reducing single use products & reducing consumption seems to be a better solution for the environment rather than enforcing this economy. In 2018, The World Resources Institute found that reducing waste at the source can be 3-5 times more effective in lowering greenhouse gas emissions compared to recycling. In conclusion, I believe that a circular economy is really beneficial & it has worked for years now, so I am convinced that a circular economy is a good idea. However, there are a lot of issues with people adapting to it & I feel that there is a bigger conversation to be had. Single use products are more & more popular these days, especially with products such as vapes where I can see them litter every street I walk on, so I feel that if we reduced those types of products first, it would be a great step in the right direction.

(Pictured right) Sketch of plastic bottles (2024), Natalie Foster.

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Robinson, C. and Huun, K. (2023). The impact of recycling on climate change. [online] Environmental Center. Available at: https://www.colorado.edu/ecenter/2023/12/15/impact-recycling-climate-change.

Europa.eu. (2021). Inforegio – Cohesion policy powers EU circular economy shift. [online] Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/whats-new/panorama/2024/03/20-03-2024-cohesion-policy-powers-eu-circular-economy-shift_en [Accessed 2 Nov. 2024].

Deloitte (2023). Sustainability survey | Deloitte Ireland. [online] www.deloitte.com. Available at: https://www.deloitte.com/ie/en/about/press-room/sustainability-consumers-climate.html.

Ranganathan, J., Waite, R., Searchinger, T. and Hanson, C. (2018). How to Sustainably Feed 10 Billion People by 2050, in 21 Charts. World Resources Institute. [online] Available at: https://www.wri.org/insights/how-sustainably-feed-10-billion-people-2050-21-charts.