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How can you assess the circularity potential of your raw materials?

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Raw materials are the building blocks of any product or service, but they also have environmental and social impacts throughout their life cycle. How can you assess the circularity potential of your raw materials and apply circular design principles to reduce waste, emissions, and resource use? In this article, we will introduce you to some tools and methods that can help you achieve this goal.

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1 What is circularity?

Circularity is a concept that aims to design out waste and pollution, keep products and materials in use, and regenerate natural systems. It is based on the idea that nothing is wasted in nature, and that human activities should mimic this principle. Circularity can help businesses improve their efficiency, resilience, and innovation, while also contributing to the global sustainability agenda.

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Brian H Rutledge

Chemical Engineering Specialist at Firma-Terra
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Energy waste is a key inefficiency in manufacturing and often shows up in the temperature if wastewater. Reuse energy by cascading from high energy processes to lower energy processes. The more re-use the better. Reuse water by preventing or collecting wasted water before it becomes wastewater. This eliminates lost energy, lost water, and reduces treatment costs.

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2 Why raw materials matter?

Raw materials are the inputs that are transformed into products or services that meet customer needs. They can be classified into three categories: renewable, non-renewable, and recycled. Each category has different characteristics and challenges in terms of availability, quality, environmental impact, and social responsibility. For example, renewable raw materials such as biomass can be replenished over time, but they may also compete with food production or biodiversity. Non-renewable raw materials such as metals and minerals are finite and subject to depletion, price volatility, and geopolitical risks. Recycled raw materials such as secondary metals and plastics can reduce the demand for primary extraction, but they may also face technical, regulatory, or market barriers.

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Brian H Rutledge

Chemical Engineering Specialist at Firma-Terra
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Recycling waste materials need not be restricted to internal processes. Reuse internally if possible. Find a customer willing to pay for waste, or at least a recycler willing to accept the former waste for no fee or a smaller fee than disposal. Design out the source of internal waste if possible.

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Brian H Rutledge

Chemical Engineering Specialist at Firma-Terra
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Purchase recycled materials rather than virgin materials if possible. If not, purchase renewable materials rather than nonrenewable if possible. If not possible phase out purchase in favor of products with better characteristics or better supplier efficiency. Audit.

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3 How to measure circularity?

One way to measure the circularity of your raw materials is to use the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI) developed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The MCI is a metric that quantifies how restorative the material flows of a product or a company are. It ranges from 0 to 1, where 0 means linear and 1 means circular. The MCI considers four factors: the amount of recycled or renewable inputs, the utility or lifespan of the product, the share of the product that is recovered or recycled, and the efficiency of the recovery or recycling process.

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4 How to improve circularity?

To improve the circularity of your raw materials, you can opt for renewable or recycled inputs with a high quality and low environmental footprint. Additionally, design products that are durable, repairable, upgradable, and reusable to deliver more value or functionality with less material. Furthermore, create collection, sorting, and recycling systems to recover as much material as possible from end-of-life products and reduce the losses or downgrading of material quality. Finally, collaborate with other stakeholders in the value chain such as suppliers, customers, regulators, and NGOs to create circular business models and incentives that can support the transition to a circular economy.

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Brian H Rutledge

Chemical Engineering Specialist at Firma-Terra
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Even if raw materials are reused or recycled be sure that condition of material offered are, as much as possible, suitable for processing with minimal additional work at customer site.

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5 What are the benefits of circularity?

By applying circular design principles to your raw materials, you can reap several benefits for your business and society. These include reducing costs, risks, and dependence on scarce or volatile resources, as well as enhancing your reputation, customer loyalty, and competitive advantage. Additionally, circular design can stimulate innovation, creativity, and differentiation, while contributing to the global goals of climate action, biodiversity protection, and social justice.

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How can you assess the circularity potential of your raw materials?

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1 What is circularity?

2 Why raw materials matter?

3 How to measure circularity?

4 How to improve circularity?

5 What are the benefits of circularity?

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