What can we learn from nature for today’s circular economy strategies?

When I came across this quote recently, I couldn’t help but wonder whether we might curtail various environmental and business challenges if humankind thought of waste as an anomaly versus a norm. So, let’s explore the topic through the lens of nature.

Nature operates in loops and bounds

The beauty of a circle is its balance. With no end nor beginning, stress is distributed equally along the arc ? sharing the load from one point to another. Likewise, nature is replete with circularly balanced phenomena such as the food chain or water cycle.

In fact, the first law of Thermodynamics states: ‘Energy can neither be created nor destroyed – only converted from one form to another’. Some may argue that heat energy generated is a waste, but if you see closely, even that isn’t (fact: it helps you maintain your body temperature). Within the laws of nature, waste generation does not apply.

However, we don’t reuse industrial or household waste. Instead, it is dumped or burned. As polluted air and water are ingested by fish and animals and absorbed into field crops, chemical waste becomes our dinner. Waste endangers the very survival of all species.

I believe a circular economy model can avert irreversible environmental crises sustainably and over the long run. A circular economy is restorative and regenerative by design and builds sustainable economic, natural, and social capital.

The Bronze Age: Circular trade systems begin – Civilizations began using the copper and tin alloy bronze as early as 2500 BC. Mass adoption of bronze caused significant societal shifts as communities reoriented themselves to move bronze materials over long distances. The era was transformative as molds emerged as blueprints to enable repeated use of the same metal. Eventually, bronze recycling began in Europe as traders exchanged the old metal as a commodity.

Paper: A circular past, present, and future – Since medieval times, paper, a fibrous biodegradable material, has always been reused and recycled. In Europe, organized large-scale recycling of newspapers and magazines began in the 1960s. These days, at the end of paper’s lifecycle, its residue is used to produce bricks or for heat and energy. Also, ashes are used as by-products to bleach paper or stabilize soil during road construction to complete the last mile in the circular stream.

The kulhad’s comeback – In India, the kulhad is a biodegradable earthen teacup. To reduce waste, the government requires their use at 400 railway stations nationwide instead of plastic cups. The environmentally-friendly kulhads are locally produced. The initiative supports the fundamentals of the circular economy while effectively serving the public and supporting the government’s plastic-free India vision.

The circular economy has practical applications. But how to get there can be tricky, given that most of us have no idea where waste products wind up.

Circular economy principles

1. Design out Waste

As the zero waste agenda gains global traction, we need materials with the capability to decouple, transform, and repurpose. However, modern society requires inducements to design waste out of production cycles. And trendsetters are making environmental inroads.

Innovative packaging – US-based materials science company Ecovative Design turns crop waste into packaging with similar properties as plastic but compostable within 45 days, materializing the cradle-to-cradle concept.

Blockchain enables ethical recycling ecosystems ? Vancouver, Canada-based Plastic Bank collects ocean plastic from thousands of underserved residents of Haiti, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brazil, and Egypt. In exchange, participants receive digital tokens redeemable for groceries, cooking fuel, health insurance, and more. Tokens are safely distributed and authenticated through an app that uses blockchain technology. The recycled Social Plastic is used to create products and packaging to accomplish a circular flow of materials, build ethical recycling ecosystems in coastal communities, and repurpose the materials for reintroduction into the global manufacturing supply chain.

2. Maximizing material utility throughout the life cycle

In nature’s established cycles, elements revitalize even after being depleted. In production cycles, too, prolonged use of quality materials ensures maximum utility throughout the life cycle.

A zero-waste subscription – Amsterdam startup Gerrard Street produces modular, easily repairable headphones without glues. Available by subscription, they disassemble quickly for repair, refurbishment, or upgrade, for free, while the company promises that 85% of the standardized components are reusable. Thus, they provide affordable quality products combined with quality service.

A circular fashion spin – Danish clothing company VIGGA challenges the industry’s traditional business model. Its subscription-based clothing line for infants and small children ensures consumers always have the right size clothing for their children. Because new users wear each item several times, the company inspects all clothing strictly to ensure quality. Producing cheap items with a short lifespan would hurt business. VIGGA’s model puts a spin on the low-quality clothing trend and, instead, its circular system supports low environmental impact.

Emerging technologies can aid the circular economy

Technology such as the Internet of things (IoT) enables intelligence in products or devices. Intelligent products and ecosystems can signal and repair issues and schedule maintenance to stay operable longer.

Similarly, Big Data creates a foundation for shared economies such as peer-to-peer services Uber and Airbnb to make the most of informational assets. Big Data algorithms connect people with those who can fulfill their requirements precisely and efficiently at a large scale.

3.?????Regenerate natural systems

The concept of regenerating natural systems aims to protect and enhance the quality and sustainability of natural resources. A circular economy opposes non-renewable resources and instead relies on and improves renewable sources. This practice protects natural systems from external threats, such as fossil fuel pollution while delivering a perennial source of energy that helps decrease resource dependence and enhances resilience.

Solar fields forever – In the United States, Cumberland, Maine, created a field with 1,400 solar panels built on a 3.5-acre landfill that provides energy for all town buildings. Town officials expect the solar panels will save the municipality up to USD4-million over five to seven years.

How can your organization get involved?

1.??????Find a sustainable niche: As pollution intensifies globally, seek areas where sustainable choices such as waste reduction, use of fewer virgin materials and more durable products, and reliance on renewable energy can help produce products and services that meet the needs of environmentally conscious consumers. Thus, by thinking globally and acting locally, design a circular economy paradigm that suits your organization.

2.??????Create a circular economy business case: Gerrard Street uses minimal virgin materials, and its subscription model ensures customer engagement for a long revenue period. Kulhad earthen teacups employ local artisans. VIGGA’s circular model incentivizes the production of durable products and reduces waste by 70-85%. Hence, the circular economy makes a robust business case and avenue for profitability.

3.??????Experiment and collaborate: Consider a subscription or an as-a-service model through which your enterprise owns only essential production tools and uses them fully while sourcing the rest from service providers, thus reducing use of virgin resources.

4.??????Digitally transform: Emerging technologies, such as blockchain, AI/ML, open APIs, and advanced data analytics can help organizations establish a circular exchange.

Closing note…

The circular economy is a concept we can learn from nature and for nature. Over time, the earth regenerates its resources. Becoming circular requires creativity and a conscious personal or organizational investment. It requires an explicit statement of purpose to create a long-lasting change in waste treatment, material utility, and commitment to the revival of sustained natural systems.

While growth is often a business imperative, how we make it happen matters. The circular economy will help us survive, sustain, and eventually grow in a way that creates measurable, manageable, and memorable impact.

The author would like to thank Navya Khurana, Srishti Kumar, and Tamara Berry for their contributions to this article.

PS: If you want to look for articles from the author search for #AmitChoudhary

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