If you are someone who drinks coffee, soda, bubble tea, uses mobile phone, computer, or does office work that involves documents, follows fashion trends every season and never misses a sale. You must read this article!
This is because these things have a source that comes from the industrial sector by processing natural resources and when time passes or it has reached its lifespan these products become waste. We call this method the Linear Economy, it uses natural resources to drive the world’s industrial sector for over 150 years and it seems to be coming to a dead end, but the planet and humans still have to live; therefore, changing from Linear Economy to Circular Economy must happen as it is the solution to the problems the planet is facing. For instance, the waste problem is one of the increasingly problematic environmental issues for the planet.
“Circular Economy will birth innovation and new forms of businesses that will create sustainable cost in terms of social, economy, and natural environment.”
Anders Wijkman, a Swedish thinker, writer and politician who works in the environment and sustainability field
Circular Economy is Not Just Recycling
Circular Economy is a way to change the process of manufacturing, consumption, and lifestyle because producers must create innovation, material design, product, system, and new business model to be nature friendly and to maximize the use of resources to the highest capacity resulting in minimal waste and have positive impact towards the environment.
“There can be no ‘plan B’ because there is no ‘planet B’.”
Ban Ki-moon, former Secretary – General of the United Nations
The Key of Circular Economy
Circular production system is able to circulate product materials to be used again without creating leftovers or waste by mechanisms that focus on the conservations of natural resources, minerals, energy by complete recirculation. In addition it must reduce the negative external impact (Externalities) by turning to renewable energy. This includes reducing the use of chemicals which is the challenge of reusing the materials.
“A sustainable planet already exists…we just have to look into nature.”
Janine Benyus the co-founder of the Biomimicry Institute, the amazing science of studying patterns and processes of nature to solve human challenges
Thailand and the Circular Economy
Currently in Thailand, we are starting to see people choosing to use reusable utensils such as glasses, straws, dishes, fork and spoons or even cloth bags more and more. This is a good trend that an individual consumer is changing. Meanwhile, shops and businesses also have new forms and methods in doing business. Some even started their business from the term ‘Circular Economy’ such as Moreloop-a platform that sells leftover cloth from factories and Nornnorn, a startup that gives people the opportunity to rent mattresses and beddings instead of buying. This includes big cooperates that sees the importance of circular production such as SCG.
If the Circular Economy way is to be the planets’ and our survival, these changes are not enough. Everyone and every sector must take part in it, starting with industrial policies and the environment of each country. Large companies must adapt to the Circular Economy way of thinking to maximize the use of resources. Designers must think of the usage and how it can be reused. Lastly, consumers must support producers and services that use the Circular Economy way, currently the best way for the Earth.
