The main reason for this unsustainable use of resources is that we today are working according to a linear “take-make-waste” industrial model. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has been promoting the idea of a circular economy for more than a decade, playing a key role in introducing research and information to the public, governments and businesses around the world, and driving the dialogue on how we look at products and materials today. The Foundation summarises a circular economy according to three key principles:
→ Design out waste and pollution
→ Keep products and materials in use
→ Regenerate natural systems
Other frameworks are Cradle to Cradle, which looks at design, production use and return. The end goal is a world without waste. The prerequisite is that all materials can be recycled or returned to the biological cycle after use.