Navigating Circular Economy: A Guide for Sustainability Professionals

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The Challenges of Overconsumption

We live in a world where overconsumption has led to severe environmental impacts, including resource depletion, pollution, and ever-growing landfills. Many of our current systems operate in a linear way: we extract resources, use them to create products, and then discard them as waste. This unsustainable approach has resulted in significant harm to our ecosystems—landfill disasters, pollution of waterways, and a depletion of natural resources being just a few of the consequences.

Stating The Obvious!

Recently, I shared a video on LinkedIn of Sungai Watch cleaning a river in Bali. While this video was incredibly satisfying and encouraging, it made me reflect on the root of the problem: why is there so much waste in the first place? As an engineer, I often ask myself, what is the ideal state, and how can we reach it?

The efforts of Sungai Watch are undoubtedly impactful, preventing tons of plastic waste from reaching the ocean. But from an efficiency standpoint, the real challenge is cutting waste at the source. This brings us to one of the core principles of the circular economy: rethinking the design phase. By reforming how we design products and processes, we can prevent waste from ever being generated. In some cases, this may even mean refusing certain materials entirely.

Sungai Design transforms collected waste into beautiful, sustainable products like chairs—check out their website for more examples. It’s a perfect demonstration of how we can turn problems into creative, impactful solutions. While Sungai Design successfully closes the loop by finding innovative ways to repurpose waste, the ultimate goal should be to prevent waste from being created in the first place. This is where the circular economy really shines: it pushes us to think about waste prevention from the very beginning, starting with thoughtful, sustainable design choices.

Understanding the Circular Economy In contrast to the linear model, the circular economy seeks to close the loop by rethinking how we use and reuse resources. It emphasizes the importance of extending the lifecycle of products through recycling, reusing, repairing, and refurbishing. The goal is to reduce waste, conserve natural resources, and minimize environmental harm.

Linear vs. Circular Economy

• Linear Economy: A one-way street where resources are extracted, used to create products, and then discarded as waste.

  

• Circular Economy: A closed-loop system that focuses on keeping materials in use for as long as possible, reducing the need for new resources and minimizing waste.

Challenges in Moving from Linear to Circular Economy

After understanding the differences between the linear economy—a one-way street where resources are extracted, used, and discarded—and the circular economy, a closed-loop system designed to keep materials in use and reduce waste, the next question is: Why isn’t everyone transitioning to circularity? The answer lies in the challenges that businesses face when trying to make this shift.

1. Change is Difficult

The hardest part for every sustainability professional is that sustainability is all about change—and change, no matter how beneficial, is always difficult. Convincing decision-makers, executives, and teams to embrace new models can be daunting. It’s about moving out of the comfort zone. The linear economy is the status quo, the familiar way businesses have been operating for decades. It’s a comfort zone where processes are well-established, and moving to a circular model feels like venturing into the unknown.

Circularity requires not only courage but also a genuine appetite for change. It involves establishing new systems, training teams, addressing unforeseen challenges, and adapting creatively. This shift can be intimidating, but it is essential for long-term success.