Circular Economy For Dummies. Eric Corey Freed

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Introduction

      Welcome to Circular Economy For Dummies!

      This is a book about materials and waste, but it’s also a book about design and business and how these elements are connected. At its heart, this book is about rethinking how we humans can create food, buildings, fashion, and other products without destroying Planet Earth and burying the world in waste.

      To safely provide for the needs of billions of people in an ever-warming world, we need to change the situation dramatically. Every manufacturer, designer, and producer of goods needs to rethink their industrial approach to how products are made. Instead of the old take-make-waste approach to manufacturing, where natural resources are extracted from the earth to make stuff that ends up rotting in a landfill, we need to explore a new model. That’s the definition of the circular economy.

      Although you’ll find a lot of information about the impact of waste in this book, it isn’t a book about trash. Nor does the book focus only on how to reduce plastic, even though that’s a part of the story. At its core, the circular economy focuses on how to redesign everything so it can be made and remade over and over again. It turns out that doing good can also be beneficial to a business’s bottom line.

      The planet is swimming in trash. Though the industrial revolution transformed the quality of life for everyone, it also produced billions of tons of plastic waste, nearly all of which ends up in the oceans or in a landfill. At this rate, the oceans will contain more plastic than fish by 2050. If we want to save the planet from a terrible waste, resource, and climate crisis, we have to transform our way of making things.

      

The environmental problems we humans need to solve aren’t trivial or easy to fix. Though it’s true that we understand far better the impact that humans have had on the environment, we still have a long way to go to be truly circular in terms of the entire economy. Rethinking our approach, reimagining our businesses, and redesigning our products is a huge challenge, but it’s also a huge opportunity.

We wrote this book to be the definitive guide to the circular economy. Though the circular economy has been gaining mainstream adoption in Europe and the United Kingdom, it’s still largely a new concept in North America. This book is for anyone who runs a business and has an interest in making better products, services, or approaches for their customers. It’s also intended for anyone who wants a clear framework for how to create a truly sustainable product or material.

      In our daily lives, we both work on improving the sustainability, health, and impact of buildings, and we’re driven to help show people how to have a positive impact on the planet. This book — which reflects our hope for a better and brighter future — shares the lessons we’ve learned from working with thousands of businesses, institutions, and government agencies to help them create vibrant, healthy, and waste-free buildings.

      Circular Economy For Dummies is the first comprehensive reference and how-to book that gives you the knowledge and tools you need to transform your business from a linear (wasteful) model to a circular (sustainable) one — and to impact the lives of everyone in the world for the better.

About This Book

      This practical, action-oriented book is about manufacturing and design. It doesn’t dwell on theory or abstract concepts. Nor do you need a PhD in supply chain management. Throughout, we focus on asking the right questions and figuring out how to radically rethink materials so that you can make a true impact. The book includes a diverse set of case studies, interviews, and examples to inspire and guide you.

      Transforming how everything is made is no easy task. Trying to improve the environmental impact of your product might require you to study dozens of books. Who has time for all that? Instead, we’ve distilled and condensed only the parts that truly matter so that you can delve directly into the heart of what’s important. This book is detailed, but we didn’t include long-winded passages or unnecessary content. You get everything you need in order to be successful in creating and implementing a complete circular strategy.

Our hope is that this book inspires you to take action to envision a better approach to manufacturing, materials, and waste — full of new possibilities. Unlike some other topics, the circular economy is quite complex, with layers of meaning and understanding to it. Luckily, we’ve written this book so that anyone can find an aspect that will grab them and motivate them to make a positive change. The circular economy addresses biodiversity, climate change, energy use, natural resources, and so much more. This book focuses on materials and products, but covers hundreds of interconnected subjects.

      

The future success of humanity is tied to figuring out how to achieve the ideas outlined in this book. If we’re going to be able to house, clothe, and feed a global population of 9 billion (and counting), we need new ideas and new approaches to making durable, reusable, and recyclable materials of tomorrow. This book can make that future possible.

      Whether your job is linked to manufacturing, design, or materials — or if you’re just a curious soul looking to make the world a better place — you’ll find Circular Economy For Dummies to be a fun, inspiring, and helpful guidebook on your journey.

Foolish Assumptions

      Throughout the writing of this book, we had only you (our gentle reader) in mind. Don’t panic, but here’s the information we assumed about you so that you can get the maximum benefit from this book:

       You’re seeking a comprehensive but condensed and easy-to-follow guide to implementing a circular economy strategy.

       You’ve already heard about sustainability and you’re interested enough to buy this book.

       You’re not a treehugger, but you’re concerned about climate change and waste.

       You lack the time or patience for tracking down the meaning of unnecessary buzzwords or jargon — you want to get only the essential knowledge you need in order to get stuff done.

       You recognize that the old “take-make-waste” approach to industrial manufacturing is less than perfect and that you might be able to find opportunities to save money and do the right thing at the same time.

       You recognize that the field of circular economy is still a nascent and emerging topic and that, as more companies embrace these ideas, it will continue to evolve and change.

       You realize that transforming and innovating a business requires careful planning and research.

       You understand that this book is ultimately about people and the future of the planet.

Icons Used in This Book

      Throughout this book, you see these little graphical icons to identify useful paragraphs:

      

The Tip icon highlights expert advice and real-world experience to provide ways to save you time and money — and preserve your sanity!