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Why circular economy involves us all is now clear. Companies, government bodies, producers and customers are just some of the actors, besides the environments, touched by this structural change that will substitute the linear economic model adopted until now.
For this reason is now necessary to introduce the most relevant measures taken in this field to understand what stage has been reached in the irreversible transition to circular economy.
Circular economy: where we are?
On 2 December 2015 the European Commission adopted the plan “Closing the loop”, a new circular economy package in which it analyze the interdependence of all value chain processes.
In particular this plan focuses on four areas of actions:
• eco design
• development of secondary raw materials market
• waste management
• sustainable consumption patterns
As far as the eco design, the European Commission has aimed at supporting the reparability, the durability and the recyclability of products or, for example, at facilitating their maintenance and dismantling. According to the development of materials market, companies will be able to buy secondary raw materials at a lower price cutting operational running costs.
The adoption of sustainable consumption models is instead referred to the fight against unfair commercial practices thanks to the diffusion of correct green terminology.
The measures concerning waste management are anyway more recent. The first objective of this measures is about prevention, which is the upstream reduction of waste trough eco-innovation, eco-design, materials used or though the extension of products life cycle.
Other objectives of these measures are about the recovery and the recycling of products and materials. The European Commission increased, in fact, to 70% the recycling target for municipal waste and to 80% the recycling target for packages. According to these measures 580.000 new jobs will be created. Moreover this plan will allows companies to save 72 billion of euro thanks to a responsible use of resources.
In this way, circular economy will protect companies from raw materials price volatility and scarcity, will create new commercial opportunities but also more innovative production and consumption model.
A well-rounded business model!