The current prevailing linear economic system based on produce-consume-dispose has led to decades of inequality, depletion of resources and other social and environmental impacts.  In short, it is an unsustainable economic-productive model. This reality has been perpetuated from the time of the first industrial revolution to the present as it “has worked” to create wealth and social wellbeing in some parts of the planet. However, the accumulation of the secondary effects and impacts that this system has generated over the years seem to becoming a problem for its very development. Global warming, the lack of resources, the rising population, etc. are situations that the current economic system is unable to address. In this context, the circular economy is presented as a sustainable economic alternative adapted to the limitations of a finite planet.

Given the impetus to the circular economy in recent years by the European Commission and other organisations and given its growing impact, this Ideas Notebook seeks to provide the basic notions of the circular economy, analysed from the eco-design approach, which is a  key point to be able to perform the transition from a linear to a circular economy.

LINKS

European Commission’s Circular Economy Portal

Circular Economy package documents

• Communication from the Commission to the Parliament:
• Annex:

Autodesk sustainability workshop-product design

Ellen MacArthur Foundation