The industries most urgently in need of a circular business model – and the proposed solutions
Now, based on the aforementioned objectives, which potential solutions do we have at hand? What industries are most urgently in need of these changes? These are questions already being asked – and answered – and it is clear that there is already an outline for reaching the circular economy that is so urgently needed.
For instance, one of the biggest challenges humanity has to deal with on a daily basis is the immense waste of food, both in the agriculture and service industries. Extensive studies have also demonstrated that agriculture is among one of the most significant contributors to pollution, and the need for a transition towards sustainability has been urgent for many decades.
Thankfully, initiatives such as the EU’s “Farm to Fork Strategy” are excellent first steps toward reaching the desired objectives, allowing for the sustainable practice of food production, processing, distribution, and consumption. By working on improving the accessibility and security of food for populations across the continent, the EU can also mitigate the effects of climate change, and reduce pollution generated by farming.
Another industry that is much in need of change is that of electronics. E-waste, as it is known, represents a serious risk for the environment, due to the growing amount of cell phones, televisions, computers, and other devices that are increasingly being disposed of due to obsolete software and technologies, damage to irreplaceable batteries, and incompatibility of accessories with new versions (chargers, for example, represent a huge amount of e-waste).
By applying the idea of “one man’s trash is another’s treasure”, we can change the course of the economic model entirely. This is a philosophy that is attempting to be applied in three other problem industries – plastics, packaging, and construction. By repurposing used food packaging for other non-food industries (and thus keeping consumers safe), for example, there will be an immense reduction of the waste production in urban areas, especially those in developed nations.
The science of synthetic biology can also help by utilizing biopolymers in place of petroleum plastics, similarly to how petroleum-based fuels have been slowly phased out in favor of biofuels (bioethanol) created by plant biomass. Biopolymers also allow for the reduction of VOC’s, which directly impact human health, and are mildly carcinogenic.
As in any massive transformation, this will not be a process that takes a few years – even the most hopeful estimates expect preliminary objectives to be met within the next 5 years, and others expect a decade to pass before results are observed.
However, the importance of setting long-term goals is that there are companies already investing in these waste management and waste minimization strategies…
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