A circular economy is a regenerative system in which resource input and waste are minimized by slowing, closing, and narrowing material loops; this can be achieved through long-lasting design, maintenance, repair, reuse, remanufacturing, refurbishing, recycling, and upcycling. This is in contrast to a linear economy which is a ‘take, make, dispose’ model of production.
In the Higg FEM, a Circular system is defined as a system that captures and reintroduces waste from and into the facility’s operations or production or captures and reintroduces waste into an external party’s operations or production. Some examples include:
- Textile waste is recycled into a new material and then used for a new production run.
- Recycling plastic bottles to make fabric.
- Recovering coal ash from the boiler room to make bricks.
- Aluminum recycling to produce cans.
Help us Improve: Found an error or think something is missing? Let us know so we can enhance this article. Your feedback is valuable to us!