![]() ![]() ![]() A logical consequence of striving to create closed loop systems is that there are only two possible long-run fates for waste materials: either recycling and reuse, or dissipative loss (for resources such as for lubricants or detergents). 6).Īyres (in ) also observes that such a closed cycle of flows can only be sustained as long as its external energy supply lasts. Such a system would be characterized by “complete or nearly-complete internal cycling of materials” (, p. The ambition level of an industrial ecology is to achieve an ideal state, one which resembles nature most. Robert Ayres (in ) introduced the idea of industrial metabolisms:Īt the most abstract level of description, then, the metabolism of industry is the whole integrated collection of physical processes that convert raw materials and energy, plus labor, into finished products and wastes in a (more or less) steady-state condition. The idea of a circular economy is not new and was given a theoretical foundation in the field of industrial ecology in the early 1990s. For example, the European Commission associates the move to a more circular economy with strategies such as: boosting recycling and preventing loss of valuable materials creating jobs and economic growth showing how new business models, eco-design and industrial symbiosis can move Europe toward zero-waste and reducing greenhouse emissions and environmental impacts. Europe and China have adopted Circular Economy principles as part of their future strategies. ![]() The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has helped popularize the move to a circular economy with businesses. The circular economy is viewed as a promising approach to help reduce our global sustainability pressures. Governmental organizations as well as business representatives report an increasing pressure on our global resources and the climate due to human activity. ![]()
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