Circulareconomy.PDFVIP

Circular economy Rethinking the future Our transition towards a circular economy In 2005, Ellen MacArthur became the fastest solo sailor to circumnavigate the globe “Sailing around the world against the clock in 2005, I had with me -the absolute minimum of resources in order to be as light, hence as fast as possible. At sea, what you have is all you have, stopping en route to restock is not an option and careful resource management can be a matter of life or death. Running out of energy to power the autopilot means you can be upside down in seconds. My boat was my world, I was constantly aware of its supply limits and when I stepped back ashore, I began to see that our world was not any different. I had become acutely aware of the true meaning of the word ‘finite’, and when I applied it to resources in the global economy, I realised there were some big challenges ahead.” Ellen MacArthur 1 From round the world to a circular world After her world record journey and personal epiphany, Ellen MacArthur travelled the world learning from experts across a variety of countries, economies and industries to better understand the global approach to the way the economy consumes resources. She launched the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2010 and in January 2012 launched “Towards the circular economy”, the first ever economic report examining the potential of moving from a linear to circular model, at the World Economic Forum in Davos. 2 The global trends that make a circular economy a business necessity for now and the future challenges Resource availability and pricing We are at the end of the era of cheap oil and materials. A lack of fossil fuels and finite natural resources across the spectrum, coupled with an increased consumer demand results in challenges to manage our commodities. Simply using less is no longer enou