Have you ever noticed that most of the products we acquire are disposable? The unconscious consumerism promotes innumerous problems that are harmful to the environment and, consequently, to the human health.
The technological advance brings us the impression that we are always with outdated items, inducing the shopping for more modern products, resulting in the discard of the old one. This phenomenon is called programmed obsolescence, that refers to the power that the industry has to make the products programmed to fail.
The Circular Economy, that we will explain to you on this article, is a concept that was created to minimize the negative impacts of consumerism for the next generations.
Let’s begin by the linear economy that rules to the consumers the process of buying and discarding, in which new products are launched. People acquire a new product and some time after they realize that a new and exclusive item of the same brand is launched again, and subconsciously these people are induced to the rebuying and to the discard of the old one.
What many people do not take into consideration is that our planet has limitations about the natural resources, we are guiding resources that are finite, walking to scarcity. Practically all the new matter produced through plastic comes from natural resources.
That’s why, it is worthy to remember that most of the discards is relocated to landfills, and, about the year of 2050, we can be producing 3,4 billion of tons of waste each year.
However, uncountable organizations are adopting the model of circular economy, focused on redrawing our systems, processes and products to permit that the devices can be used for more time, being better reused or recycled with more efficiency.
This model aims to show the reality behind the programmed obsolescence, expressing the real functionalities and the durability of certain item, proposing, many times that, with the correct use and maintenance, many products can last the double of the time related to the manufacturer indication. Another really important data is linked to the use of plastic packaging, in which more that 95% of the value is wasted every year, totalizing a cost of more than 650 billion of reais.
We should use logic to understand that the production and the exacerbate consumerism can result in environment catastrophes, because the natural resources only diminish and the waste increases and accumulates. There are 3 main factors that are leveraging the global change to a circular economy:
1 Economical factor
The organizations must accomplish changes for more sustainable practices. The Global Compromise of the New Plastic Economy was signed in 2018 by more than 400 organizations to eliminate plastic and pollution waste.
2 Regulatory factor
The inspection is getting more and more rigid and efficient, so the companies pay more attention on the prevention of wasteful practices. Besides, some governments offer tax breaks for the institutions that follow sustainable actions, a partnership.
3 Social factor
The consumer is also changing his habits, they search for information about the products and the company’s guidelines. Society is more conscious.
Big corporations are already immersed on the sustainable practices of the circular economy, companies recognized worldwide that adopted tools and methods aiming a prosperous future for the next generations. Some examples are:
Philips: Light-as-a-service that provides access to lighting instead of lamp ownership;
Levi Strauss: reusing old clothes on the isolation of buildings, upholstery and new clothes;
Toshiba: first multifunctional printer. The erasable toner sensible to heat can have up to five reprints per page;
Renault: trains, engines and gearboxes of refurbished old vehicles for an almost new condition.
Our company is a partner of the Planet sustainability, one of the 17 global challenges listed by UNO. We have the role to disseminate pertinent information about sustainable practices that will help the environment to reset itself due to many devastations provoked by the human beings. Besides all the relevant subject, we offer you the opportunity and the possibility of adopting sustainable ways to manage the waste life cycle.
The decision is on our hands. Do you wish your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren enjoy a beautiful environment full of life? Start the change today!
SOURCE: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-circular-economy-redesigning-our-planets-future/
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February 2023 
