Circular Economy: A Necessary Contrast to the Consumerist Model

The circular economy is an emerging economic model that seeks to minimize waste and maximize the efficient use of resources.

In contrast to the widely adopted consumerist model, the circular economy offers a more sustainable and economically viable approach.

Let’s explore the main topics of the circular economy and how they compare to the consumerist model, highlighting their consequences and important real-world data.

Circular Economy: A Necessary Contrast to the Consumerist Model

Design for Durability

Circular Economy: Designing for durability involves creating products that have a long lifespan, are easily repairable, and upgradable.

This includes using high-quality materials, replaceable modules, and designs that facilitate maintenance. Companies adopting this approach, like Fairphone, produce smartphones designed to be easily disassembled and repaired by the user.

Consumerist Model: The consumerist model, on the other hand, encourages planned obsolescence, where products are deliberately made to last a short time, prompting consumers to buy new products frequently.

A classic example is the electronics industry, where new smartphone models are released annually with minor improvements that encourage continuous consumption.

Consequences:

Environmental: Frequent production and disposal of products lead to increased electronic waste. According to the UN, the world generates about 50 million tons of electronic waste annually, and only 20% is recycled (UN Report on Electronic Waste).
Economic: The consumerist model creates a wasteful economy where valuable resources are discarded instead of reused.
Social: Consumers end up spending more money in the long run, buying new products instead of maintaining and repairing the old ones.

Reuse and Repair

Circular Economy: The circular economy promotes reuse and repair as alternatives to disposal. Products like clothing, furniture, and electronics are designed to be easily fixable. Repair services are encouraged and can create new jobs in local communities.

Consumerist Model: In the consumerist model, repair is often discouraged or becomes unfeasible due to high costs compared to buying a new product. This is exacerbated by the lack of spare parts and design complexity that makes repair difficult.

Consequences:

Environmental: Premature disposal of products increases the volume of waste in landfills and contributes to environmental pollution.
Economic: Waste of material and energy resources. For example, producing a single laptop consumes about 240 kg of fossil fuels, 22 kg of chemicals, and 1,500 liters of water (Greenpeace - Environmental Impact of Laptops).
Social: Loss of repair skills and reduced local job opportunities in maintenance and repair services.

Recycling

Circular Economy: Recycling is fundamental in the circular economy, where materials are continuously reprocessed to create new products, reducing the need for virgin resources.

Examples include using recycled aluminum to produce cans, which consumes 95% less energy than producing new aluminum (Energy.gov - Benefits of Recycling Aluminum).

Consumerist Model: In the consumerist model, recycling often fails to keep up with the amount of waste generated. Products are frequently designed without considering recyclability, resulting in a low recovery rate of materials.

In the United States, for instance, only about 32% of municipal solid waste is recycled (EPA - US Recycling Statistics).

Consequences:

Environmental: Low recycling rates contribute to the continuous extraction of natural resources, habitat destruction, and increased greenhouse gas emissions.
Economic: Loss of economic value from materials that could be recycled and reintroduced into the economy.
Social: Negative impact on communities near resource extraction sites and landfills, affecting health and quality of life.

Conclusion

The circular economy offers a sustainable and economically viable alternative to the consumerist model.

By adopting practices of design for durability, reuse and repair, and recycling, we can significantly reduce the negative environmental, economic, and social impacts associated with rampant consumption.

The transition to a circular model requires collaboration from governments, businesses, and consumers, but the long-term benefits make the effort worthwhile.