This week marks a special week in The Netherlands, where the government, industry, science and society at large organize a lot of events to stimulate the transition to a circular economy. But what is a circular economy exactly…now that I have started Kiduara several friends abroad asked me this simple question.
In its simplest form it is to move from the take – make – waste economy to reusing the valuable resources that we have over and over again. The EllenMacArthur Foundation is doing an amazing job to explain this. There are other schools of thought as well, most pronounced Cradle to Cradle of Michael Braungart and Bill McDonough, but also many others have developed similar philosophies.
In EcoBusiness Maikel Kuijpers argues that a circular economy as idea is as old as the stone ages, as reusing valuable resources simply made sense… “People in the Neolithic period had no problem reusing standing stones to construct their tombs, such as seen in Locmariaquer in France. Even ceramics, made from clay and therefore available in abundance, were frequently recycled. Old pottery was often ground down to powder and used in the clay for new pots.”
So whichever philosophy you like best, this is a great week to learn and get inspired on the circular economy, visit one of the many events!
