Circular Society. Why Not?
Don't settle for a Circular Economy.
Embraces the idea of the Circular Economy, but a Circular Society is more than a market concept.
Circular Society places people at the center of its vision for a sustainable, equitable, and resilient society that promotes social well-being within the limits of the earth. That is, there is a balance between the ecosphere, the techno-sphere, and the socio-sphere.
Building more than the economy
What are the differences between Circular Economy & Circular Society?
Planetary boundaries and global resource restrictions do, in fact, push us to reexamine the current system's addiction to development and urge us to explore a circular society that is "de-growing." Responsible production and consumption even sometimes mean de-growth is not only socially desirable in which we create a new world beyond individualism, utilitarianism, materialism, ethnocentrism, and anthropocentrism but also necessary for the very survival of humans and other species, as we have already exceeded our planetary limits.
History of circularity
So what are the Reformist Circular Society & Transformational Circular Society?
Circularity discourses
Detail of each level as below
Circularity vision | Complexity level | Temporal scale | Spatial scale | Sustainability factors | Perspective | Views on capitalism & decoupling | Main objectives | Narrative |
Circular Society | 5 | Very long term: multiple generations (beyond 50 years) | Macro-scale: planet Earth | People, Planet, Prosperity | Changing consumption and production patterns to keep energy, biodiversity and material resources within safe planetary limits | Skeptical regarding the possibility of decoupling and the sustainability of capitalism | Maintaining socioecological health and well-being for the present and future generations of human and nonhuman life | The earth is borrowed from future generations of living beings, humans must preserve, respect, restore and share it in a fair manner, even if that entails changing lifestyles and consumption patterns. |
Circular Society | 4 | Long term: 1 to 2 generations (20–50 years) | Macro-scale: planet Earth | People, Planet, Prosperity | Balancing trade-offs and synergies to keep energy, biodiversity and material resources within safe planetary limits | Believe in the possibility of decoupling and the sustainability of capitalism | Preserving social wellbeing and the biophysical health of the earth system in line with the SDGs | Humans must ensure justice, fairness and participation in the sustainable stewardship of the earth, even if that entails redistributing and changing consumption patterns |
Circular Economy | 3 | Long term: one generation (10–25 years) | Macro-scale: planet Earth | Planet, Prosperity | Balancing trade-offs and synergies to keep energy, biodiversity and material resources within safe planetary limits | Believe in the possibility of decoupling and the sustainability of capitalism | Maintaining the biophysical health of the earth's system | Reducing humanity's overall ecological footprint and balancing resource limits and constraints is key to ensure the stability of the biosphere and long-term economic prosperity |
Circular Economy | 2 | Mid-term: 1 to 2 government planning cycles (5 to 10 years) | Meso-scale (country, region, industrial park, city) | Planet, Prosperity | Optimizing and securing material, natural and energy resources, especially for critical raw materials | Believe in the possibility of decoupling and the sustainability of capitalism | Securing and preserving critical resources and materials | Strategically maximizing eco-efficiency and balancing resource use is necessary to maintain resource security and ensure geopolitical stability |
Circular Economy | 1 | Short term: single product life cycle (1 to 2 years) | Micro-scale (single product, service, or firm) | Planet, Prosperity | Optimizing material and energy resource flows in product design. | Believe in the possibility of decoupling and the sustainability of capitalism. | Capturing opportunities to lower both environmental impacts and economic costs. | Ensuring optimum resource efficiency through eco-innovation leads to win-win solutions that reduce ecological harm and increase economic value. |
Circularity discourses
Ultimately, what we need is more focused on society than the economy because a really resilient system must also take into account how people live their lives, from sunup to sundown, on a social and ethical level. It calls for an inclusive, egalitarian transition that equips individuals with the means to engage in circular living, as well as circular consumption of goods.
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