Unlocking the Circular Economy - Realising the potential of the Biological Cycle

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Opportunity / Hypothesis In classic Circular Economy thinking, resource flows are divided into the Technical Cycle (managing stocks of finite resources, such as minerals and fossils), and the Biological Cycle (managing flows of renewable resources, such as agricultural products, and renewable energy). The two are best kept separate, and have different applications. Biological materials are ideal for short lived-uses, need no segregation before decaying to yield valuable nutrients, energy, and water, and are benign if they fall into the environment. Technical materials are better used for long-lived applications, need segregation into specific resource re-use pathways, and can contaminate the environment, say with metals or CO2. The hypothesis is that not only is the current economy predominantly linear, it specifically underutilises the biological cycle. Symptoms include: - Agriculture based on heavy use of synthetic fertilisers, which pollute water systems, deplete soil health, and have a high carbon footprint - The failure to provide widespread sustainable sanitation systems, in part caused by failing to see them as part of the biological and water cycles - The use of plastics for short-lived applications which naturally involve mixing with biological materials - food packaging, sanitary products, nappies , uses after which re-use and recycling are always likely to be very limited, and durable waste proliferates - The absence of consistent collection and processing of multiple forms of biological waste, in developed and developing countries - Increasing energy recovery from waste incineration, which in effect makes plastic a fourth fossil fuel, as opposed to recovering renewable energy from biological sources The aim is to reverse the triple negative impact of this linear model: - Profit: although the linear model has highly optimised business models, there is evidence that the circular model can be economically favourable, realising value in resources, and enabling financially sustainable businesses and infrastructure. - Planet: the linear model contaminates land, air, and water, diminishes soil health, and depletes resources and ecosystems , the circular model can help to regenerate all of these. - People: these two outcomes combine to indicate that the circular model could enable sustainable systems with important social/health benefits, particularly sanitation. In practical terms this would mean two design changes, needed in parallel: - Widespread introduction of infrastructure which collects all forms of biological/compostable waste (a better term is resource) and safely yields water, renewable energy, nutrients, and other valuable products. - Substitution, within food / consumer goods products and their supply chains: a) biodegradable materials replacing (some) plastics b) recycled nutrients and water replacing synthetic fertilisers and fresh water c) renewable bio-energy replacing fossil-based energy and wood fuel This research will help businesses and infrastructure providers to design and implement these systems, providing practical guidance and methodologies.