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THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR A QUALITY GROWTH - Arpae Emilia-Romagna
Magazine of Arpae
                                                                                                                        Regional agency
                                                                                                                                                                   SUSTAINABILITY & ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
                                                                                                                        for prevention, environment and energy
                                                                                                                        of Emilia-Romagna
                                                                                                                        Supplement to No. 2 – April 2017
                                                                                                                        Special issue for
                                                                                                                        G7 Environment, Bologna, 11-12 June 2017

Sustainable development
is development that
meets the needs of
the present without
compromising the ability
of future generations to
meet their own needs.

 Gro Harlem Brundtland

                                                       In caso di mancato recapito restituire all’ufficio Bologna CMP

                                                                                                                            THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY
                                                                                                                            FOR A QUALITY GROWTH
                                                                                                                            CLOSING THE LOOP:                              THE ROLE OF BUSINESSES
                                                                                                                            TRANSITION PHASE AND                           AND OF PUBLIC AUTHORITIES.
                            Supplement to No. 2 2017

                                                                                                                            NEW BUSINESS MODELS,                           THE EVOLUTION OF CONTROL.
                                                                                                                            ECOINNOVATION,                                 WASTE MANAGEMENT,
                                                       Spedizione Postatarget -

                                                                                                                            INDUSTRIAL SYMBIOSIS,                          THE ITALIAN AND EUROPEAN
                                                                                                                            GREEN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT.                      FRAMEWORK
  www.arpae.it/ecoscienza
THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR A QUALITY GROWTH - Arpae Emilia-Romagna
Arpae Emilia-Romagna is the Agency of Emilia-Romagna Region dealing with environment and energy.
  The goal of the Agency is to promote the sustainability of human activities that affect the environment, health, and territorial security, both through
  controls, assessments and regulatory approvals, and through projects, prevention activities, environmental communication and education to sustainability.
  Arpae also develops forecasting systems and models to improve the quality of environmental systems, facing climate change and new forms of pollution
  and degradation of ecosystems.
  The Agency operates through a network organization. Nine Provincial deparments grant widespread monitoring and control. Nine Authorization and
  concession structures deal with environmental authorisations and water use concessions. Thematic centers and laboratories carry out operational activities
  and research projects. Two special structures deal with sea environment and with meteorology and climate.
  The web site www.arpae.it is the main information and data dissemination tool.

                        ASBESTOS
                                    RADIOACTIVITY                                                  INDUSTRIAL RISK

                                                                              AIR
                                                                                          HEALTH-ENVIRONMENT
                            HYDROLOGY
                          METEOROLOGY                                                                       ENERGY
                               CLIMATE                                                    SUSTAINABILITY
                                                                            NOISE POLLUTION

                                                                                                                                           SEA
                                           POLLEN            WATER
                            ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS ENVIRONMENTAL CARCINOGENESIS
                                                                       UV RADIATION                  BIODIVERSITY
Our main activities
› Environmental assessment and authorisations
                                                                                                                           WASTE
› Environmental monitoring and control on the territory and on human activities                                   TOXICOLOGY
› Management of monitoring networks on environmental status
› Study, research and control on the environment
› Water use concessions and public concessions
› Hydrological, meteorological and climatic forecast and studies
› Environmental emergency management
› Civil protection functional centre
› Sampling and lab analysis
› Environmental information
› Environmental management systems

Arpae Emilia-Romagna
General Direction: Via Po 5, 40139 Bologna – Tel. +39 051 6223811 – email: urp@arpae.it                                               www.arpae.it
THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR A QUALITY GROWTH - Arpae Emilia-Romagna
ECOSCIENZA 2 • 2017

                                                                                     INDEX

                                                                    ISSN 2039-0424
                                                                                     4    Editorial
                                                                                          G7 Environment                                     36   Paper packaging
                                                                                          and our common future                                   to fight waste
                                                                                          Gian Luca Galletti                                      Eliana Farotto

                                                                                                                                             37   Compost and biomethane
                                                                                     5    Beyond linear economic patterns                         from food waste
                                                                                          Gianni Silvestrini
                                                                                                                                                  Massimo Centemero

                                                                                     8    Circular economy                                   38   Nature and technology
                                                                                          for quality growth                                      for bio-composting
                                                                                          Danilo Bonato
                                                                                                                                                  Gabriele Alitto, Vincenzo Barone, Antonino Demasi,
                                                                                                                                                  Saverio Curcio, Orsola Reillo
                                                                                     10   The Dame who sank
                                                                                          the linear economy                                 40   Recovery of electrical
                                                                                          Interview with Ellen MacArthur
                                                                                          by Emanuele Bompan
                                                                                                                                                  and electronic waste
          Magazine of Arpae              Supplement to No. 2                                                                                      edited by Centro di coordinamento Raee
         Regional agency for             Year VIII                                   14   A treasure waiting
                                                                                                                                                  (Weee Coordination Centre)
prevention, environment and              May 2017
  energy of Emilia-Romagna                                                                to be discovered                                   42   Efficiency and zero waste
                                                                                          Emanuele Bompan
                                                                                                                                                  with industrial symbiosis
                                                                                                                                                  Erika Mancuso, Grazia Barberio,
                                                                                     16   Special waste                                           Silvia Sbaffoni, Antonella Luciano, Laura Cutaia
                                                                                          in Europe and in Italy
                                                                                          Rosanna Laraia                                     44   Industrial symbiosis
                                                                                                                                                  in Emilia-Romagna
                   Contacts       Editorial coordinator                              20   Circularity and challenges                              Ugo Mencherini, Sara Picone, Manuela Ratta
                 Ecoscienza       of this supplement:                                     for environment agencies
 Via Po, 5 40139 - Bologna        Stefano Folli                                           Giuseppe Bortone                                   46   Rare earths, recovery is the future
       Tel. +39 051 6223887       Translation of the articles:                                                                                    Pier Luigi Franceschini, Floriana La Marca,
      ecoscienza@arpae.it         Maura Radicioni                                    21   The evolution of control                                Giorgio Recine

                  Director        Stefano Folli (article on p. 4)                         by environment agencies
                                                                                          Angelo Robotto, Renzo Barberis                     48   Italy is a leader in bioeconomy
         Giuseppe Bortone         Editors                                                                                                         Edoardo Croci, Denis Grasso
                                  Daniela Raffaelli (coordinator)
            Editor-in-chief                                                          22   Waste recovery plants
            Giancarlo Naldi       Rita Michelon
                                                                                          and odour control                                  51   Europe and Africa together
                                  Editorial assistant                                     Luca Marchesi, Stefania Del Frate, Sara Petrillo        for the recovery of secondary raw
         EDITORIAL BOARD          Claudia Pizzirani                                                                                               materials and precious metals
               Coordinator        Graphic project                                    23   Public sector as guarantor                              Isabella Capurso
             Franco Zinoni        Miguel Sal & C.                                         of proper management
         Raffaella Angelini                                                               Stefano Leoni                                      52   Gpp, an incentive to eco-innovation
                                  Layout and graphics                                                                                             Emanuela Venturini
       Giuseppe Battarino         Mauro Cremonini (Odoya srl)
           Vito Belladonna                                                           24   Free market and need
        Francesco Bertolini       Cover                                                   of guidance by public sector                       54   Emilia-Romagna promotes
       Gianfranco Bologna         Cristina Lovadina                                       Gianluca Rusconi                                        the circularity of resources
           Mauro Bompani                                                                                                                          Paola Gazzolo
                                  Printer
         Giuseppe Bortone         Premiato stabilimento                              26   Re-use of inorganic
                 Mario Cirillo    tipografico dei comuni                                  industrial waste                                   56   “Close the loop”,
             Roberto Coizet       Santa Sofia (FC)                                        Fernanda Andreola, Luisa Barbieri,                      let’s open the discussion
            Nicola Dall’Olio                                                              Isabella Lancellotti, Cristina Leonelli                 Cristina Govoni
                                  Printed on IGLOO Offset paper
            Paolo Ferrecchi
              Luca Marchesi       Annual subscription                                28   A new economic                                     58   Circular economy for small
             Matteo Mascia        6 paper issues                                          and social paradigm                                     and medium-sized enterprises
            Giancarlo Naldi       Euro 40,00                                              Alessandra Vaccari, Mauro Bigi, Daniela Luise           Enrico Cancila, Irene Sabbadini, Federica Focaccia
         Marisa Parmigiani        payment to the bank account - IBAN
           Giorgio Pineschi       IT25N0200802435000003175646                        30   Reusable textiles                                  60   From waste to by-products,
           Attilio Raimondi       headed to Arpae - Unicredit                             seeking a new life                                      the trend of soil and stones
       Karl Ludwig Schibel        Via Ugo Bassi, 1 - Bologna                              Alessandra Vaccari, Patrizia Ferri                      Cecilia CavazzutI, Giacomo Zaccanti, Nicola Negri
              Andrea Segré
               Marco Talluri      Reg. Tribunale di Bologna                          34   Packaging recycling                                61   Heavy metal mapping to support
            Stefano Tibaldi       n. 7988 del 27-08-2009                                  in the transition phase                                 the management of soil and stones
        Alessandra Vaccari                                                                Walter Facciotto                                        Nazaria Marchi, Cecilia Cavazzuti, Giacomo Zaccanti

                 All articles, unless otherwise specified,
  are licensed under the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
          http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

                  Closing date: 15 may 2017

                                                                                                                                                                                                        3
THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR A QUALITY GROWTH - Arpae Emilia-Romagna
ECOSCIENZA 2 • 2017

            G7 ENVIRONMENT
            AND OUR COMMON FUTURE
            Gian Luca Galletti • Italian Minister of the Environment

            T
                    he implementation of the Paris         common consciousness can grow               we must lay today. Italy is doing so
                    Agreement, sustainable finance,        around great green development goals.       through three Strategies: the Sustainable
                    efficient use of resources, fighting                                               Development Strategy, the Strategy
            waste, struggle against marine pollution,      In recent months, the Italian Ministry      on Adaptation to Climate Change and
            environmental policies for employment          of the Environment held some                the National Energy Strategy we have
            and cooperation, in particular with            preparatory meetings, such as the           presented to the italian Parliament in
            Africa: these are some of the main topics      G7 Workshop on Marine Litter, which         recent days. Integrating these three
            to be discussed at the G7 Environment’s        took place in April in Rome. We are         documents consistently and with
            Ministers Meeting in Bologna on                furthermore preparing several events,       consequent actions, we will draw much
            11-12 June, an important event to              together with the City of Bologna,          more than an environmental plan: we
            internationally set the centrality of the      the University, the world of research       are setting a long-lasting industrial
EDITORIAL

            environment in the world’s sustainable         and civic, cultural, university and         future for our country, built on
            development strategies, as indicated in        environmental associations. The aim         completely different foundations and
            Agenda 2030 signed in 2015 from 193            is to make Bologna not only the city        premises compared to the past.
            UN member states.                              of an historic event, but the capital       The agreement we will reach at the
            The 17 goals and 169 targets of the            of the environment for more than a          G7, which I hope will be strong
            United Nations have never been so              week and potentially for a much longer      and ambitious, will not have any
            concrete, relevant and deeply tied to          time, if the city will be able to address   significance, unless a great boost will
            the global environmental challenge.            its great expertise on research and big     come from the civil society. We will not
            Because it is now clear to everyone that       data towards environmental issues and       only do it for economic reasons, but for
            the paradigm has come to a shift: the          opportunities.                              ethical and moral ones, today as never
            respect of the environment is no longer                                                    before. It’s not a rethoric goal: choosing
            to be seen as a constraint, as a burden        Among the goals of the G7                   a new development model means
            on governments and businesses, but it          Environment, there is the outline of        making a clear choice of fairness,
            is increasingly becoming a key element         a roadmap for a more efficient use of       respect for rights, rapprochement
            for growth.                                    resources. This is a crucial point, if we   between peoples.
            The G7 Environment is thus a key               aim at realising a circular economy, our
            turn, another moment in which a                future economy, whose foundations

    4
THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR A QUALITY GROWTH - Arpae Emilia-Romagna
ECOSCIENZA 2 • 2017

BEYOND LINEAR
ECONOMIC PATTERNS
Gianni Silvestrini • President, Green Building Council Italia; Scientific Director, Kyoto Club and QualEnergia

O
           ver the next few decades,            is possible to slow down the entropic           Chinese economy. Thus, at a global
           two major factors are                growth process through more efficient           level there is a relative decoupling
           going to change national             usage of both fuels and other resources.        between economic growth and the use
strategies, industrial organizations,           However, as regards energy, renewable           of materials. Some areas also registered
and behavioural models, i.e. the fight          sources are a powerful weapon to go             an absolute decoupling, i.e. a decrease
against climate change and the shifts in        towards the decarbonization of the              in the materials used, which can
linear economic patterns.                       economy.                                        nonetheless be explained considering
Whereas there are strong ties among             As concerns the other resources, the            the role played by importation of
the policies designed to reduce                 trend towards degradation cannot be             finished products. For instance, in
environmental degradation, some                 avoided but only delayed.                       1990-2012 Germany registered a
differences should be pointed out as            In a circular economy, there are more           decrease of 40% in the use of materials.

                                                                                                                                           EDITORIAL
they may favour the commitment to               or less sophisticated ways to slow              It is reasonable to think that the
abandon the use of fossil fuels, which          down this irreversible process, from            specific consumption of raw materials
lies at the core of the efforts against         product design in order to guarantee            in various applications can be
global warming.                                 greater durability of goods to their            reduced, but not the absolute values of
First, let us consider risk assessment.         re-manufacturing, from the sharing              consumption on account of population
The CO2 produced as a result of                 economy to waste recycling.                     growth and the fact that a considerable
energy metabolism is now being                  However, there is no factor equivalent          part of the world population has yet to
perceived as an irreversible threat and,        to solar energy, which is capable of            reach levels of well-being.
for this reason, consensus was reached          reversing resource degradation, other           The virtuous policies that are spreading
with the Paris Agreement to reduce it           than biomaterial production, an                 in many countries will help reducing
drastically.                                    important albeit limited industry.              anthropic pressure. After a very
As regards the use of other resources,                                                          fast growth in the course of the last
e.g. land, minerals, and water, different       Let us now consider the results                 century, the current stage appears to
countries are following divergent               obtained in the areas of both emissions         be more positively oriented towards
directions. Lacking in raw materials            and resource usage.                             dematerialization, and this is favoured
and highly anthropized, Europe and              The climate-related efforts have made           by choices that are stimulating an
Japan have defined their own policies.          it possible to generate a decoupling            increasingly circular economy.
Similarly, China, under the pressure            between economic growth and CO2
of a strong environmental impact, has           production. In fact, over the last three        In order to achieve a U-turn in the
put forward a conversion according to           years emissions have remained stable            global use of resources it will be
the paradigms of circular economy. In           despite a 3% yearly growth of the               nonetheless necessary to question the
other parts of the world, including the         world economy. In the coming decades            current economic model. This shift is
Usa, this issue is not deemed equally           the future scenario will see a total            not to be taken for granted, but it may
important.                                      decarbonization, largely due to the             be necessary to meet the challenge
It is worth highlighting that, contrary         spread of renewable sources.                    of climate change. The commitment
to the commitments on CO2, there is                                                             to reduce emissions, which has been
no target set to limiting the use of raw        As regards energy usage, the growing            little understood as a radical move,
materials, though in some countries, as         awareness of how irrational it is to            will inevitably lead to reflecting upon
is the case in Europe, target values have       overexploit our planet is also triggering       lifestyles and on the very functioning
been introduced and should be reached           a cultural change, and measures are             of modern societies. Its consequences
in recycling waste along with a zero            being implemented to favour the                 may involve not only energy options
land consumption objective by 2050.             progressive dematerialization of                but also, more generally, the use of our
Another difference concerns the                 economies. Between 1990 and 2012,               planet’s resources.
available tools to reach the targets.           the world GDP more than tripled
The Earth is a kind of “closed”                 while the use of materials only
thermodynamic system, in which                  increased by 66%, although between
matter is not exchanged externally, but         2003 and 2013 the growth rate doubled
it receives a considerable and constant         compared to the previous two decades
flow of solar radiation. Therefore, it          mostly due to the performance of the

                                                                                                                                             5
THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR A QUALITY GROWTH - Arpae Emilia-Romagna
G7 Bologna Environment
Ministers’ Meeting
Agenda

SUNDAY 11 JUNE
8.45
Opening of the Dialogue
9.00-13.00
Session 1: SDG and Climate Change general discussion
13.00-14.30
Working Lunch: Green Finance and Green Policies for growth and employment
14.30-18.00
Session 2: SDG and Climate Change focus on Africa and role of MDBs
18.00
G7 Environment and Invited Ministers Group Picture
20.00
Official dinner

MONDAY 12 JUNE
9.00
Reports from the side events (Universities, Firms)
9.30-11.00
Session 3: Marine Litter
11.30-13.00
Session 4: Resource Efficiency, 3Rs & Circular Economy
13.30-14.30
Working lunch: Removing Environmentally Perverse Subsidies
and Ecologic Taxation Reform
14.30-15.00
Final Session
15.00
Joint Press Conference
THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR A QUALITY GROWTH - Arpae Emilia-Romagna
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
            IS OUR FUTURE
        The paradigm shift to relaunch
the economy and save the environment

           “C
                         losing the loop” has      established as central in the new
                         become a keyword in       paradigm, e.g. industrial symbiosis,
                         the construction of a     remanufacturing, and sharing
           resilient society which is efficient    economy.
           in using resources and with low         What is new here is rethinking
           carbon emissions. This is the           (and trying to construct) the
           way to go for a relaunch of the         entire system on the part of all
           European economy while making           stakeholders. Businesses play a
           it sustainable and competitive,         prominent role, but also institutions,
           and it is a challenge for the entire    associations and all the citizens with
           world, which cannot afford an           their lifestyles are called upon to
           inconsiderate use of resources along    play their part and be part of this
           with an unsustainable production        change.
           and consumption system.
           Thus the concept of “circular           Europe wants to lead this revolution
           economy” is about to become the         to regain competitiveness through
           cornerstone of an epoch-making          innovation that may bring economic
           transition capable of breaking          growth and increase employment
           the linear pattern based on the         while respecting environmental
           take-make-dispose model: the            sustainability.
           challenge lies in thinking about how    Italy, which has always been used
           circularity, renewability and sharing   to dealing with shortage of raw
           can be integrated in each and every     materials, can play a protagonist
           process since the very beginning.       role and has great growth potential.
                                                   The objectives are clear, it is now
           Some concepts are not totally           high time to take the correct
           new: eco-design, cradle to cradle,      direction and build the roads to
           re-use and recycling have been          reach them.
           under the spotlight for years now.
           Other concepts are becoming more        (SF)
THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR A QUALITY GROWTH - Arpae Emilia-Romagna
ECOSCIENZA 2 • 2017

                         CIRCULAR ECONOMY
                         FOR QUALITY GROWTH
                                CIRCULAR ECONOMY REFERS TO AN ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL MODEL
                                DESIGNED TO CREATE GROWTH AND QUALIFIED EMPLOYMENT, ALONG
                                WITH THE PROTECTION OF NATURAL RESOURCES. RELAUNCHING THE
                                INDUSTRIAL SYSTEM GOES HAND IN HAND WITH THE DEVELOPMENT
                                OF EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES TO INNOVATE PROCESSES AND PRODUCTS.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY

                   A
                            circular economy can be                However, where should one start off to       manufactured and designed to provide
                            defined as an economy that is          achieve these objectives? It is necessary    the market with a high value of material
                            “regenerative by design, and aims to   to identify the most effective strategies,   renewability, including the recovery of
                   keep products, components, and materials at     capable of maximizing economic and           post-consumer recycled matter, used
                   their highest utility and value at all times.   social benefits in the short run while, at   within “closed” and controlled cycles.
                   The concept distinguishes between technical     the same time, accelerating the adoption     The advent of smart cities, the evolution
                   and biological cycles” (source: Ellen           and spread of the circular economy.          of reverse logistics networks, modern
                   MacArthur Foundation).                                                                       recycling technologies and cultural
                   In more advanced settings, what the             The following priorities should be           change among consumers can favour the
                   states and the citizens see in a circular       addressed:                                   establishment of products manufactured
                   economy is a developmental model                a) developing business models that           with the use of renewable material also
                   capable of generating wide-ranging and          are founded on the access to added           obtained from post-consumer recycling
                   structural benefits, particularly in society.   value services: in the whole of Europe,      processes.
                   This economic and cultural model is             consumers’ preferences are undergoing a
                   designed to create growth and qualified         shift towards disownership with respect
                                                                                                                The identification of some broad and
                   employment, along with the protection of        to service access, as an alternative to
                                                                                                                systemic issues can be helpful in focusing
                   natural resources.                              ownership of goods.
                                                                                                                public and private investments, while it
                   From the point of view of enterprises, the      This favours an increase in business
                   circular economy is considered a business                                                    can also help avoiding micro-sectorial
                                                                   productivity of the assets and their
                   strategy to achieve economic advantages,        quality. In this setting, the technologies   fragmentation of the initiatives that will
                   such as cost reduction or entering new          behind the Internet of things,               be undertaken.
                   markets that can offer appealing profit         3D printing, and traceability are            The broad issues indicated above are
                   margins. An extensive application of            extraordinary accelerators of change         important not only in environmental
                   the circular economy’s principles by            b) producing durable goods with high         terms, but they are also an effective
                   European businesses could lead to € 400         and medium-high technological content        stimulus to the creation of economic and
                   billion annual savings in the materials         through remanufacturing processes:           occupational value, in that they make it
                   used for durable goods production; on           this industrial strategy allows for high     possible to extend production and service
                   the other hand, just in Italy the number        levels of remuneration to be paid to         supply chains, create new ones, develop
                   of new jobs created as a result of the          highly qualified professionals along with    ties between heterogeneous stakeholders
                   circular economy-based models and               considerable savings in raw materials        belonging to different settings.
                   services could be 140,000 over the next         c) giving incentives to marketing
                   five years.                                     and purchasing of products that are

      8
THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR A QUALITY GROWTH - Arpae Emilia-Romagna
ECOSCIENZA 2 • 2017

Business strategies
for the circular economy
The main European industrial concerns
have long been taking actions to improve
the efficiency of the resources used in
product manufacturing and production            FIG. 1
processes. While resource efficiency aims       RESOURCE
to “do the same things better” and is based     EFFICIENCY AND                                                  Resource efficiency                Circular economy
                                                CIRCULAR ECONOMY
on largely technological skills, the circular
economy is concerned with “doing the                                         Vision                              Do things better                 Do the right things
                                                Main differences between
right things” through integrated and            an approach based on                                                                                 Multidisciplinary
multidisciplinary skills (figure 1). It is      resource efficiency and      Skills                               Technological              (social and economic science)
therefore necessary to start systemic           a model based on the
eco-innovation programmes, designed to          principles of the circular   Decoupling goal                         Relative                            Absolute
transform the enterprises’ business models      economy.
from linear into circular ones.
                                                                                                                                         transition from ownership to access
The leading enterprises that have
implemented comprehensive transition                                                                                 business model
programmes towards the circular                                                                                        innovation
economy are working simultaneously and
in a coordinated way on three areas:
1) business model innovation. The                                                                                          GOAL:
                                                                                                     product           maximizing             process
leading enterprises transform their value       FIG. 2                                             innovation       economic value per      innovation
proposition from offering goods to be           STRATEGIC AREAS                                                       unit of resource
sold to clients into offering access to a                                     Design for disassembly                                                        Efficiency
                                                                                    Eco-design                                                          Reduction/ re-use
service                                         Strategic areas under               Co-creation                                                         Remanufacturing
2) product innovation. The main product         consideration by               Closed loop recycling                                                  Enabling technologies
innovation strategies adopted by the            businesses investing in            Biomimetics                                                        Renewable resources
leading enterprises within the circular         the circular economy.
economy framework are:
- design for disassembly: optimizing            than the original and with a guarantee                            protection of its natural systems, the job
products in terms of separation of their        equivalent to new products                                        prospects for the new generations are
parts, therefore in terms of re-use/            - adopting enabling technologies: using                           bold and incisive issues, which affect
recycling                                       technologies, such as the Internet of                             emotionally a large number of people and
- eco-design: designing products free of        things, Rfid traceability, 3D printing, in                        families. Creating consensus on medium
toxic components, with optimal use of           business processes                                                to long-term targets is fundamental to
materials                                       - using renewable resources as a source of                        move rapidly and efficiently towards the
- co-creation: designing products               energy for the production of goods.                               green economy and, in particular, circular
collaboratively, involving the clients and      The diagram in figure 2 briefly illustrates                       economy.
the partners in the supply chain since the      the industrial strategies adopted by                              Moreover, the circular economy can help
very beginning                                  enterprises following circular economy                            enterprises improve their capacity for
- closed loop recycling: designing              models.                                                           regenerating the resources they “borrow”
products (and processes) with the aim                                                                             from the biosphere to generate the goods
to use materials from post-consumer                                                                               and services proposed on the market. In
recycling and recovery treatments               Italy: in search of a quality recovery                            parallel, citizens/consumers would have
- biomimetics: replacing traditional                                                                              the opportunity to better appreciate
materials (which potentially generate           As people become increasingly aware                               which products do not cause hidden
waste) with environmentally friendly            of the fundamental role played by                                 environmental costs that are then faced
organic matter                                  growth in our society, industrial policies                        by the community.
3) process innovation. The main actions         designed to decouple economic growth                              There is a need for organizations and
include:                                        from the use of resources by production                           people capable of making pervasive
- resource efficiency: designing more           systems should be favoured. From this                             innovations in business models,
efficient production processes, which           perspective, the paradigm of a circular                           production processes and products
optimize the use of both direct and             economy can stimulate businesses,                                 according to the circular economy, thus
indirect resources                              institutions, and citizens to trigger a                           creating long-lasting value and constantly
- reduction/re-use: studying processes          quality and balanced growth, with low                             reducing the costs and consumption of
that reduce waste material, scrap, and          impact on natural systems, which must be                          natural resources.
explore the possibility of concretely           safeguarded for future generations.
reusing them in the processes themselves        A “circular” view of the economy could
- re-manufacturing: manufacturing               thus contribute to focus civil society                            Danilo Bonato
processes performed on end-of-life              on shared ideals, in which the process                            General Director, Consorzio Remedia;
parts or products in order to renovate          of changing our economic system may                               European Commission, High Level Steering
them, with equal or higher performance          be rooted. Our country’s resources, the                           Group Raw Materials member

                                                                                                                                                                               9
THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR A QUALITY GROWTH - Arpae Emilia-Romagna
ECOSCIENZA 2 • 2017

                   THE DAME WHO SANK
                   THE LINEAR ECONOMY
                   HOW AND WHY AN EXPERIENCED YACHTSWOMAN HAS BECOME THE ICON OF THE CIRCULAR
                   ECONOMY. THE STORY OF ELLEN MACARTHUR AND HER FOUNDATION, A TRUE GLOBAL FORCE
                   TO HELP THE OLD ECONOMY’S TRANSITION. INTERVIEW BY “RENAWABLE MATTER” MAGAZINE.

                   E
                            nergetic, discrete, influential,

                                                                                                                                                               PHOTO: BRYAN LEDGARD - CC-BY-2.0 - WIKIMEDIA
CIRCULAR ECONOMY

                            outspoken, complex, Ellen
                            MacArthur is the Dame of the
                   circular economy. She convinced Google
                   and the World Economic Forum that the
                   linear model is over and that the way we
                   produce and consume across the world
                   can actually be changed.
                   Ellen McArthur was born 40 years ago
                   in England. At the time, she didn’t know
                   that her fate would be influenced by
                   the most perfect geometrical shape: the
                   circle. In the small Derbyshire village
                   of Whatstandwell, far from the sea, she
                   saved every penny to buy a boat. Her
                   goal? Circle the globe, crossing the
                   oceans as a yachtswoman. And that’s
                   exactly what she did and better than
                   anyone else. On 7 February 2005 she
                   broke the world record for the fastest
                   solo circumnavigation of the globe, a feat    oceans, nothing can stop you. So, she            we have to take into account raw
                   which gained her international fame. It       decided to do something even braver, to          materials, biological cycles, technology,
                   took 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes, 33        sail the Earth-ship out of the traditional,      the service industry and banking, it
                   seconds to sail for for the 27,354 nautical   linear, petro-capitalist, economic model.        encompasses everything. Furthermore, it
                   miles (50,660 km).                            And she might set a record too.                  is fundamental to understand that a grasp
                   In 2010, she decided to focus on another      Renewable Matter reached her in the              of the circular economy is systemic. Once
                   circle. She retired from her sailing career   Foundation’s HQ in Cowes – Isle of               defined what the circular economy was we
                   on September 2nd. She had something           Wight – to discuss the exciting future of        needed to take the idea out there.
                   unique in mind: creating a foundation         the circular economy and her endeavor to         So, over the years, we have introduced
                   (today globally-known as the Ellen            achieve something no-one has ever been           eight reports and three books on the
                   MacArthur Foundation) to work with            able to do and to understand how sailing         circular economy. The first report,
                   business and education to accelerate the      solo can change the world.                       launched at the World Economic Forum
                   transition to a new type of economy.                                                           in 2012, was looking at medium-complex
                   Designing a new model, where everything       Dame MacArthur, 6 years ago you started          circularity to more than one year and to
                   is regenerative and restorative at the        the EllenMcArthur Foundation, one of the         less than ten. The top line figure was US$
                   very core. A system where no output is        most successful initiatives to establish a new   600 billion dollars worth of economic
                   wasted, no material is worthless, where       industrial model, inspired by thinkers as        opportunity in 2005. The numbers were
                   products enter a circle of reincarnation      Amory Lovins, Gunter Pauli and William           big, even if they were only looking at
                   and transformation, using sustainable         McDonough. How has this journey been and         recycling 25% of products’ components
                   energy sources and impacting positively       what is the aim of the Foundation?               per year. But the report was an epiphany
                   the economy. An economy shaped like a                                                          and an eye opener, people really began
                   circle, a circular economy.                   The aim is to extend the idea of a circular      to realize that it was indeed a real
                                                                 economy to the global economy. Our               opportunity.
                   Ellen and her foundation worked together      first step to success was to work on the         We then went on a second report, which
                   to give this new model prominence,            circular economy and define it, trying to        was January 2013, looking the Fmch
                   involving the World Economic Forum,           understand the circular economy as best          (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods). We
                   big corporations like Google, Ikea            as we could. It’s continuously evolving          discovered an economic potential of
                   and Banca Intesa. She partnered with          and we still only understand a very small        US$700 billion in the global market,
                   consulting firms such as McKinsey and         percentage of what it really is.                 not much harder not to achieve because
                   inspired thinkers and researchers. Waves      But to understand the circular economy’s         the Fmcg is much faster. We looked at
                   never stopped her. Once you tame the          systemic nature and systemic mutation,           the biological elements of food waste

      10
ECOSCIENZA 2 • 2017

and plastic packaging as material with       global at a breathtaking speed I could            Do you think we need more ambitious
high potential. With the second report,      not even imagine only three years ago.            policies than these?
we were invited to the World Economic        Just bringing those five things to a global
Forum (Wef ) in Davos. By year three, we     level, in the way that we know it worked          It’s part of a process. We still know so
had a partnership with the Wef. The third    at the World Economic Forum, will entail          little about the circular economy. As
report, which was looking at how the         a great deal of work ahead of us. It’s so         with policies, trying to do the right
global and economic value supply chains      complex that it’s impossible to say where         thing is actually incredibly challenging
can become circular, was co-branded with     we will be in ten years’ time.                    because the last thing you want to do is
the Wef. We had an impact on the global                                                        to put something in place, with the right
economy.                                     Yours is the most sophisticated and global        intentions only to find out it generates
                                             observatory on the topic. Where is the circular   the opposite effect. The circular economy
And how did you evolve from there?           economy establishing solid roots?                 is policy-relevant not policy-prescriptive.
Revolutionizing the global economy, I must                                                     So policies can help, but they don’t
say, is no small task.                       I would say it’s definitely more advanced         necessarily have to define exactly what
                                             in Europe. There are elements that occur          needs to be done. It will be trial and error,
When we launched the Foundation we           in many countries, but an understanding           I’m sure, but what has been incredibly
set out to work in three key areas.          of the systemic nature of this change,            positive about the process with the
First: working directly with businesses,     I would say it is more of a European              European Commission is that it has
looking at how they could become more        phenomenon. Overseas, the market is               shifted from being focused on simply
circular. At the beginning we knew very      beginning to kick off: we have a team in          waste to a real circular economy package,
little about that journey, we just had a     the US and we have incredibly positive            with systemic change and the launch of
vague idea of what success looked like.      conversations, we have global partners            a public consultation last summer, which
Another area we wanted to work on            in the US. Emerging markets have also             made a difference.
was analysis insight: understanding the      a huge potential in the circular economy.         I think the Package has been a very
economic rationality.                        In the Western World, we have built the           successful start. Look at the feedback
The third area was looking at the            linear system, we have a linear production,       from businesses, cities, regions that have
opportunity through education for the        a linear thinking, a linear design, it’s hard     worked on this for many years, going back
circular economy. I stress this aspect in    to get out of it. In emerging markets, you        to the Commission after the first package,
particular, as we do executive education.    can escape the linear system. It would            saying we need the circular economy to
It is beyond just publishing economic        make much more sense to start from                happen, not just waste management. I
papers: we show the value of the             scratch and embrace the circular economy          think we have a real opportunity to create
education of the circular economy. We        straight away.                                    an innovative legislation: both parties
do this education project to create real                                                       want to create the circular economy.
circular business leaders but also to        How are you pushing circular economy’s
provide an inspirational perspective, so     ideas in developing economies? Has the            Which EU country is the leader in the field?
that people can see there is a different     Foundation tried to lobby cooperation and
way in which our economy can function,       development agencies, to have them bridging       There’s a lot of work happening in
especially for young people, who are         these models?                                     Holland, for sure. Over the past 10
still in the phase of life where ideas are                                                     years they have been working with the
being imprinted. We receive fantastic        We had many conversations with                    government and the general public. In the
feedback from them because suddenly          organizations such as the World Bank,             Netherlands they have a slightly different
there’s so much to be done, the more         the Asian Development Bank, and of                and open attitude. Some of the challenges
we do, the faster, the better we can get     course the World Economic Forum;                  they had with the geography and the
to a restorative, regenerative, powerful     we organized informal gatherings with             limited territory are indeed the reason
economy. We hope that in the future          the world’s economic leaders. We are              why the circular thinking has gained
there will be a circular generation.         targeting specifically Africa and the             momentum. There are some astonishing
                                             potential for its development, there are          examples of industrial processes. But there
What direction will your work take in the    many conversations going on about                 are pockets in unlikely places. We worked
future?                                      circular economic benefits and there is           for example with the city of Phoenix, or
                                             a massive opportunity there. Once you             with Barcelona, places really forward-
In the future, I see the Foundation          realize how great an opportunity is,              thinking.
continuing to work on education, with        suddenly you are building an economic
businesses, cities and governments,          model which is restorative, which                 How can a city or a region become a circular
on communication and publications,           manages to keep products and materials            economy leader?
accelerating ideas, and promoting            with the highest recorded value. It’s not
systemic initiatives. Our view is that       just containing the damage on a yearly            You need to involve all the stakeholders.
we will continue to focus on those five      basis, it’s like rebuilding a different model     When you are creating a systemic change,
areas and push, as hard as we can, as we     with massive economic potential. It’s             it’s not easy because you can’t do it
always have, as a team. Now we work in       going to be challenging, there are many           alone, you have to do it with many other
many areas: we have people in Brazil, the    barriers along the way.                           partners, you need to bring everybody to
States, here in the UK, across Europe.                                                         the table in order to create that systemic
We have a team in Brussels, India and        The EU has just approved a Circular               change.
China, looking at economic studies           Economy Package, with a set of policies
and building initiatives. Our work is        allocating incentives to the industry in order    Many fear that the circular model might
expanding very quickly, it’s becoming        to develop circular economy business models.      impact jobs. What does your research show?

                                                                                                                                               11
ECOSCIENZA 2 • 2017

                   When we carried out the study on               huge big development of where value             Now when you leave, that’s it. Your link
                   Europe, at the beginning of the                changes and who owns value.                     with the land stop, and you prepare to
                   public consultation [for the Circular          Having the finance sector understanding         be at sea for the full duration, if you run
                   Package], we worked specifically with          the difference between linear and circular      out of something, that’s it, you can’t stop
                   the German Employment Economic                 is key.                                         and buy more, in the deep ocean you are
                   Group, and we were specifically looking                                                        2,500 miles from the nearest town, five
                   at what influence the circular economy         The Foundation carries out extensive            days away from everything, so you really
                   would have on employment. Would                research. Does it work with specific research   are isolated and you really do develop a
                   employment rise or fall? Results showed        centres?                                        different way of thinking. You get used
                   that most probably it would have a                                                             to it and you go into a different mode.
                   positive impact. Actually there would          We have 14 university partnerships,             And suddenly it dawned on me with the
                   be less employment in the raw material         to support teaching and research in             second round-the-world tour that our
                   industry but there would be more               the circular economy, from London               economy is no different than my boat.
                   employment in the remanufacturing              University to Bocconi University in             We have a world with finite resources:
                   and service industries. Take Airbnb as         Milan.                                          it’s absolutely no different from the boat.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY

                   an example of the circular economy: you        We are seeing growing interests in the          When I finish my journey, I go back
                   have huge hotels being built all over the      research partnerships. Professors want          and I restock and I set off again. But
                   world – it is a clear linear model and then    to get involved, they see the opportunity,      we cannot do that, we don’t have more
                   suddenly Airbnb pops up, showing there         they want to understand the circular            resources, and it just suddenly hit me,
                   is a lot of unused space in buildings that     economy more deeply. We need to                 and I knew nothing about the circular
                   can be utilized otherwise. And through         fathom the consequences of the adoption         economy, I never heard the word, never
                   the IT digital revolution it unlocks spaces    of such models, take Uber or Airbnb as          came across the idea, I knew absolutely
                   which were previously unavailable, almost      an example. We are going to do things           nothing. It’s what brought me to try to
                   impossible to find. Suddenly we have           differently, we are going to find spare         understand the global economy. I started
                   this visibility into spare space within        vehicles, we are going to find spare            reading every book I could, I met experts,
                   the global economy. It could be spare          buildings, to remanufacture everything,         scientist, economists, educators, tried to
                   materials, spare equipment, anything:          and we need to find a way to utilize            understand. If this current model that we
                   suddenly everything has the ability to be      them, to benefit from these processes. We       use doesn’t work, what does? And initially
                   connected. And this creates jobs. This is      are building a picture of what the circular     you point to “we need to use less, we need
                   the time for the circular economy because      economy is, and the more we have of             to travel less”. But then you realize that
                   we have the information technology that        that picture, the more straightforward          all of that is essential, we absolutely need
                   can help this. Five years ago we couldn’t      it would be for new companies, cities,          to be incredibly careful with what we use
                   predict what the digital revolution would      regions to step in the circular space.          now because we have finite resources. It’s
                   have done for employment, suddenly                                                             not that we are going to educate every
                   the informal economy, the sharing, the         How come that a record-breaking                 young person in the world, “we just need
                   circular are showing opportunities.            yachtswoman has become the icon of the          to use everything a little bit less”. You
                                                                  circular economy?                               know it doesn’t work, because we have
                   How will trade change with the circular                                                        desires. And then you start thinking
                   economy?                                       It was very unexpected; I never thought         “So what does work?” And suddenly
                                                                  I would do this. All I wanted to do from        you see that if we change the system,
                   If you look at small businesses trying         the age of 4 was to sail a boat, and I spent    we can recover all the materials, we use
                   to become more circular, providing a           all my free time thinking about sailing.        biomimicry design, sharing economy
                   product-as-a-service, they might buy the       For years, I saved my school money for          models – which brings the utilization of
                   product upfront from larger manufacture        a boat, I left school at 17 to become a         products to the highest level – and the
                   company, of course, but then they              sailing instructor, at 18 I set out for my      performance economy where they were
                   need a constant relationship with the          solo round-the-world tour. Everything           able to do the same with bigger products.
                   manufacturer and the customers, as they        was about sailing, everything was about         Suddenly you see that systemic thinking
                   might offer life extension services, or they   being at sea, everything was about              can change everything. And it was the
                   might be able to remanufacture those           finding a sponsor, everything was about         personal journey I went on that made me
                   products locally. Now in the traditional       getting out there and being on the water        realize that the system doesn’t work, the
                   enterprise you buy the product and you         and I absolutely loved it. I still love it as   linear economy doesn’t work in the long
                   sell it and then re-sell it. End of story.     much today as I ever did, it’s a massive        term. That is how I started to think, alone
                   That would change because customers            magnet for me being on the sea. There           in my boat, about a new economy, which
                   will not own the materials, they will only     was absolutely no reason to step out of         is able to be restorative and regenerative,
                   use it for some time. For the company,         that, I should still be doing it now. But       to rebuild natural capital, which has
                   that piece of equipment will be “in            then suddenly the penny dropped. You            basically degraded since the beginning of
                   someone else’s house” for a while. Indeed      know, it’s incredibly difficult when you        the industrial revolution. And now the
                   for the financial sector this will be a        go to sea. Imagine to be about to go off        race is on!
                   huge change. Financial firms are trying        today from Italy to sail around the world,
                   to understand how a business that has          nonstop, you would take everything              Interview by Emanuele Bompan, published
                   adopted a circular model will unlock           you need for your survival. Everything.         on Renewable Matter, No. 12/2016
                   more economic potential and will set its       You have a boat, your little world, and         www.renewablematter.eu
                   revenue model. Just having the banking         you put everything on that, for your
                   sector understanding whether companies         survival for the next 3 months, or 4 or
                   are trying to get to its key, you have this    5, depending on how fast your boat is.

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ECOSCIENZA 2 • 2017

CIRCULAR ECONOMY PACKAGE

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT SETS MORE AMBITIOUS TARGETS
FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABLE GROWTH
On Tuesday 14 March 2017, the European Parliament adopted
the “waste package”, including a series of resolutions designed
to favour recycling and re-use of waste, limit landfilling, and
reduce food waste. This is a step forward in the promotion
of a circular economy. It follows the adoption of the Circular
Economy Action Plan by the European Commission and the
relevant public consultation.
MEPs set even higher targets in comparison with the
Commission’s proposal, so as to moving on more decisively                                            Circular
towards the transition to a circular economy.                                                       Economy
The situation of waste management in Europe has been
improving over the last few years: in 2014, 44% of all municipal
waste was recycled or composted. It was 31% a decade before,
in 2004. Following this trend, the European Union should be
able to reach its target of recycling or composting more than
50% of waste by 2020.
However, this is not considered the end: the EU bodies
decided to go even further to make Europe a leader in the
construction of an economic, productive, and consumption
system in which waste is considered a new raw material.
Improving waste management could bring benefits to the
                                                                    Targets
environment, climate, human health, and the economy.                These are the targets approved by the European Parliament in
“The EP by a very large majority has showed that it believes        the circular economy package:
in the transition towards a circular economy. We decided to
restore the ambitious recycling and landfill targets in line with   Waste and packaging
what the Commission had originally proposed in 2014” said           By 2030, at least 70% by weight of so-called municipal waste
lead MEP Simona Bonafè.                                             (from households and small businesses) should be recycled
                                                                    or prepared for re-use, i.e. checked, cleaned or repaired. The
The Parliament will now have to negotiate the text of the           European Commission’s proposal was 65%.
approved resolutions with the Council of EU ministers.              For packaging materials, such as paper and cardboard,
“The revised legislation sets very high targets, and we believe     plastics, glass, metal and wood, the proposed target for 2030
it cannot avoid confronting a problem we have been working          is 80%, with interim 2025 targets for each material.
on since day one at the EU Council: the harmonization of
rules, which implies equal efforts by all Member States to          Landfilling
make real performance comparisons possible. Negotiations            The bill limits the share of municipal waste to be landfilled
won’t be easy, but it’s crucial to achieve the approval of a        to 10% by 2030. The proposal tightens this to 5%, albeit
really ambitious text, if we want Europe to take a sustainable      with a possible five-year extension, under certain conditions,
growth direction”, commented Italian Minister for the               for member states which landfilled more than 65% of their
Environment Gian Luca Galletti.                                     municipal waste in 2013.
As part of a change in EU policies towards a circular economy,
the European Commission put forward four bills, which               Food waste
introduce new targets in waste management with respect to           Food waste in the EU is estimated at some 89 million tonnes,
re-use, recycling and landfilling.                                  or 180 kg per capita per year. MEPs advocate an EU food
These proposals also strengthen EU provisions on waste              waste reduction target of 30% by 2025 and 50% by 2030,
prevention and extended producer responsibility, streamlining       compared to 2014. They also propose a similar target for
the definitions, the obligations in terms of communication, and     marine litter.
the calculation methods for the targets.                            (SF)

                                                                                                                                        13
ECOSCIENZA 2 • 2017

                   A TREASURE WAITING
                   TO BE DISCOVERED
                   THE ECONOMY NEEDS TO BE TOTALLY TRANSFORMED, FROM LINEAR TO CIRCULAR, TO
                   RESPOND TO THE SHORTAGE OF RAW MATERIALS AND RECOVER THE HUGE CAPITALS
                   AFFORDED BY WASTE. THIS NEW MODEL COULD HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE GDP
                   AND EMPLOYMENT. ITALY CAN ASPIRE TO PLAY A LEADING ROLE.

                   T
CIRCULAR ECONOMY

                            he inflow of material into the
                            system is immense: only in 2010,
                            more than 65 billion tonnes of
                   new material have entered the economy.
                   In 2020, in a business-as-usual scenario,
                   this is estimated to peak to 82 billion.
                   Obviously, the resources are not evenly
                   distributed among the different countries,
                   thus they are in contention given the
                   growing demand for material as a result
                   of the global demographic growth (9
                   billion in 2050) and the increasingly
                   large number of people who become
                   part of the consumer middle class
                   (more than 5 billion by the end of the
                   decade). Will there be enough material
                   for all? At school, some years ago, the
                   teachers used to illustrate the dilemma
                   behind the shortage of material in the
                   world by means of a classic Malthusian
                   explanation: what would happen if all
                   Chinese people used toilet paper? In
                   one year’s time there would be no forests     to the International Solid Waste              The second principle is linked to ending
                   left. The assumption is theoretically         Association (Iswa), in fact, statistics are   the unused value of products, even
                   correct, still this is the way we are going   not accurate. “We do not know exactly how     before their disposal: warehouses full
                   through. Fifteen years ago a new stage        much available waste exists in the world”,    of machinery waiting to be discarded,
                   of the Anthropocene epoch started,            an Iswa source declared. It is a sea of       boxes of clothes with low emotional value
                   with renewed scarcity of raw materials.       potential material, more than 7,000 times     stacked in one’s garage, objects bought
                   It is therefore necessary to address the      the volume of the Empire State Building,      and used just once a year. It is a useless
                   following question: which processes           with inestimable and unknown monetary         amortization of assets whose value is not
                   should be transformed to create a world       value. There is simply no real metric yet     put to work. Look around with new eyes
                   where everybody can take advantage of         to estimate this immense capital. And it      and you will see inert matter, as in the
                   the well-being afforded by technology         is not just waste.                            case of a teddy bear left in the armchair
                   and knowledge, overcoming the                                                               of one’s childhood memories.
                   limitations imposed by a linear economy?                                                    The third principle is stopping the
                                                                 The principles of a circular economy          premature death of matter: although
                   It is calculated that every year 1.3 bn                                                     recycling and re-use are fundamental
                   tonnes of municipal solid waste (Msw)         A total transformation of the linear          strategies of material recovery, often we
                   are generated, i.e. 1.2 kg waste per          economy is thus necessary and it should       sentence to death, i.e. dispose of, perfectly
                   capita per day on average. According to       comply with the following principles in       healthy material. It does not matter
                   estimates by the World Bank, from the         order to make waste and unused material       whether it will be recycled. Often just
                   report What a Waste. A global review          an economic, social and environmental         part of an object breaks down or fails
                   of MSW, in 2025 these figures could           advantage.                                    while the remaining parts remain fully
                   go up to 1.42 kg waste per capita, with       First, waste fields should be reconsidered    functioning. It would be like burying a
                   more than 2.2 billion per year. Italy         as a source of material, limiting             person with a broken arm. What if the
                   alone would generate more than 65 m           processing as much as possible: waste         wi-fi system of a (out of warranty) mobile
                   tonnes of Msw every year. Today we            collection, recycling, production output      phone fail? Everything is thrown away,
                   are at about 55 m (of which 13 m are          management, functioning objects               it would cost too much to fix it. Yet, the
                   collected separately). But waste could        discarded due to bad stock management         device includes a functioning processor,
                   be much more than this. According             (including households).                       a touchscreen, sensors, an Led light. No

      14
ECOSCIENZA 2 • 2017

way, that is the sentence. In the best-case    by 2030 (7 percentage points more in               time has come. All around the world, people
scenario, it will end up in an e-waste         comparison with the growth registered              are tired of the traditional ‘take, make, use,
management programme (WEEE, Waste              in the linear model), 48% reduction of             waste’ model. Yesterday’s economic model
electrical and electronic equipment);          emissions (which could increase to 84%             brought enormous wealth. But it also leaves
in the worst-case scenario, it will be         by 2050) and 18% increase of household             a legacy we cannot ignore. Our planet is
dumped in the sea (a common practice in        income. If it grew in a scalar way over            warming, species are disappearing, and the
many countries that consider oceans to         the next five years, the circular economy          resources we depend on are becoming ever
be a big landfill).                            could generate € 450 million savings               more scarce”.
These three principles lie at the basis of     over the cost of materials, 100,000 new
a new economy, i.e. the circular economy.      jobs and prevent 100 million tonnes of             The Commission’s proposals are the
A treasure waiting to be discovered. The       waste from being landfilled at a global            basics of a circular economy: maintaining
rationale is as simple as this: take the       level, provided that within these five years       the materials and the value circulating
straight line of capitalist economy and        businesses should focus on promoting               within the economic system as long as
bend it to the point it becomes a circle.      the creation of “circular” supply chains to        possible, so as to constantly minimizing
At this stage, the negative output, scrap,     increase the rate of recycling, re-use, and        losses. There is no specific reference to
waste, debris, unused material become          regeneration of raw materials.                     maximizing usage, renewable energies,
the starting point of a new, exciting world                                                       and human resources. However, the bill
of production and economic growth.             The European Commission has                        is a good starting point, albeit at times
                                               presented an ambitious package of                  not so much informed on the models
                                               measures to boost the transition of                of circular economy that are rising.
                                               Europe towards a circular economy, with            And chances are that enlightened civil
Growth, employment                             the aim of strengthening competitiveness           society and business people will take the
and emissions reduction                        at world level and stimulating sustainable         steps that are so hard to be taken in the
                                               economic growth and the creation of                political world.
According to the first studies available,      new jobs. “Reduce, reuse, recycle” are the         For once, we can say that Italy’s position
this development model may have a              keywords of a comprehensive proposal in            on circular economy is more advanced
twofold positive impact on Gdp and             favour of competitiveness and innovation.          than that of the Usa and Germany. We
employment, albeit caution is in order as      A lot still needs to be done to carry out          must become undisputed leaders.
the economic model is still in its infancy     this package of measures, but at least part
and the relevant data are far from perfect.    of the Parliament seems to be willing to
                                                                                                  Emanuele Bompan
The latest report, drafted in collaboration    support this line of action.
with McKinsey Center for Business and          According to Karmenu Vella, European               Journalist and geographer
Environment, is entitled Growth Within:        Commissioner for the Environment,
a circular economy vision for a competitive    consensus around the idea of a transition
Europe. It shows that moving from a            towards a circular economy has overcome
linear to a circular model would lead          every political barrier: “It is as if there were
to 11% growth of the European Gdp              something in the air, a common idea whose

   RESOURCE EFFICIENCY

   THE ROAD MAP FOR A CIRCULAR ECONOMY
   AT THE BOLOGNA G7 ENVIRONMENT

                                      The G7 Environment for             involving citizens and raising the awareness of public opinion,
                                      sustainable development            food waste, plastics and green tenders, product policies for
                                      in Bologna shall launch            durability.
                                      a “road map” of energy             The minister restated how imperative it is to take action
                                      efficiency, so as to outlining     for greater resource efficiency, a much-needed approach
                                      a five-year working plan on        to respond to the pressure put on natural resources by the
                                      some priority issues. Italy’s      world population increase and economic growth. “Resource
                                      Minister for the Environment       efficiency is one of the cornerstones of the transition from
                                      Gian Luca Galletti reveals in      a linear to a circular economy, it is essential for sustainable
                                      advance one of the objectives      development and to fulfil the Paris Agreement. If the
                                      of this international summit       economic and the political worlds are able to work together,
                                      focusing on environmental          great results will be achieved. Today businesses are ahead of
                                      issues to be held in Bologna       governments in some cases, as they understood long ago that
                                      on 10 and 11 June 2017.            the future lies in the circular economy and they are moving
                                      During the International           independently in that direction” explained the minister.
   Workshop on Resource Efficiency, organized by Confindustria           Then Mr Galletti focused on the issue of process governance,
   and Global Business Coalition in Rome, the minister                   giving the example of Italy. “In Italy we are working on
   highlighted some commonly shared points in the debate                 the National Energy Strategy, a strategy for sustainable
   and all of them revolve around resource efficiency: indicators        development, and the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy.
   to measure it, the link with climate change, international            These three strategies together will determine the industrial
   recycling of resources and materials, economic analysis of an         plan, not just the environmental one, of the country for the
   efficient use of resources, along with the social dimension,          next few decades” he added.

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