CIRCULAR ECONOMY The Japanese concept of mottainai expresses that it is a shame for something to go to waste without having made use of its potential in full something that happens with regularity in a linear economy. By and large, todays manufacturing takes raw materials from the environment and turns them into new products, which are then disposed into the environment after use. Its a linear process with a beginning and an end. In this system, limited raw materials eventually run out. Waste accumulates, either incurring expenses related to disposal or else pollutingindeed, a 2012 World Bank report estimates that municipal waste generation will double over the next 20 years in low-income countries. On top of that, manufacturing processes are often themselves inefficient, leading to further waste of natural resources. In a circular economy, however, products are designed for durability, reuse and recyclability, and materials for new products come from old products. As much as possible, everything is reused, remanufactured, recycled back into a raw material, used as a source of energy, or as a last resort, disposed of. Something old, something new The circular economy is a new way of creating value, and ultimately prosperity. It works by extending product lifespan through improved design and servicing, and relocating waste from the end of the supply chain to the beginningin effect, using resources more efficiently by using them over and over, not only once. For 50 years, UNIDO has worked towards a truly sustainable industry. In doing so, we have moved towards a circular economy. The building blocks of a circular economy do not need to be invented. They already exist. Recycle waste, reuse resources Better service to extend lifespan Cleaner production using fewer resources Green products non-toxic, long-life, recyclable Collect at end-of-life, remanufacture At the country and regional level, in 2008 China was among the first to adopt a circular economy law promoting the recovery of resources from waste. In that same year, the G8 environment ministers agreed on an action plan for the 3Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle. Following on that, the 2015 G7 Summit Leaders Declaration underscored the need for “sustainable supply chains” that protect workers and the environment. Then, in late 2015, the European Union adopted an ambitious Circular Economy Package, including goals for food, water and plastics reuse. “The message is that while you are protecting the environment you can boost your economic development and provide new growth and new jobs,” said the then European Commissioner for Environment Janez Potonik in support of the EU Circular Economy Package in 2014. Indeed, there is a strong business case to be made for a circular economy. Nike, Google, and H currently, the share stands at only 50 per cent. Interventions include optimizing of storage and cold chain, but also waste reduction through improving technology, optimizing processes and making use of by-products. In other cases, UNIDO is extending resource efficiency beyond the borders of one company to groups of industries; a prime example of such approaches is the establishment of eco-industrial parks. Here, companies wanting to go beyond compliance in their environmental performance find the means to do so, not only by sharing environmental services and receiving targeted RECP advice, but also by taking advantage of each others byproducts, such as heat, water and recycled materials. Eco-industrial parks could make important contributions in the move towards the circular economy, both in industrialized and developing countries. model. In an industrial zone in China, a UNIDO-supported programme helped generate synergies yielding over $10 million in savings and an over $16 million revenue increase, as well as 167,000 tons of reduced carbon dioxide and 1.4 million tons of reduced landfill. Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production (RECPnet) LONG-LASTING Keeping you round We are also committed to improving products to make them safer and extend their lifespan. We aim not only to eliminate toxic substances from products as early as during their design phase; if we find them contaminated, we also treat them postproduction, at the same time extending their lifespans and enabling easier recycling and reuse. One set of examples for designing products to contain less harmful substances before these products are even manufactured is the projects under the Montreal Protocol. There, production of refrigerators or insulation foamsoften on a large scaleis converted to new technologies, so the products no longer contain ozone-depleting substances. Leaking of such substances into the environment can thus be avoided, and the products are also much easier to dispose of. Most industrialized countries have banned hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which are potent greenhouse gases that can deplete the ozone layer. Developing countries are now working to phase them out, 。