THE NATURE OF CIRCULAR ECONOMIES

There’s big buzz about circular economies these days. The idea that we need to eliminate a linear take — make — waste production system. In this post, we help outline what a circular economy is and why it’s rooted in biomimetic thinking.

First, let’s start by defining what a circular economy is. Simply, it is when the waste stream of one industry becomes the resource for another. It’s circular in that materials are reused within a system, avoiding any importation or exportation of materials or waste. It’s a relatively new term for an old idea.

As my 95-year-old grandpa loves to tell me, circular economies were a natural part of growing up on a farm. Food scraps, outhouses, pig manure, and corn stalks were all byproducts that were used to develop new things. He even claims his mother would make him underwear from old sugar sacks. This story could be an exaggeration or evidence of a time not too long ago when we were much more creative with waste than we are today. As populations continue to grow, so does our waste, but as we are beginning to see, so too does our creativity. We invite you to explore the examples of circular economies below to get inspired.

Cardboard to Caviar

Graham Wiles provides one of the most whimsical examples of a circular economy in his “cardboard to caviar” project. This TED talk provides a wonderful description, but I’ll also provide a very brief rundown below.

Wiles closed the waste loop by taking a product (cardboard boxes) and turning them into caviar through a five-stage process:

1. The restaurant paid Wiles to remove their cardboard boxes, which he would then shred
2. Wiles sold the cardboard as bedding to a horse stable
3. The bedding was then collected and used in vermicompost (worms) production
4. The worms were then used to feed Sturgeon, which produce caviar (the more expensive stage of the process)
5. The caviar was then sold back to the original restaurant that sold him the cardboard, effectively closing the loop

Zero Waste Town

The town of Kamikatsu is committed to becoming one of the first zero-waste communities in the world. This ambitious goal requires buy-in from industry and a lot of community creativity and collaboration. From a citizen standpoint, the town requires that residents sort their waste into a staggering 34 categories, which community members appear willing to do. From a company standpoint, craft brewery Kamikatz Public House was largely built from recycled materials. Its facade is primarily reclaimed windows and the lining in the walls are insulated by newspapers and tiles from old buildings.

Industrial Symbiosis

The economical advantage of circular economies is that products derived from waste streams can be more cheaply obtained, as long as little processing is required. A community in Denmark has long since recognized this benefit and since 1972 has established nine partnerships between public and private companies which in turn have created an industrial circular economy. In Kalundborg, energy, water, and material wastes are all shared between companies, providing both economic and environmental benefits to all.

Biomimicry as a Circular Economy

Nothing is wasted in nature. All materials are benignly manufactured and biodegradable. Each species is programmed to seek out niches, exploit resources, and utilize wasted opportunities. Just like how a dandelion will ravage your highly fertilized lawn, all species are hyper-aware of their environments and are constantly developing strategies to utilize underused resources.

In my biomimicry courses, I train my students to develop a ‘biomimetic’ lens. Like Wiles, I want my students to be able to find “wasted opportunities” that could be turned into a business or potentially disruptive technology, like the way Uber exploited underused cars and created an app that has allowed individuals to gain more income. My students study our cities and other areas that are overlooked or idle and start to imagine small-scale innovations — like modular rain harvesting systems on building walls, or eggshells from restaurants which could turn into the production of paper, plastics, and even batteries. The challenge in the process is in creatively imagining what that ‘something’ is.

Full Circle

Biomimicry and circular economies are not new ideas. Nearly a century ago my grandpa’s eggshells were the compost for his veggie garden. The only difference today is that our waste streams are much more significant, and what we imaging doing with our eggshells seems to be more complicated.