Circular Economy

Ken WebsterHead of InnovationCraig JohnsonProgramme Manager -HE

Kingston University 7 February 2013

Presentation focus

• Challenges for linear through-put economy• Circular economy key ideas with academic influences: -Waste=food –nutrients in cycles- -’Biological’ and ‘Technical’ nutrient cycles- -Diversity, resilience and scale- -shift to renewables, energy efficiency and devolved grids- -shift to selling products as services/new business models

• Circular economy Reports from EMF and McKinsey• 2 business case studies• EMF HE Programme• Ways forward-possible foci for HE programmes?

system

Systemic stress

Resource efficiency

Individual behaviour change

Buy ‘green’ products

Legislate to reduce harm

Circular economy - thumbnail description

…Circular economy is based on systems thinking, (call it contemporary science’s insights into how the world works) and applied to people and their relationship to supporting ecosystem services, material resources, energy, money and finance. A Circular economy takes insights from how feedback-rich, living systems work….

*CE Feature*: Waste=Food—nutrients cycle through system

*CE Feature*: two nutrient cycles (ref McDonough and Braungart)

Two materials flows – the key understanding - materials as ‘nutrients’ (after McDonough and Braungart)

‘Flow house’. Source: William McDonough

*CE Feature*: Diversity, resilience and scale

*CE feature*: shift to renewables, energy efficiency, devolved grids (ref Lovins)

*CE feature*: devolved energy grids (after Greenpeace)

http://www.product-life.org/en/major-publications/the-product-life-factor

*CE feature*: shift to selling products as services (ref.Walter Stahel-Performance economy)

*CE feature*: shift to selling products as services (Thomas Rau office)

*CE feature*: shift to selling products as services (Thomas Rau office)

Circular economy in detail (EMF/McKinsey report)

CE Business case 1: Ricoh (Technical nutrient cycle)

CE Business case 2: ABLE (Biological nutrient cycle)

Foundation’s HE Programme

Focus• Design/Engineering/Business/management disciplines • Distance learning• Teaching and Research

Key activities• open access films and curriculum resources eg Business School

reader• DL Exec Ed introductory course on Circular Economy• Masters Fellowship Scheme and ‘summer school’• Pioneer/Innovation partnerships (T+R) with leading universities• ‘Global Campus’ HE learning platform (spring 2013)

system

Ways forward -learning? Possible foci for HE programmes

• Investigate linear economy challenges inc the Twin Pincers –peak oil/climate change?

• Use “frameworks” for thinking…Ways of thinking about Development? (inc Circular Economy and Linear economy ‘frames’?)

• How to match Economy with Ecology/Living Systems? • Investigate key Circular Economy principles eg

waste=food/diversity is strength?• Check for balance -focus on ‘Systems’ thinking +citizenship

(political literacy) ……as well as individual behaviour change?• Question guilt if disabling, recontextualise personal responsibility

and prompt interesting questions around consumption, population, ‘recycling’

• Find suitable business allies –focus on design and human intention?• Knowledge/design skills/critical thinking skills for Circular Economy?• Be strategically optimistic-solutions as well as challenges. A heroic

response?!

system

If the machine inspired the industrial age, the image of the living system may inspire a genuine postindustrial age

Peter Senge et al. (Sloan Management Review)

You never change things by fighting against the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the old model obsolete

Buckminster Fuller

Frameworks and Change

We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims. R. Buckminster Fuller

Contact details

Ken Webster - Head of Innovationken@ellenmacarthurfoundation.orgCraig Johnson - Programme Manager HEcraig@ellenmacarthurfoundation.org