Nature has had millions of years to work on its designs and efficiencies, and it’s no wonder that humans have sought to adopt and mimic these traits for our own uses. This practice of transferring over elements or techniques from the natural world is called biomimicry, and it represents a cutting edge approach towards developing sustainable solutions to the many problems we face.
The circular economy, much like Mad Max‘s Bartertown, represents a model by which waste is not viewed as waste, but rather a source of power or material for something else. It’s essentially a closed loop system. The circular economy currently describes a pretty amazing representation of our desire to strive for zero waste, like the natural world itself. Rather than the conventional means of manufacturing, which is often devised for a single purpose, more attention is given to the product’s end of life, and assessed for further opportunities.
by William McDonough and Michael Braungart (2002)
Written by an architect and a chemist, this book looks at a new way of approaching how things are made. As explained by the authors, the current (conventional) way of making things has simply perpetuated from the days of the Industrial Revolution, and has not yet adapted to the natural environment. In nature there is no waste. Rather, there exists a redistribution of energy and elements from one form to another. In sustainability discussions, this is referred to as adopting the circular economy, (see What is the Circular Economy? ). This alternative business model, so predominant in nature, is absolutely possible!
Accordingly, we can model and manufacture with the application of a greater conscience to the product life-cycle. In so doing, we can adjust the way waste is perceived and utilized. Products should not be simply designed for a temporary service before they end up in a landfill, rather they can re-conceived so as to break away from the prevalent system of cradle to grave (end of life) and achieve a methodology of cradle to cradle.