As governments look for ways to move forward, they can do so without “straying from their low-carbon commitments by implementing circular economy strategies”, says the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
The coronavirus crisis has disastrous human and economic consequences, revealing our system’s exposure to a variety of risks.
As the pandemic forces us to adapt our daily lives in ways we would not have imagined, it is also challenging us to rethink the systems that underpin the economy, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
It says that while addressing public health consequences is clearly the priority, before the crisis, momentum had already been increasing around the need for a system reset, and the potential of a circular model.
The last decade has seen a number of leading businesses invest in this “transformative path”, while pioneering institutions and government bodies put forward significant legislative proposals to enable the transition.
Far from the pandemic pushing the circular economy agenda to the bottom of the list, the Foundation highlights and reiterates that it is now “more relevant than ever” and sets out to explore the wider possibilities for recovery.
It says the “fragility” of our global supply chains was revealed throughout the early stages of the pandemic, particularly for those who struggled with the availability of medical equipment.
An article by Jocelyn Blériot, Executive Lead, International Institutions & Governments, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, looks at the challenges faced, and how the introduction of circular principles could provide opportunities for both future resilience and competitiveness, taking into account that for countries severely hit by the virus, being able to quickly adapt industrial facilities to produce medical equipment was crucial.
As governments look for ways to move forward, they can do so without “straying from their low-carbon commitments by implementing circular economy strategies”, it says.
As the article states, “it is fundamental to recognise that the effort will need to be sustained, and that its success will rely on the involvement of all stakeholders, working in a logic of co-creation.”