It’s World Environment Day!
Every year on June 5, the global community comes together to celebrate World Environment Day. It aims to raise public awareness of the importance of preserving our planet and promoting a sustainable future. We’d like to highlight an essential aspect of environmental protection: the circular economy.
The circular economy is an economic model that aims to reduce waste and optimize the use of resources by closing the life cycles of products, materials and resources. By adopting circular practices, we can not only reduce our environmental impact, but also stimulate innovation, create jobs and strengthen economic competitiveness.
Why is the circular economy important?
Our current economic model is linear: we extract raw materials, transform them into products, use them and then throw them away. This model has harmful consequences for the environment and our health. Here are a few figures that underline the importance of the circular economy:
* Every year, we extract 100 billion tonnes of raw materials, twice as much as 30 years ago.
* Global waste production is set to increase by 70% by 2050 if we don’t change the way we produce and consume.
* The circular economy could generate $4.5 trillion in economic benefits by 2030, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 39%.
What’s more, the circular economy offers numerous social and economic benefits. It creates local jobs that cannot be relocated, fosters innovation and creativity, and strengthens the resilience of businesses and communities.