Linear Economy to Circular Economy- Path to sustainability
The concept of Circular Economy is an industrial system that is intended to be amendatory or regenerative. It substitutes the notion of end-of-life with restoration, transitions to the utilization of sustainable power, and removes the application of hazardous chemicals that hamper recycling and return to the ecosystem. Circular Economy focuses on reduction of waste by designing the products, materials and business model which are Environmental friendly. This system is as extended version of the concept of sustainable development. In Circular Economy items are intended for longevity, reuse, and renewability, and as a result, practically everything is reused, remanufactured, transformed into a raw material, or utilized as an energy source. It consists of three R’s: refurbishment, recovery, and material repair. Hence, Circular Economy enhances productivity by focusing on optimum utilization of available resources. The output produced by the industries are returned to the industries at the time of disposal and the parts are segregated and reused as raw materials in the same industry. Furthermore, it will lead to increase in profitability of the firms and overall QCDF (Quality, Expense, Distribution, and Flexibility) and sustainability levels improves. Circular economy helps in waste management and planning by converting waste materials into raw materials and also reduces the level of pollution. It also provide benefits to the consumers as they get cost effective products with longer life and low maintenance cost. The circular economy strives to discard nothing, eliminating the requirement for additional items. It provides a dramatic contrast to our linear “take-make-dispose” economy, which is based on the idea that there will always virgin resources to transform into commodities and a place to dispose of the garbage. So we can say that the concept of circular economy is the need of an hour and it will change the concept of production and manufacturing and sustainability can be achieved with the optimum utilization of resources.