What is the context: linear to circular

What does circularity mean?

The circular economy is not just another business model, it is the vision to redesign our systems and thinking as to provide sustainable growth without harming the planet and thus the ecosystem we live in.
The circular economy is the way to disconnect growth from the continuous depletion of the finite resources the planet provides us, and the way to sustain a world in which we as humans can still live.
In the traditional (linear) economic system longevity, recyclability and re-use were not considered and depletion of resources and waste at end-of-use was a natural consequence.
In a circular world, materials are part of a cycle and energy comes from renewable sources, which basically is also a cycle, a cycle we as humans can oversee in time, compared to the fossil-based cycle.
Circularity therefore requires both a material and energy transition. This is drastic and involves a lot of questions to be answered, it is about understanding the circular economy and how it would work for your organization.

How can I reduce my emissions in the short term?
How do I eventually become completely climate-neutral?
Which raw materials can I use?
Where do I get them?
What does it mean for my production processes?
How can I ensure that I do not compromise on quality?
How do I remain competitive and profitable?

All valuable and realistic questions to be answered, and the beauty of it all is: You do not have to do it in 1 Big Bang! And for sure there is no 1 answer that will fit all situations.

Where are we on arriving at net-zero?

The beginning of it all: The Paris Agreement was signed in 2015. That deal obliged signatories to keep the rise in global temperatures “well within 2 degrees Celsius” and to aspire to limit the increase to 1.5C; “to reduce global GHG emissions by 43 percent by 2030 and further by 60 percent by 2035 compared to 2019 levels and reach net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 globally,” the report said.

Global Stocktake Technical Synthesis Report issued by the U.N (sept 2023)

While the world is falling short on reining in temperature increases, the rapid uptake of electric vehicles and solar power is a positive surprise; solar grew by 10 times between 2010 and 2019, while electric vehicles soared by 100 times over that period. Assessments by the International Energy Agency point to continued rapid increases in both wind and solar deployments. Energy Institute statistical review of world energy 2023: Nevertheless, global GHG emissions restarted to grow just after the peak of the pandemic, reaching in 2022 the level of 53.8 Gt CO2eq , which is 2.3% higher than 2019 and 1.4% higher than 2021. In this context, EDGAR provides an independent estimate of greenhouse gases for each world country, based on a robust and consistent methodology stemming from the latest IPCC guidelines and most recent activity data. Following the latest update released in September 2023, GHG emission data are now available for all IPCC sectors for each country for the time period 1970-2022. Global GHG emissions per capita have slightly increased in 2022 (0.4%) bringing to 8.3% its overall increase between 1990 and 2022 (from 6.24 t CO2eq/cap to 6.76 t CO2eq/cap). Global emissions intensity per GDP PPP in 2022 reached its 52-year minimum value of 0.386 tCO2eq/k USD, 2% lower than in 2021. Even in 2022, global GHG emissions primarily consisted of CO2, resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels (71.6%). CH4 contributed 21% to the total, while the remaining share of emissions comprised N2O (4.8%) and F-gases (2.6%). As far EU27 is concerned, its GHG emissions amounted in 2022 to 3.59 Gt CO2eq, 0.8% lower than in 2021. It is noteworthy that despite their 2021 rebound, EU27's emissions remained below the pre-COVID-19 levels, continuing their decades-long decreasing trend. Indeed, EU27 GHG emissions were 27.0% lower than in 1990, and represented 6.7% of global emissions also showing a sharp decrease from 14.8% in 1990. Source: (sept 8th 2023) Global Stocktake Technical Synthesis Report issued by the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change is the first such comprehensive assessment since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015.

Decarbonisation

Source: Feb 17th 2024 – Oilprice.com The world has come a long way in its decarbonisation efforts across a range of industries in recent years. however, it remains extremely difficult to cut carbon in some hard-to-abate industries. Governments are finding it particularly difficult to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with shipping, aviation, and heavy industry, despite new clean technologies and, in many cases, financial incentives to decarbonise. Although many companies are introducing carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies and other carbon offset schemes, there is increasing scepticism about the efficacy of this approach. But one thing is certain, decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors will require a massive investment. Decarbonizing the world’s industries has made significant progress in recent years, but there are still challenges in reducing carbon emissions in hard-to-abate sectors. Industries such as cement, chemicals, aviation, shipping, and heavy manufacturing contribute to approximately one-third of global CO2 emissions.

What is the context: linear to circular

Circulair Economy

What does circularity mean?

What is the goal?

Where are we on arriving at net-zero?

Global Stocktake Technical Synthesis Report issued by the U.N (sept 2023)

Decarbonisation

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petri@parisjourney.nl

+31 (0)85 060 5106

+31 (0)85 060 5106