THE world population has surpassed 7.6 billion and is growing at an alarming rate. There are estimates that the population will be 11 billion by the turn of the century.

Rapid population growth affects the environment in two major ways: excessive consumption of natural resources, such as land, food, water, air, fossil fuels, and minerals; and large-scale waste production, including air and water pollutants, toxic materials and greenhouse gases. The Circular Economy Model (CEM) is a groundbreaking approach to address the issues.

Hannah Hislop and Julie Hill in 2011 presented the idea of a development strategy that maximises resource efficiency and minimises waste production.

In simple words, CEM is a production as well as consumption model that effectively involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products for as long as possible.

Countries like the Netherlands, France and Italy are leading the way in implementing CEM, and the European Union’s Circular Economy Action Plan is a significant step that will ensure similar steps across the continent.

Furthermore, the CEM has numerous benefits, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting sustainable growth, and encouraging the reuse of materials.

Besides, it also helps countries become less dependent on other nations for raw materials. In the future, secondary materials will be extracted from products that were previously destroyed.

Any country that wants to progress environmentally, economically and socially must adopt and implement CEM, which is based on the 7Rs: Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle, and Repurpose.

Mishkat ShafaQue Marwat
Bannu

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2025