Learning about the circular economy in this class has shifted my own way of thinking about the issues of waste, value, and the systems we operate in. For most of my life, I was used to the idea that things were made, consumed, and discarded in a tidy and linear process.
The circular economy flips that model on its side by suggesting that waste is not inevitable if products are conceived differently at the start. It prompts me to think more seriously about what happens to things after we’re finished with them, and what kind of economy could be created if we were to prioritize reuse, repair, and regeneration.
What strikes me the most is how much focus is on design. Under a circular model, the job isn’t just to clean up after you’re done, but to design systems where waste is not something that happens. That requires some innovation, forward thinking, and a whole new kind of responsibility—by companies, governments as well as individuals. It also makes me consider my own habits and how I’m part of a culture of disposability without necessarily being aware of it.
While I recognize that a shift to a circular economy is difficult, it is not just a question of individual desire, but of changing infrastructure, policy, and economic incentives. And yet, the notion speaks to me as a potential. It reframes environmental problems not just as shortfalls, but as opportunities for envisioning more sustainable possibilities.