Some time ago, I bought an electronic toothbrush. A very sophisticated product with contactless charging and a dental care app. An optimal daily companion, which unfortunately said goodbye to my life again too quickly, because one day it sadly broke down. After contacting the manufacturer a few times and trying to repair it myself, I, unfortunately, had to realise that the product life of my toothbrush could hardly be extended. So it joins the long line of products that have to be produced, sold, used and then thrown away far too quickly as part of our current linear economic system.
Difference between a linear economic system and a circular economy
This is how linear most product lives still look today. But this linear economic system and the accompanying throwaway society have some pitfalls: they lead to shortages of raw materials, high emissions consumption and large amounts of waste. Especially in the case of electrical products, the environmental impact is high, as rare metals have to be used and the manufacturing process consumes a lot of energy and causes air pollution.
You can read more about the high environmental impact due to the short useful life of electrical devices in this blog post.
In contrast to the linear economic system, in the circular economy, products and materials are kept in circulation. This means that fewer primary raw materials are consumed, as products can be used for longer or raw materials from recycling can be used. Longer use can be ensured through repairs or spare parts. If a product itself is no longer used, it can be sold or passed on free of charge. And if it does become obsolete and cannot be repaired at all, the product can be recycled so that raw materials can be reused for new products.
With this holistic approach, the circular economy differs from our current linear process.
Approaches to the circular economy
Circularity can be promoted in products at any time, from product idea to use. A central role is played by product design, where decisions are made about materials and the durability of products. Furthermore, the design can be made in such a way that electrical appliances can be repaired more or less easily or individual parts of them can be replaced.
In addition to product design, the circular economy can also be driven forward primarily by one's own usage behaviour. By repairing, reselling, refurbishing or sharing more products. It is important to remember that incorporating the circular economy into one's own habits not only contributes to a more environmentally friendly use of products but also pays off in monetary terms. Because: second-hand is cheaper than buying new, by repairing your own product you can use it longer and reselling or lending out your own products can even bring in additional income - that's a win-win-win situation.
In order for products and materials to remain in this cycle, we must all participate. In addition to a circular product design and the actions of us private individuals, we also need offers that provide the corresponding services. So that in the future, electrical appliances will live longer than my electric toothbrush.
Of course, I haven't given up hope yet, but I'm taking the electric toothbrush to repair service.
How you can promote the circular economy (not only for electronic devices):
Share: Library, car sharing, borrowing tools or renting sports equipment, for example at Sharely.
Reuse: Buy second-hand clothes, swap meets, second-hand shops, online platforms or donate to e.g. the charity Labdoo.
Repair: Sewing clothes or repairing broken appliances. For example, the Flickstuben of Caritas.
Refurbish: refurbish outdated products such as sanding a table, reupholstering cushions, etc.
All after-sales services in one place: With our app, you can obtain services for your products that extend their useful life.
Quellen:
BAFU (2020). Kreislaufwirtschaft. https://www.bafu.admin.ch/bafu/de/home/themen/wirtschaft-konsum/fachinformationen/kreislaufwirtschaft.html
Circular Hub (o.D.) Kreislaufwirtschaft. https://circularhub.ch/kreislaufwirtschaft/
Ellen MacArthur Foundation (o.D.) What is a circular economy? https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy/concept
Energieschweiz (2021). Energiejournal für Hausbesitzerinnen und Hausbesitzer.