Circular Margate

The Circular Economy is conceived to counter the linear ‘take, make, waste’ system that is dominant in all aspects of our economy. The Circular Economy replaces that linear system, with a looped system. By finding ways to adapt to a regenerative looped system, materials and products can be kept in use at their highest use value, potentially negating the need for more extraction and production and the attributed carbon cost and GHG emissions. 

The now famous ‘butterfly diagram’ from Ellen Macarthur Foundation shows the ways in which materials and products can be ‘looped’ to retain them at their highest use value. The tighter the loop, the more efficient the reuse of the material is. 

The construction industry operates in a linear system. Approximately 40% of raw materials extracted from the earth are used for construction and 4 million tonnes of construction waste is disposed to landfill, annually. This linear system contributes heavily to our environmental degradation and the overexploitation of our resources.

Despite CE emerging as a key principle in the industrial and environmental polices of the EU, with countries such as Netherlands leading the way - the adoption of Circular principles is dauntingly difficult to impose on a vast and wealthy construction industry.  Yet, there is widespread interest and many pilots happen at a grassroots level, as citizen groups look to suggest a different way of valuing materials.