Do you know the 9 Rs of the Circular Economy?

You have probably heard the words “Circular Economy”. It is a concept that is talked about more and more, and it defines how Prewaste works. It is a system that extends the life of products, keeping them in circulation so they do not end up as waste in landfills. In this way it helps tackle climate change and other global challenges, such as biodiversity loss, waste and pollution.

The current system is based on a linear process: we extract resources from the Earth to make products, use them and throw them away as waste. To move towards a Circular Economy, we need to think about how we manage resources, how we design them, how we use them and what we do with them afterwards. Here is a summary of what the 9 Rs propose.

The 9 Rs of the Circular Economy

How many actions does it take to look after the planet? The 3 Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) became widespread some time ago. But as the current climate emergency has intensified, the list has grown to the 9 Rs, the magic formula for moving from a linear economy to a Circular Economy. Let’s take a look at each of them.

Refuse, rethink and reduce

It is important to give up products that are not really needed, or to redefine them so they do not have to be produced. This also means refusing toxic products, making products that are easily reusable or recyclable, and applying strategies to reduce resource consumption. For example, especially for younger people, it is no longer necessary to ask for a paper receipt for a purchase: it will be easier and more sustainable to receive it by email.

The business model of products can also be rethought. That is, instead of simply selling them, opting for collaborative exchange systems or making products that have more than one function. This is what “La Biblioteca de les Coses” (the Library of Things) promotes: a project that started in Barcelona and is already being rolled out in other municipalities such as Terrassa and Reus. It is a space where neighbours lend objects to each other. So, instead of buying new products, they can make use of what others no longer need.

Reducing means increasing efficiency in making or using products while consuming fewer natural resources and materials. This can be achieved, for example, through energy efficiency. Alternatives need to be assessed so that we do not have to generate so much energy from fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, the main culprits behind high greenhouse gas emissions.

Reuse, repair, restore, remanufacture and repurpose

To keep the value of products, or parts of them, that can still be used for as long as possible, these 5 Rs are the key. Our goal should always be to reuse products that are still in good condition and can fulfil their original function. If it is broken, we repair it so it can be used again, and if it is too old, we restore it.

If only some parts of the product are usable, it must be put in the right container so that professionals can use those parts in a new product with the same function. Or it can be repurposed, designing a different product that can be made from those parts.

Recycle

This is the last step of a circular system. Recycling means recovering materials from waste and transforming them into new products, materials or substances. Whenever there is the option, the previous Rs should be prioritised, as they keep the resource in value for longer.

Recover

Although we said there are only 9 Rs, another step is recently being added to the Circular Economy: recover. This refers specifically to recovering energy from organic waste and waste of renewable origin. Experts consider the gains from this process to be fairly modest compared with the other Rs, especially in economic terms. That is why, although some are already adding recover to the list, it is for now excluded from the Circular Economy classification system.

To move towards circularity, it is essential to keep these nine strategies in mind when dealing with a product, material or waste. That is why the European Union has got to work on a ‘Circular Economy Action Plan’, adopted in 2020. It is a series of policies that continue to be updated; in fact, this year, 2023, new measures have been adopted to control microplastic pollution, those particles that do so much damage to the planet.