A series of comment pieces discuss the circular economy – where industrial outputs become inputs so that goods at the end of their life turn into resources for other uses.
In the first article Walter Stahel, who coined the concept of the circular economy, argues it is time to shift to a “resource-miser” economy. He calls for more research into technologies for disassembling materials – “to de-polymerise, de-alloy, de-laminate, de-vulcanise and de-coat”.
In a second article researchers call on the Chinese government and the OECD to develop more sophisticated metrics for evaluating how China is progressing towards a circular economy.
In the final article a developmental psychologist asks why we value possessions that boost social status, and highlights the need to make having and using recycled goods more socially desirable.
Original research papers published in Nature on March 23, 2015.
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