In 1684, the steam engine was invented by Thomas Savery which has arguably kick-started the industrial revolution. Since then, human civilization has produced large amounts of goods. Humans have invented fast fashion, industrialized agriculture, processed foods and other forms of mass-produced goods. Despite the job generation, improvement in human life and technological advancements that have come along with the industrial revolution, we have also generated tremendous amounts of waste. Wrapping our heads around the enormous amount of food and goods that are thrown away every year is not an easy task. For example, every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles ends up in the landfill or gets incinerated. This amounts to upwards of 31.5 billion garbage trucks of textiles every year. It is estimated that every year, 2.5 billion tonnes of waste is generated in the EU. These issues have been caused due to the linear nature of our economies. Manufacturers use raw materials and make products which are non-recyclable and perish easily. They do not consider what happens when the products reach the end their life and therefore, the products are thrown in landfills.

Continue reading “What is Circular Economy?”