Are We Ready For A Circular Economy?

Challenges and Solutions On the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5, Ram Ramprasad presents his views on circular economy and feels that it is time for all stakeholders, individual citizens, companies, and global leaders to start dismantling old paradigms of thought and action. Building a circular economy is the responsibility of every individual, not just governments.

- Ram Ramprasad

Famous physicist Albert Einstein correctly stated that we tend to do the same things over and over and expect different results, which is the familiar old-wine-in-a-new-bottle mindset. We see it everywhere, as in linear economics, wherein ideas and policies change within the same framework, yet we believe the results will be different.

Experts speak of a circular economy, which is generally defined as having two pillars: ‘restorative’ and ‘regenerative’. Restorative is where we try to nurture an idea by preserving it, and by keeping it in its original state. For example, cell phones or laptops being recycled and aiming towards achieving zero waste. The regenerative pillar embellishes the idea and in fact transcends it by enabling a far healthier reality for the next generation. For example, the science of Ayurveda was not just an ancient tradition of consuming the right plant food for health and healing; deeper aspects of the science encouraged holistic farming and right agricultural practices to promote good soil health and organic vegetation, including a right way to raise animals. Ayurveda enabled an appropriate balance in nature and demonstrated that human digestive anatomy in all of its aspects resembles that of herbivores. The saints of India, not to mention contemporary western scientists as well, have validated this. Related nongovernmental organizations, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have endorsed it too.