How This Book Is Organized
This book is divided into six main parts — feel free to jump to any part you want. Each part is written in a way to tell you everything you need to know about a single topic inside each chapter. The following sections explain what you’ll find, and where:
Part 1: Linear Is Out, Circular Is In: An Economic Revolution
The early chapters in Part 1 help you understand the problem behind the traditional approach to making products. It starts with an overview of the damage that industrial manufacturing has created and explains that it cannot continue in its current state. Then you’ll see how the circular economy has emerged as a new model that corrects these issues. Finally, you’ll read how the traditional approach compares to a circular approach in order to identify new ways to discuss and understand both approaches.
Part 2: Rethinking Business for a Circular Economy
In Part 2, you’ll look at business in a new way that will help you identify and uncover the issues in your current business approach. You’ll quickly understand how actions that you previously assumed were “just a part of doing business” (like creating waste and using toxic chemical processes) are actually costing you money. From there, you’ll find out how to structure a new business model based on simple pillars that will improve your relationship with your customers and your suppliers — and improve your profits. Think of this book as a crash course in strategic business planning for a new, circular world.
This part concludes with an extended look into waste products for what they really are — valuable resources to be reused.
Part 3: Rethinking Material Lifecycles — The Circular Perspective
In the chapters in Part 3, you discover the bold, new concept, called lifecycle, that will help you map and understand all aspects of your products. This becomes a foundational strategy that you can use to bend and convert those old, manufacturing pathways into circular loops of sustainable goodness.
You’ll see materials in an entirely new light and make better-informed decisions about sourcing, supplying, and processing materials. Part 3 gives you a comprehensive list of case studies showing how dozens of companies are innovating their way to more profits.
The final chapter in Part 3 explores how this all comes together to encompass the packaging and reuse of these materials.
Part 4: Redesigning the Future to Be Circular
The circular economy is looking toward the future. In Part 4, you get to see the vision of what a true circular design strategy looks like for food production, product design, architecture and construction, and fashion and clothing. You’ll be inspired and excited about the innovations to come with this circular future.
Each chapter in this part covers practical examples and steps you can apply immediately to your own work in these fields. You’ll discover what’s possible in the circular designs of tomorrow, such as shoes made from plastic waste that’s harvested from the ocean or alternative wall panels made from plants.
Part 5: Creating a Circular Economy for All
A true circular economy should be equitable, accessible, and available to everyone. In this part, you’ll read about the role that each individual person plays in making this future a reality, and you’ll discover the various career opportunities that await you. We close out Part 5 with a big vision of a worldwide circular economy and what that might mean for everyone.
Part 6: The Part of Tens
This wouldn’t be a For Dummies book without these handy lists of the top ten key discussion topics. The Part of Tens is a collection of important advice and suggestions about implementing a circular approach to materials, waste, and supply chains. We wrap up the book with the best questions to ask to help get you and your team thinking in innovative ways so that you can start putting these ideas into practice.
Beyond the Book
Although this book covers the essentials of the circular economy, there’s only so much that can be covered! You might reach the end of this book and find yourself thinking, “Gosh, that was incredible. Where can I learn more about the circular economy?” If that’s the case, head over to www.dummies.com for more resources.
If you’re looking for that helpful For Dummies Cheat Sheet, visit www.dummies.com and type circular economy for dummies cheat sheet in the Search box.
The circular economy field is evolving quickly. The day after this book is printed, some company will come along and introduce a cool, innovative product with a circular design. We’ll keep up with this product and include it in future revisions of this book. We’ve also created a site at www.circulareconomyfordummies.com with extended interviews and bonus content that just didn’t fit into the book.
Luckily, other books in the For Dummies series cover some of the more technical topics in this book. For example, you might want to learn more about climate change, supply chain management, or sustainability. Experts who specialize in these areas comprehensively cover all the subject details.
We both speak regularly on the topic of sustainability and the circular economy at dozens of events a year, both online and in-person at conferences around the world. If you’re looking for a fun, entertaining, and inspirational talk, we invite you to attend our sessions and to come up and say hello. We love meeting anyone working to make the world a better place and hearing about your adventures.
You can keep up with our work and ideas by following us on Twitter (@EricCoreyFreed and @RitchieRevo), on LinkedIn (by name), or at our personal websites: www.organicarchitect.com and www.circulareconomy.studio.
We encourage you to share the topics and examples used in this book, and we ask you to include the hashtag #circulareconomyfordummies. We’ll follow and share your interesting posts!
Where to Go from Here
You don’t need to read this book from cover to cover. Each chapter is organized as a stand-alone topic so that you can go