Throughout the world, there has been considerable thought given to the kind of economy and society we want to try and rebuild after COVID passes.  Common among these thoughts is that the world should strive to be greener and more sustainable.  It’s a sentiment shared by new research from the University of Warwick, which argues for a circular economy-based future.

The paper suggests that a circular economy could not only provide a more sustainable future but also help the world to recover financially from the pandemic.  It highlights how the pandemic has fundamentally changed many of our behaviors and attitudes, some of which have been beneficial to the planet, and indeed human health.

A greener future

For instance, the authors highlight that the improvements in air quality brought about by reduced mobility is believed to have saved more lives than COVID cost in China.  Similarly, reductions in traffic congestion and noise pollution have led to more people enjoying the outdoors and exercising more.

The authors cite the reductions in tourism and the impact that has had on the various natural habitats, from beaches to parks, that are so often abused by over-use.  There has also been a profound reduction in energy use as a result of the pandemic, with 60% less oil and 20% less electricity used, which together resulted in record low CO2 emissions around the world.

“The pandemic has highlighted the environmental folly of ‘extract, produce, use and dump’ economic model of material and energy flows, however the short term resolutions to cope with pandemic will not be sustainable in the long-run, as they do not reflect improvements in economic structures of the global economy,” the researchers explain.

“We therefore propose circular economy adoptions for all industries, with different strategies for each one. For example, embracing the transformative capabilities of digital technologies for supply chain resilience by leveraging: big data analytics for streamlining supplier selection processes; cloud computing to facilitate and manage supplier relationships; and Internet of Things for enhancing logistics and shipping processes.”