Switzerland is striving for a more sustainable economy
Billions of tons of materials are used to make goods and then thrown away. As consumption and inflation continue to rise, Switzerland could do more to transition to a circular economy.
This content was published on September 16, 2022 – 07:00
Produce, consume and throw away. So far, this has been the linear economic model that has dominated all developed countries, including Switzerland.
Of the 100 billion tons of materials consumed worldwide, only 9% are reused. In a circular economy, more materials would be reintroduced into the supply chain and the “life cycle” of the products we consume would be closed. This concept is based on the idea of creating value by repairing, reusing and recycling existing materials and products for as long as possible.
A large consumer of raw materials
Switzerland is not a country rich in raw materials, but it does consume a lot of them and produces a lot of waste – between 80 and 90 million tons per year. Annual waste generation per person is around 703 kg – the third highest in Europe after Denmark and Norway. The reasons for this are the high per capita income and the steady growth in population.
The price our planet pays for the standard of living in rich countries is very high. The current economy is exacerbating the scarcity of raw materials, the problem of waste and environmental pollution. This reality calls for a shift in gears, and Swiss politicians are aware of it: the Swiss government is encouraging the implementation of the circular economy, particularly in certain sectors where consumption and waste of raw materials are high. Some of these are construction, agriculture, the food industry, transportation, mechanical engineering and the chemical industry.
Closing the loop in the supply chain
Although Switzerland recycles half of its waste and is committed to better raw material recovery, there is still a lot to do: more than 5 million tons of asphalt, concrete and other materials go unused. Textile fibers and plastics could also be recycled to a greater extent.
My colleague Michele Andina made this video to explain what the circular economy is and how Switzerland could drastically reduce the exploitation of the world’s resources and its ecological footprint by changing its economic model.
>> The circular economy, a new way of making and using things:
The Swiss also focused on the circular economy Symposium Green Economyexternal linkwhere people from business, politics, science and civil society met to discuss sustainability.
What can we do in our daily life to promote the circular economy? let me knowexternal link what you think!
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