4: The Circular Economy

Module Overview

The current lifecycle of products is linear: extraction, production, transportation, consumption, and disposal. As a result, the relationship between maker, product, and user is weakening, industry wage gaps are widening, and resources are being wasted. In this section, we will learn about a less wasteful system that incentivizes high-quality products and skilled labor.

Homework

AlgramoFor filling an ignored food gap.

10 Ways Small Businesses Benefit Their Local CommunitiesImagine your hometown or local community. Go to the main street or shopping district in your mind. Now imagine it without any small…

Used Clothes Ban May Crimp Kenyan Style. It May Also Lift Local Design.Kenya has halted imports of secondhand clothes to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The move limits fashion selection, but opens doors for the country’s designers and manufacturers.

Berkeley Spotlight

Vessel

Vessel is a free and accessible alternative to the disposable cup problem and is available on campus and in the city of Berkeley. Find their locations here.

ReUSE Store

A campus not-for-profit thrift store that runs on volunteers and community donations. ReUSE sells all clothing for $3 or less, offers clothing trades and accepts donations. ReUSE hosts a weekly repair clinic during the semester. Located in the basement of MLK, adjacent to the OCF.

UGBA 192P, Sustainable Business Consulting Projects

192P allows students to work on sustainability projects for real clients while learning about the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and consulting.

UGBA 192T, Topics in Corporate Social Responsibility

192T houses several special topics courses in corporate social responsibility. David Rochlin's section is called Better Business, Better World - if you sign up for a different section, you'll be in an entirely different course!

Association for Socially Responsible Business (ASRB)

ASRB is a student organization at Cal dedicated to providing a bridge between students and the social impact and sustainability field. Learn how to get involved here.

BEACN

BEACN is a non-profit, student-run business consulting organization. Since 2006, they have completed over 100 innovative business projects with regard to sustainability and social responsibility. Learn more here.

Engineers for a Sustainable World

ESW brings together multidisciplinary students with the goal of "building a more sustainable world through designing and implementing hands-on sustainability projects, educating students and practicing engineers on sustainability best practices, and uniting people who are passionate about sustainability to create a global network.

This week is supplemented by...

Documentary: Waste is Food

Waste is Food follows German chemist, Michael Braungart, and American designer-architect William McDonough on their journey to create the concept of "Cradle-to-Cradle" design. Cradle-to-Cradle is a design process that anticipates the end of a product's lifecycle to be reused for new resources. Braungart and McDonough work alongside big brands like Ford and Nike to rethink their production process.

Design Resources and Case Studies

The Circular Design GuideWhat if you could redesign everything? The Circular Design Guide is a collaboration between IDEO and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. It's an action-oriented set of methods, mindsets and thought starters to help innovators design circular solutions that are fit for the future.

Circular Economy Case StudiesCase studies showing the implementation of a circular economy model and circular economy thinking.

Environmental Justice

Who benefits from the linear economy?

Businesses that mass-produce items without care for downstream or upstream waste

Who is harmed by the linear economy?

Marginalized communities, often low-income communities of color, in whose communities' factories producing toxins are built
Laborers exploited during the production of cheap goods, from extraction of resources to factories to transportation and distribution
The Earth, being unable to replenish resource demand as fast as we deplete them
Small, local, artisan businesses

Marine litter and environmental justice“Marine litter is a symptom of a bigger problem,” David Boyd, Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment.

5 reasons why the economy is failing the environment, and humanityThe global economy treats the stability of Earth as a luxury good. This is a fundamental flaw that threatens humanity. It must change.