Ángel Fernández Homar, the president of the Circular Economy Foundation of Spain. Mining engineer. “The circular economy is an instrument. Climate change is an act.” “Climate change is the consequence of misguided actions.” We were founded 26 years ago under other names, such as the Spanish Club of Waste. There were about 800 members. It evolved and transformed into a foundation that was called the “Institute for Resource Sustainability.” In 2014, a year before the European Commission approved the package plan for the Circular Economy, we created the Foundation. I’ve been the president of the Circular Economy Foundation of Spain since 2019 and I’ve been a patron since its creation. “It’s like a refrigerator, if you don’t replace what’s inside, it runs out.” “The linear economic model has other consequences like climate change, loss of biodiversity, among others.” ” It’s a system that doesn’t value conservation.” “What’s most important is optimizing what we have.” “With this model, the idea is that Earth’s resources are maintained as long as possible.”
When we talk about the Circular Economy, what does that mean? What are its objectives?
The current economic model has been around for more than 100 years. Since the 19th century that linear model has been in place, which is our current model. It’s a model that extracts nature’s raw materials to create products, consumes them, and throws them away. This model operates on the idea that Earth has infinite resources that will never be exhausted, no matter how much we use them. It’s like a refrigerator, if you don’t replace what’s inside, it runs out. This is more or less what’s happening with the linear economic model. It’s a system that doesn’t value conservation. This model also has other consequences like climate change and loss of biodiversity, among others. It all originates from the misuse of resources. Although it’s true that the linear model has achieved an increase in life quality, it needs to be rerouted now. The circular economy is an attempt to optimize that model, change its bad habits, and take greater advantage of the resources we have. With this model, the idea is that Earth’s resources are maintained as long as possible The objective is to create a preventative medicine. Waste is the failure of the system. Waste is a resource that, due to its poor management, has made people sick. The treatment is recycling, or energy recovery, but it doesn’t just stop being a resource that causes sickness, it’s still waste. The worst case is when that waste ends up in a landfill (which means the death of the resource). The circular economy offers the instruments to take the minimum amount of pure resources possible from nature and have the smallest effect possible on climate change in its life cycle. For this, the circular economy does many things it offers strategies like improving the fabrication and design of servitization products, (changing possession into service use), so that resources are better taken advantage of. Searching for energies that don’t cause contamination, reasonable use of water, etc.
Do you believe that we consume resources faster that can sustain the planet?
Without a doubt. That’s clear. We have to remember the pace of population growth. There are now about 7 billion people on the planet. We’re projected to reach 10 billion by 2050 and up to 11 billion by the end of the century. The middle class is growing throughout the world, which is good news. The middle class has the greatest resource consumption, so at the pace we’re going, we need two worlds and a way to supply us with what we need. Obviously, we don’t have that. Our consumption of resources is unbalanced and we’re creating environmental impacts on the earth that its not capable of handling or neutralizing. Gandhi once said “The world has enough for everyone’s needs, but not everyone’s greed”. It’s true that our population is growing more and more and we have to be a lot smarter so that we don’t reach that point of scarcity. We have to learn to conserve resources.
“At the pace we’re going, we need two worlds and a way to supply us with what we need.”
Ángel Fernández Homar
What’s the relationship between climate change and the circular economy?
The circular economy is an instrument, climate change is an act. Climate change is a consequence of a series of actions and decisions, we emit more gasses into the atmosphere at a faster rate than what nature is capable of absorbing, CO2, methane, nitrous oxide, etc. The circular economy examines how it can maintain our quality of life without those harmful effects. If we reuse products more, we stop emitting greenhouse gases during the extraction process, the fabrication process, etc. Climate change is the consequence of misguided actions.
How long will it be until we’re seriously advocating for the circular economy?
Today, all developed countries are convinced that we have to boost the circular economy. The UN is advocating in a very important way. These days we’re in a diagnostic phase and a phase of policy proposals. We have a lot of good intentions and policies, but we still have to implement them in many different fields. I think we’re on the right track, I think that things should be moving faster. Behind all of this, there’s an economic system and a mentality of the people that has them stuck in habits of consuming, which is difficult to change over night. It’s a society with a very linear economic perspective, this is what’s going to be hardest about adapting to new norms. The new economy will work, if we’re capable of improving the quality of life of the people. If not, it will fail. There are enough arguments to show that. It’s also true that not everyone is willing to change. It’s a system, a complex change that means modifying the entire economic model of the world, so it is true that resources really are running out, that we’re experiencing climate change, a loss of biodiversity, etc. We may not have as much time as we need, causing tension between what we want and what’s possible.
“We have a lot of good intentions and policies, but we still have a long way to go to implement them.” “It’s also true that not everyone is willing to change.”
Ángel Fernández Homar
Are we really aware of the amount of waste we produce and the collateral damage? Is there a solution for that?
I don’t think we’re aware at a societal level, not at all. It’s difficult because, among other factors, a person has to be well-informed in order to be aware and we don’t always receive information without bias. The public reaches a point where they go numb due to an excess of information. This prevents people from being properly informed. It’s something that everyone is responsible for. It’s more comfortable for people to keep consuming, and there aren’t many other options being presented. When people see options that interest them, they show up. What’s important is showing people other options that can improve their quality of life.
“We’re not aware at a societal level at all. It’s something that everyone is responsible for.” “When people see options that interest them, they show up.”
Ángel Fernández Homar
What countries are currently on the right track regarding the circular economy?
Europe in general is very far along in their process for change. France has taken pioneer measures with respect to the rest of Europe. Regarding food waste, integrated managment systems for packaging, glass, textiles, furniture, France is way ahead of other countries. In terms of ecodesign, northern European countries are further ahead. Spain is in its initial phase, we passed the Spanish Circular Economy Plan, now they’re coming out with partial plans for every three years, which will be put into place. At the autonomous community level there are communities that now have their own plans for a circular economy, but we’re still at the starting line.
What can each of us do to support this?
I’d say that the most important thing is optimizing what we have. We have to start thinking about repairing things. We have to better optimize and buy smarter in order to avoid waste. We have to follow all guidelines. It’s a change in mentality that we need to change our quality of life and optimize resources.
Translated by: Zach Beacher