The third principle of the circular economy is to regenerate nature. By moving from a take-make-waste linear economy to a circular economy, we support natural processes and leave more room for nature to thrive.
From extraction to regeneration
By shifting our economy from linear to circular, we shift the focus from extraction to regeneration. Instead of continuously degrading nature, we build natural capital. We employ farming practises that allow nature to rebuild soils and increase biodiversity, and return biological materials to the earth. Currently, most of these materials are lost after use and the land used to grow them is depleted of nutrients.
If we move to a regenerative model, we begin to emulate natural systems. There is no waste in nature. When a leaf falls from a tree it feeds the forest. For billions of years, natural systems have regenerated themselves. Waste is a human invention.
The food industry
The obvious place to start when shifting to an economy that regenerates nature is the food industry. The way we produce food today is a significant driver of both climate change and biodiversity loss. It relies upon ever-increasing quantities of synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, fossil fuels, fresh water, and other finite resources. These are a source of pollution and damage to ecosystems and human health.
By producing our food regeneratively, the focus is on improving soil health. Regenerative farming practises can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food production by reducing reliance on synthetic inputs and by building healthy soils that absorb rather than release carbon. As well as helping restore the natural carbon cycle, healthy soils are better able to hold water, reducing the impact of droughts, and are better able to absorb water, reducing the risk of flooding.
These regenerative food production practises include agroecology, conservation agriculture, and agroforestry (growing trees around or among crops or pasture). This results in agricultural land that more closely resembles natural ecosystems like forest and native grassland, providing habitat for a wide range of organisms, thereby increasing biodiversity. By reducing the need for synthetic inputs and pesticides, pollinators and microbes in the soils, which are essential for the maintenance of healthy ecosystems, can thrive.
More space for nature
In addition to the food system, there are other benefits for natural ecosystems by adopting a circular economy. By keeping products and materials in use, less land is required for sourcing virgin raw materials, e.g. from mines. If we gradually decouple economic activity from material extraction by keeping materials in circulation after use, more and more land can be returned to nature and rewilding can happen.
In a circular economycircular economyA systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. It is based on three principles, driven by design: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature., land dedicated to material sourcing will increasingly be focussed on renewable resources, grown in a regenerative way, rather than the extraction of finite materialsfinite materialsMaterials that are non-renewable on timescales relevant to the economy, i.e. not geological timescales., which will increasingly remain in circulation. All this will be underpinned by a transition to 100% renewable energyrenewable energyEnergy derived from resources that are not depleted on timescales relevant to the economy, i.e. not geological timescales., produced using infrastructure designed for reusereuseThe repeated use of a product or component for its intended purpose without significant modification., repairrepairOperation by which a faulty or broken product or component is returned back to a usable state to fulfil its intended use., remanufactureremanufactureRe-engineer products and components to as-new condition with the same, or improved, level of performance as a newly manufactured one., and recycling.
Tackling climate change
Transitioning to renewable energy alone will only tackle 55% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The rest come from the way we make and use products and food, and manage land – this is where the circular economy comes in. The economic, health, and environmental benefits of a circular economy for food alone would be worth USD 2.7 trillion a year by 2050. By adopting circular economy principles, the food industry could halve its projected greenhouse gas emissions in 2050.
Examples of companies regenerating nature
Connect the Dots is a city-led initiative to promote local regenerative agriculture in the rural zone of the state of São Paulo, protecting natural systems threatened by urban sprawl and conventional agricultural practises. The municipality purchases produce from local farmers to provide healthy food for vulnerable people. It does so at 30% more than market value to incentivise the transition to regenerative practises and promote social inclusion.
Connect the Dots is creating a circular economy for food by supporting local farmers as they transition to regenerative practices.
Natura is South America’s largest cosmetic company and the fifth largest beauty company in the world. It produces a huge range of products including soaps, creams, and shampoos, all of which rely on the rich biodiversity of the Amazon for ingredients and materials, as well as the ‘bio-intelligence ’ of indigenous communities. The company’s supply chain includes almost 40 types of ‘biodiversity assets’ (plant-derived ingredients) and the involvement of about 7,000 families.
A key element of Natura’s business model is the concept of the ‘standing forest’ economy. In simple terms, this means that a tree has much more economic value standing than felled. This philosophy has preserved over 2 million hectares of the Amazon rainforest, with the goal of increasing this area to 3 million hectares by 2030.
Natura has helped conserve 2 million hectares of rainforest.
The principle of regenerating nature is not limited to the land and can be applied to the ocean as well. GreenWave’s 3D ocean farming method produces a mixture of shellfish and seaweeds in a nature-positive way. It comprises a simple lattice of ropes and baskets suspended just below the surface, with species growing at different depths. This approach can be used for commercial farming of products used for food, fertiliser, animal feed, and bioplastics, while restoring marine ecosystems.
Regenerative ocean farms can also boost marine biodiversity. The farms’ assemblies mimic the vertical structure of an ocean reef, providing layers of different habitats for a wide diversity of marine species.
The 3D method of regenerative ocean farming is very effective as it stacks a number of enterprises on top of each other, creating abundance in a small area. As it is fairly simple, start-up costs are low. Anyone with access to 20 acres and a boat can set up a farm for USD 20,000 - 50,000, producing about 60,000 kg of kelp and 250,000 shellfish each year.
The World Economic Forum has estimated that if seaweed production was increased by 14% each year, by 2050 it would have boosted the global supply of food by 500 million tonnes, equivalent to 10%.
Moving forwards
By adopting the third principle of the circular economy – regenerate nature – we can shift our priorities. No longer should our focus be simply on doing less harm to the environment, but on how we can actively improve it. If the economy follows circular principles, the more we do, the greater the benefits.
