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Circular Economy For Dummies
Imagine a waste-free future for your business, your family, and yourself A circular economy is an economic system designed to save money, eliminate waste, and achieve deep sustainability. No-brainer, right? Circular Economy For Dummies explains why the old way of doing things (linear economy) is fast going the way of the dinosaurs, and it gets you ready to think circular. From business processes and material lifecycles to circular design in just about every industry, this book is a fascinating glimpse into our sustainable future. Whether you’re looking to close the resource loop in your business or develop a greener lifestyle for yourself and your family, this book shows you how. Learn how to innovate for circular economy, how to turn trash into treasure, and how to calculate the (potentially large) amount of money this will save you. And—bonus—you’ll feel good doing the right thing and being a part of our sustainable future! The future is circular. Buck business-as-usual and learn how to create a circular economy for all!
432 pages, Paperback
First published April 7, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 1, 2022
Good introduction to this concept, but too long / repetitive, and yet not specific enough on specific policy solutions or business models.
April 26, 2022
Concepts: 5/5; Repetition: 4/5
Something that really drew me to regenerative / biodynamic agriculture and agroecology was their emphasis on circularity, so imagine how much I've been freaking out about a whole train of economic thought that wants to structure the world that way (!). This book had a solid balance of theory, industry analyses, and case studies for you to engage with circularity from a lot of different perspectives. I do wish it had gotten more into critiques though.
Lots of takeaways, but here are the main things that have stuck with me:
1. The three key concepts of circular economics: design out waste, keep materials in use for as long as possible, and regenerate natural ecosystems.
2. Expanding the 3Rs (Reduce, Re-use, Recycle) to Refuse, Rethink, Reduce, Re-use, Repair, Refurbish, Remanufacture, Repurpose, Recycle, Recover (in that order)
3. Ellen MacArthur Foundation Butterfly Diagram - genuinely life-changing
Something that really drew me to regenerative / biodynamic agriculture and agroecology was their emphasis on circularity, so imagine how much I've been freaking out about a whole train of economic thought that wants to structure the world that way (!). This book had a solid balance of theory, industry analyses, and case studies for you to engage with circularity from a lot of different perspectives. I do wish it had gotten more into critiques though.
Lots of takeaways, but here are the main things that have stuck with me:
1. The three key concepts of circular economics: design out waste, keep materials in use for as long as possible, and regenerate natural ecosystems.
2. Expanding the 3Rs (Reduce, Re-use, Recycle) to Refuse, Rethink, Reduce, Re-use, Repair, Refurbish, Remanufacture, Repurpose, Recycle, Recover (in that order)
3. Ellen MacArthur Foundation Butterfly Diagram - genuinely life-changing
June 23, 2026
This is a book that had been on my to be read list for sometime and it is the first “for Dummies” book that I have read, although I have dipped into others during academia, this is the first one that was chosen because it’s content appealed to me.
I listened to this as an audiobook.
It took me much longer than expected to get through it, partly due to being seriously ill but also due to how it was delivered.
It was far too preachy and incredibly repetitive. Without the repetitions it would have been at least an hour shorter.
The biggest issue for me as a reader / listener being based in the UK, is that this book was almost exclusively about the United States of America. Which means that the facts and figures, the legislation and policies quoted don’t necessarily reflect the situation in my location - obviously including this information from other countries would have made the book even longer and more difficult to complete.
As someone who has been recycling since 1988, my knowledge and understanding of sustainability, of green issues and of the importance of a circular economy is beyond the “for Dummies” level, however, I believe that it has been a good thing listening to this book, as it has reminded me of issues I had become complacent about.
Since reading this book, I’ve changed my laundry detergent and deodorant to much greener versions. I’m drinking more tap water and I’m being even more careful about not wasting food and reducing my carbon footprint. I’ve also paid to have some trees planted in the autumn - this includes one in the managed woodland adjacent to my burial plot, and 60 trees in the rural village that I have been working in for the last five years.
The book has helped me to focus on supporting smaller, local businesses, charities and communities, while donating to global causes that help with poverty reduction, sanitation, education and in the development of a circular economy in developing countries.
If everyone who reads this takes numerous steps towards becoming a better citizen in this fragile world, we would all benefit greatly.
If you manufacture, market, or distribute anything, please read this book.
If you are concerned that in our lifetimes, we will do irreparable damage to the planet and bring about the destruction of our planet please read this book and take actions to stop this destruction.
Overall it was a useful book to listen to.
I believe I now need to concentrate on the political processes and work to make sure British politicians understand that they and their international counterparts are not acting fast enough.
I listened to this as an audiobook.
It took me much longer than expected to get through it, partly due to being seriously ill but also due to how it was delivered.
It was far too preachy and incredibly repetitive. Without the repetitions it would have been at least an hour shorter.
The biggest issue for me as a reader / listener being based in the UK, is that this book was almost exclusively about the United States of America. Which means that the facts and figures, the legislation and policies quoted don’t necessarily reflect the situation in my location - obviously including this information from other countries would have made the book even longer and more difficult to complete.
As someone who has been recycling since 1988, my knowledge and understanding of sustainability, of green issues and of the importance of a circular economy is beyond the “for Dummies” level, however, I believe that it has been a good thing listening to this book, as it has reminded me of issues I had become complacent about.
Since reading this book, I’ve changed my laundry detergent and deodorant to much greener versions. I’m drinking more tap water and I’m being even more careful about not wasting food and reducing my carbon footprint. I’ve also paid to have some trees planted in the autumn - this includes one in the managed woodland adjacent to my burial plot, and 60 trees in the rural village that I have been working in for the last five years.
The book has helped me to focus on supporting smaller, local businesses, charities and communities, while donating to global causes that help with poverty reduction, sanitation, education and in the development of a circular economy in developing countries.
If everyone who reads this takes numerous steps towards becoming a better citizen in this fragile world, we would all benefit greatly.
If you manufacture, market, or distribute anything, please read this book.
If you are concerned that in our lifetimes, we will do irreparable damage to the planet and bring about the destruction of our planet please read this book and take actions to stop this destruction.
Overall it was a useful book to listen to.
I believe I now need to concentrate on the political processes and work to make sure British politicians understand that they and their international counterparts are not acting fast enough.
August 8, 2022
4.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews