The first Industrial Revolution gave rise to an economic system, born with the use of the steam engine and centered on the factory, based on the logic of market saturation and consumption linked to the satisfaction of basic needs. Over time, the West, thanks to electricity and the internal combustion engine, saw the rise of a process marked by the cycle of mass production and its disposal, which, in the modern era with the advent of information technology and the saturation of markets, shifted the focus to the economy of services linked to the product with the goal of gaining customer loyalty and the satisfaction of new dormant needs. The effects of this growth model have had significant environmental and social impacts, such as mass consumerism and widespread pollution of air, land, and water. In the East and in models other than western capitalism, things have not been any better. Where planned economy has prevailed, environmental and social damages have been far greater, due to a lack of sensitivity to the control of public affairs, while Developing countries have seen development with lack of a culture of civic responsibility that has led to a disposal of products that has gone from initial reuse, due to scarcity, to reckless disposal failing to foresee the impacts on the environment and people’s health, as well demonstrated by the amount of plastic that has accumulated in the Oceans. Nowadays, there is widespread awareness not only of the interconnection between the economy and the environment, but also that an economic model, based on continuous growth built on the consumption of scarce resources, has increased pressure on the environment, generating negative externalities that threaten ecosystems and deplete natural resources. Globally, the inefficiencies of different economic systems not only show that many resources are wasted—for example, in developed Europe only a fraction of waste is recycled and in the rest of the world things are much worse—they also condemn future generations to pay a very high debt not just in economic terms, but also in relation to quality of life and opportunity. A circular economy, on the other hand, could provide not only a useful approach to eliminating waste by valuing all the resources already available through maximum value extraction, but also a criterion capable of generating new value as, for example, in the case of second-hand clothes that are collected from waste, sorted, assessed, arranged and repurposed for “vintage” sale, producing new value and transforming the very concept of the garment. Therefore, circular economy is not only about decreasing the consumption of raw materials, but also about designing sustainable products with a longer lifecycle, which includes their reuse through remanufacturing and finally recycling. In a nutshell, a change in mentality is suggested, through an ethical choice, both in evaluating the durability of products and in conceiving the purchase of something that is not new. Such a transformation clashes with the concept of market share, continuous growth and the company’s short-term focus. It is clear that in order to overcome these cognitive hurdles, it is crucial that companies internalise sustainable growth into their strategy and, even before that, as part of their purpose. As proven by a number of successful cases of companies operating with the circular economy philosophy, it is now a proven fact that it is able to generate growth and income, while at the same time reducing raw material waste. The process of conversion to circular economy, also carried out in Europe by automotive manufacturers in the premium segment, not only mitigates supply risks, but also the trade deficit of processing countries such as Italy or Germany, generating jobs thanks to reconditioning, which in some sectors involves the employment of labor with relevant technical skills. This is an issue that is also becoming geopolitical, given the different positions of different governments in pursuing sustainability and waste reduction policies. As in the case of CSR, there are governments that are investing heavily in the reuse and remanufacturing of products and others that are struggling with waste management, which has become a real ecological bomb. The very choice to dispose of waste in other countries, which are able to propose appropriate and functioning technologies and solutions, changes the relationship between governments and proposes projections of influence that can be decisive in the near future. The transition to electric in automotive itself is generating significant issues in relation to battery disposal and the sustainability of the business, given the use of raw materials for construction that heavily affects the planet. This paper will analyze the geopolitical and geoeconomic impacts of circular economy and how it can become a force in the foreign policy of nation states.

Geopolitics of Circular Economy

章节
发表日期：

2025年

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Massimo Franchi

摘要

The first Industrial Revolution gave rise to an economic system, born with the use of the steam engine and centered on the factory, based on the logic of market saturation and consumption linked to the satisfaction of basic needs. Over time, the West, thanks to electricity and the internal combustion engine, saw the rise of a process marked by the cycle of mass production and its disposal, which, in the modern era with the advent of information technology and the saturation of markets, shifted the focus to the economy of services linked to the product with the goal of gaining customer loyalty and the satisfaction of new dormant needs. The effects of this growth model have had significant environmental and social impacts, such as mass consumerism and widespread pollution of air, land, and water. In the East and in models other than western capitalism, things have not been any better. Where planned economy has prevailed, environmental and social damages have been far greater, due to a lack of sensitivity to the control of public affairs, while Developing countries have seen development with lack of a culture of civic responsibility that has led to a disposal of products that has gone from initial reuse, due to scarcity, to reckless disposal failing to foresee the impacts on the environment and people’s health, as well demonstrated by the amount of plastic that has accumulated in the Oceans. Nowadays, there is widespread awareness not only of the interconnection between the economy and the environment, but also that an economic model, based on continuous growth built on the consumption of scarce resources, has increased pressure on the environment, generating negative externalities that threaten ecosystems and deplete natural resources. Globally, the inefficiencies of different economic systems not only show that many resources are wasted—for example, in developed Europe only a fraction of waste is recycled and in the rest of the world things are much worse—they also condemn future generations to pay a very high debt not just in economic terms, but also in relation to quality of life and opportunity. A circular economy, on the other hand, could provide not only a useful approach to eliminating waste by valuing all the resources already available through maximum value extraction, but also a criterion capable of generating new value as, for example, in the case of second-hand clothes that are collected from waste, sorted, assessed, arranged and repurposed for “vintage” sale, producing new value and transforming the very concept of the garment. Therefore, circular economy is not only about decreasing the consumption of raw materials, but also about designing sustainable products with a longer lifecycle, which includes their reuse through remanufacturing and finally recycling. In a nutshell, a change in mentality is suggested, through an ethical choice, both in evaluating the durability of products and in conceiving the purchase of something that is not new. Such a transformation clashes with the concept of market share, continuous growth and the company’s short-term focus. It is clear that in order to overcome these cognitive hurdles, it is crucial that companies internalise sustainable growth into their strategy and, even before that, as part of their purpose. As proven by a number of successful cases of companies operating with the circular economy philosophy, it is now a proven fact that it is able to generate growth and income, while at the same time reducing raw material waste. The process of conversion to circular economy, also carried out in Europe by automotive manufacturers in the premium segment, not only mitigates supply risks, but also the trade deficit of processing countries such as Italy or Germany, generating jobs thanks to reconditioning, which in some sectors involves the employment of labor with relevant technical skills. This is an issue that is also becoming geopolitical, given the different positions of different governments in pursuing sustainability and waste reduction policies. As in the case of CSR, there are governments that are investing heavily in the reuse and remanufacturing of products and others that are struggling with waste management, which has become a real ecological bomb. The very choice to dispose of waste in other countries, which are able to propose appropriate and functioning technologies and solutions, changes the relationship between governments and proposes projections of influence that can be decisive in the near future. The transition to electric in automotive itself is generating significant issues in relation to battery disposal and the sustainability of the business, given the use of raw materials for construction that heavily affects the planet. This paper will analyze the geopolitical and geoeconomic impacts of circular economy and how it can become a force in the foreign policy of nation states.