A 'circular economy' is a term for an industrial economy that is, by design or intention, completely restorative. In a circular economy, material flows are of two types: biological and technical. Biological nutrients are designed to reenter the biosphere safely, and technical nutrients are designed to circulate at high quality without entering the biosphere. But everything is reused. In a circular system, we don't recycle... we upcycle. ~ Ellen McCarthur
Ellen McArthur raced a sailboat alone, non stop, around the world when she was only 25 years old. The experience inspired her to quit sailing and create the Ellen McArthur Foundation, to provide the public with accurate, up to date, and freely accessible information, sourced from reputable experts in the fields of energy and resources, design, engineering, education, economics and any other topic relevant to the debate regarding a sustainable future. She advocates for the kind of change articulated by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in their seminal books, Cradle to Cradle and The Upcycle, which envision humanity flourishing in the wealth of circular economics.