The circular economy Moving from theory to practice
October 2016

The circular economy: Moving from theory to practice

A special collection of articles about the transition taking place as companies use circular-economy concepts to capture more value from resources and to provide customers with better experiences.

In this issue

Article

Developing products for a circular economy

– Cross-functional collaboration and customer-focused design thinking can help companies reap more value from the energy and resources they use.
Article

Style that’s sustainable: A new fast-fashion formula

– Stylish, affordable clothing has been a hit with shoppers. Now companies are trying to reduce its social and environmental costs.
Report

Growth within: A circular economy vision for a competitive Europe

– This report offers a vision for a circular economy in Europe, and argues that it is an inherently attractive alternative to our current “linear” development path, finding positive employment effects—0.6 percent additional annual growth, and 48 percent reduction of CO2 emissions by 2030.
Article

Managing waste in emerging markets

– Growing economic prosperity is rapidly increasing waste volumes in emerging countries. We discuss how governments can react to contain human and ecological health risks.
Report

The new plastics economy: Rethinking the future of plastics

– The overarching vision of the New Plastics Economy is that plastics never become waste. Instead, through alignment of design, production, and logistics with circular economy principles, they re-enter the economy for re-use as valuable technical or biological nutrients.
Interview - McKinsey Quarterly

Toward a circular economy in food

– The French food and water company Danone has a history of environmental awareness. In this interview with McKinsey partner Clarisse Magnin, CEO Emmanuel Faber discusses his commitment to resource efficiency.

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