Nearly nine out of 10 (86 percent) of sustainability executives surveyed believe that circular economy will be important to their business two years from now, nearly double from two years ago when just 47 percent felt them important, according to findings of the 2016 UPS/GreenBiz Circular Economy Research Study released. Respondents project the biggest growth in the adoption of the circular economy model will come from the technology sector, especially electronics such as computers and cell phones, as take-back systems and product reuse are most easily integrated in those models.
The online study, conducted by GreenBiz Group in partnership with UPS, captures the sentiments of sustainability executives and thought leaders to provide a deeper understanding of the business drivers and challenges associated with the circular economy. The circular economy is defined as an alternative to a traditional linear economy (make-use-dispose) in which we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them while in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life.