Correctly understand the scientific connotation of circular economy

As a new mode of economic development, although the concept of circular economy has been widely accepted by people, there are many misunderstandings in understanding. Therefore, it is imperative to clarify the source and understand what “circular economy is”. At the same time, we should seriously consider from another perspective that “circular economy is not what”.

Circular economy is not "recycling waste"

In understanding the recycling economy, it is easy to regard it as a once-used waste recycling. However, compared to the traditional "linear economy", circular economy is a new mode of economic development, which is essentially different from "waste recycling".

First of all, circular economy is an economic development model that is in harmony with the environment. It requires the organization of economic activities into a feedback process of "resources, products, and renewable resources." It is characterized by low exploitation, high utilization, and low emissions. All materials and energy must be used reasonably and lastingly in this ongoing economic cycle to reduce the impact of economic activity on the natural environment to the smallest possible extent. Let the production and consumption process basically produce no or only a small amount of waste, and fundamentally eliminate the sharp conflict between the environment and development. As for the traditional "recycling of wastes", it is mainly due to the shortage of materials in the planned economy that the shortage of supply is alleviated by saving and recycling of used materials. Therefore, the circular economy has a higher starting point and is a revolution in social production methods and lifestyles.

Second, the principle of circular economy is "reduction, reuse, and recycling." The principle of reduction aims to reduce the flow of substances and energy into the production and consumption process; the principle of reuse is to extend the length of products and services; the principle of recycling refers to turning waste into resources again to reduce the final processing volume. The core of circular economy is to “proactively” reduce wastes in order to achieve the goal of limiting waste discharge to the self-purification capacity of the environment and achieve the purpose of resource conservation and environmental improvement; and “waste recycling” is completely passive. The practice, which is completely separate from the production process and the consumption process, is completely outside the “linear” production method and does not fundamentally solve the resource and environmental issues.

Finally, the circular economy scientifically constructs a tight and closed circular system by making the environment and economic behavior scientifically, so that resources and products are no longer the same kind of mother-child relationship, but an equal mutual derivation and interdependence. Mutual supportive relationship. The circular economy advocates the rational use of pollutants from the production process as raw materials for the products, and “waste recycling” is a re-use technology for polluting waste, and is therefore relatively independent and unidirectional. Not only that, the circular economy and the "waste recycling" system are different. The development of circular economy is based on market economy and market operation. It is promoted under the strict regulations of laws and standards, and "waste recycling" is produced in China and prevails in the era of planned economy. It can also operate under the market economy.

Circular economy is not a simple resource cycle based on ancient plain understanding

He often hears the argument that “in ancient China there was also a circular economy”. Because in ancient China's rural areas, farmers have many ways of recycling resources: farmers use their firewood to cook rice, but also use their heat to heat; farmyard manure is not only waste, but also the production of materials for fertilizer fields; and so on.

This is a common mistake made by people who have “archeological archetypes”: What advanced things can be found in an ancestor. In fact, there is an essential difference between the simple recycling of resources in the ancient countryside and circular economy.

First, the starting point and purpose are different. Although the premise of both is the limited nature of resources, the simple recycling of resources in ancient times was only based on savings, and it was limited to the microeconomic field. Its impact on the resources and environment of the entire society was almost zero. This is not the case with circular economy. It takes the theory of sustainable development as the basis of ideology, and has scientific theory as a guide. It forms a closed circular industrial chain through industrial or industrial metabolism and symbiotic relationships, and achieves the purpose of resource conservation and environmental improvement.

Second, technical support is different. Ancient simple resource recycling is based on some simple techniques. Sometimes it is more of "skills" and "tricks." The recycling economy is different. It depends on a technical system or system. It integrates all the technologies that can reduce the consumption of substances, the closed material flow, and the reduction of waste generation into a system or system; it requires the determination of the technologies that need to be achieved in the future. Goals, then guide the existing technology to develop in the established direction; it requires a technical system that can significantly reduce the material flow of the input and output economic system, optimize the operation of substances within the economic system, that is, to make the best use of Conditional.

Circular economy is based on human health and safety

In vigorously advocating a circular economy, it is easy to remind people of some current behaviors that endanger human health and safety, such as the so-called “garbage pigs” and “oil waste”. Nowadays, disposable medical syringes, infusion tubes, and other medical wastes have been made into disposable plastic cups by unscrupulous traders, which has become a “lethal killer” that endangers the health and safety of urban and rural residents. It can be said that this illegal behavior that harms human health is very different from the circular economy that we advocate.

First of all, circular economy is based on the theory of sustainable development. It follows the principle of people-centeredness and follows the values ​​and development concept of human needs and interests, the role of human beings, and the overall development of human beings as the origin, starting point and destination. Through the recycling of resources, it is committed to fundamentally solving the contradiction between the socio-economic system with "growth" characteristics and the ecosystem with "stable" characteristics, so that the economy and society will achieve sustainable development. This development will not damage At the cost of human health.

Secondly, circular economy through clean production, purification of the ecological environment, minimize or use toxic and hazardous raw materials, to ensure the non-toxic and harmless intermediate products, reduce the various risk factors in the production process. By reducing the generation and emission of waste and pollutants, it promotes compatibility of the product with the environment during production and consumption, and reduces the risk to humans and the environment of the entire economic activity. At the same time, the produced cleaning products do not harm human health and ecological environment during and after use.

Finally, the circular economy starts from the ecological-economical system, adopts strategic, comprehensive and preventive measures for the whole process of material transformation, and reduces the excessive use of resources and environment by economic activities and the negative impact on human beings. Circular economy is based on the premise of human safety and health. It is not only technically feasible but also economically profitable, reflecting the unity of economic, environmental and social benefits.