Extending the scope of the circular economy to the immaterial

The breakaway from linear models obviously applies to tangible resources, but it must also include intangible resources, such as knowledge. This is one of the conclusions of a recent study ordered by the European Commission, entitled Study of frugal innovation and reengineering of traditional techniques . Here again, our Western mental structures, which I qualify as linear, lead us to prefer the more and more approach . In the knowledge- based economy, this results in filing for patents, which are often perceived as one of the company s performance indicators. But to progress, we must also make better use of the knowledge we gather. We can create value from the synergies between different activities and between different economic sectors that are currently partitioned, and even between States.

This was the thinking behind decision taken by GE Healthcare the division of the GE Group that supplies advanced medical technologies and services to reuse radiotherapy technologies to inspect and monitor gas and oil pipelines for leaks. Completely circular companies need to know how to use and reuse their intangible assets as drivers of growth and progress.

conclusions d une récente étude commandée par la Commission européenne et intitulée « Study on frugal innovation and reengineering of traditional techniques ». Encore une fois, en Occident, nos structures mentales - que je qualifie de linéaires - nous amènent à privilégier le « toujours plus ». Dans l économie du savoir cela se traduit par des dépôts de brevets, souvent perçus comme les indicateurs de la performance d une entreprise. Mais pour progresser, il faut également que les connaissances engrangées soient mieux appliquées. Nous pouvons créer de la valeur en favorisant les synergies entre différents métiers, entre différents secteurs économiques aujourd hui cloisonnés et même entre différents États.

C est dans cet esprit que GE Healthcare, la division du groupe GE qui fournit des technologies et des services médicaux de pointe, a identifié la

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Dishoom Chowpatty Beach bar : presque entièrement conçu à partir d objets recyclés, Londres, Royaume-Uni | Dishoom Chowpatty Beach bar: almost exclusively designed from recycled materials, London, UK

Comment produire des biens qui profitent à 7 milliards d individus dans un monde aux ressources naturelles limitées ?

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