researchers, academics, students... We all have a role to play in the circular economy.

Companies are one of the cornerstones of this revolution. They are an incomparable driving force, thanks to their investments and their capacity to innovate and build partnerships. They are now aware of their responsibilities to society and they must be encouraged to pursue this dynamic.

Since the circular economy introduces new players, relationships with customers regained all their importance. Companies are also building new models, based on more direct relationships with their customers. Right from the design phase, products and services must be created with customers in order to better meet their needs and to evolve towards the made-to-measure. The objectives must be set at the earliest possible stage and the solutions must be developed together.

The world of research and innovation is also a stakeholder in this trend that must eco- design, innovate and support thoughts on the models of the future. This multitude of circular loops demands cross-organisation.

The circular economy includes the notions of sharing and reusing, plus, at the end of the line, of recycling. Which is the reason why civil society is also a key player, actively engaged in the rebuilding of this new economic model. Its attitudes towards consumption are changing from a culture based on possession towards a culture based on use.

We all have a role to play in the circular economy.

Each at their own level, they are developing complementary strategies for economic growth that respect the environment and do not consume resources that have become scarce.

Which economic model can address these imperatives and global warming right now? The circular economy is the only answer, because it rethinks the complete value chain and generates sustainable economic growth. This radically new economic model takes a multitude of forms, from sustainable procurement and eco-design, to the industrial and regional ecology, the functional economy, the extension of the lifetime of goods and recycling. It opens up a way out of the obsolete linear logic, symbolised by the produce consume discard triptych, by favouring a circular logic based on the combination of creation of shared value, the conservation of natural assets and the reduced use of resources. A genuine resource revolution is under way.

It is essential to involve and include all the players in our societies in order to generate a positive and irreversible dynamic that uses all of these levers.

By its very essence, the circular economy is collaborative

Political instances, central and local administrations, economic players and NGOs,

ReEnergy : usine d incinération et de valorisation énergétique des déchets, Roosendaal, Pays-Bas I ReEnergy: incineration and Energy-from-Waste plant, Roosendaal, Netherlands

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