A lot of industry segments are experiencing significant supply chain disruptions all this first part of the year. As a result near everybody had to face higher raw material costs, longer lead times, production breaks or needed to redesign some of their products or process to avoid a full stop of operations.
While demand was surging worldwide after promising figures on COVID vaccination progress, the production capacity for raw materials, for different reasons, has been unable to match customers needs and it looks like this situation of raw materials shortage and extra costs may likely remain with us for the rest of 2021.
Closing the circle
In the context of climate change and scarcity of resources, the traditional economic model is unsustainable. The alternative strategy is to reduce the need for raw materials and the generation of waste. The concept of circular economy, although not new, has more meaning now than ever and is increasingly in vogue. Governments, entrepreneurs, researchers, and leading organizations and companies are striving to implement measures that help protect the environment and optimize resources. In addition, it is expected that this new economic model create thousands of jobs in the short and long term.
In the world, 102.3 billion tons of resources are dedicated to the manufacture of new products and 60% of the total waste that is generated is neither recycled, nor reused nor compostable.
Some countries send their waste to other regions of the planet. We cannot continue like this.
I know that from our activity as rubber flooring installers we have only a limited capacity to influence the problem, but small or medium size companies represent a big percentage of the full economy, in some countries more than 90%. In adiditon to this, about two thirds of the waste correspond to SMEs, so the circular economy paradigm will be fully linked to the evolution of small and medium-sized companies towards this system.
Remember that the sum of many grains of sand make a beach.
Take care
References:
- Theknos – Enginyers BCN – July-August 2021
- Técnica Industrial nº 329. COGITI http://www.tecnicaindustrial.es – July 2021
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