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The linear economy-The 'take, make and waste' approach of production 

The linear economy-The 'take, make and waste' approach of production 

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Thesis
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In the face of a rising global population and the associated growing resource consumption and negative environmental impacts, the fundamental need for an alternative to the traditional linear model of growth has led to the emerging debate about circular economy. While the topic of circular economy has been receiving increasing attention in the lite...

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Context 1
... order to grow, such economic system has provided incentives to increase sales and to simulate economies of scale, which has led to an ever-increasing consumption of goods and services. As illustrated by the conceptual diagram in Figure 2, such economic model is characterized by the 'take, make, waste' pattern and is built on two strong assumptions: boundlessness and easy availability of resources (energy and raw materials) as well as a limitless regenerative capacity of the Earth. Accordingly, as the economy grows, we need more raw materials for the production of goods and we produce more waste. ...
Context 2
... of the rich diversity in the retail sector, there is no one-size-fits-all solution or approach for the implementation of circular business model. Therefore, as illustrated by Figure 20, this framework takes the core principles of circularity and applies them to four key action areas for retailers wanting to move towards the circular economy: 1) provide functionality rather than ownership 2) promote collaboration for cost effective reverse loop 3) adopt a stewardship role 4) use and serve the local economy. This four actions framework provides a structure to understand the fundamental aspects of implementing circular economy in retailing. ...
Context 3
... such reconditioning system has some key implications for the retail-manufacturer ecosystem and thus represents a strategic decision, as illustrated by Figure 22. On the one hand, retailers need to be trained and equipped for reconditioning processes as well as educated in marketing the leasing arrangements to consumers. ...
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... the retailer's perspective, stewardship activities can be divided into three broad categories which are closely linked, as illustrated in Figure 23 (Danish Environmental Protection Agency (2011, p. 2)): The role of retailers in the circular economy certified wood sourcing and proactively look for replacing more trees than are consumed to offset damage done collectively by industry over the past decades (Kingfisher (2017, p. 35)). ...
Context 5
... role of retailers in the circular economy Finally, the importance of local distributed networks is further reinforced by Weetman (2016) in her book on circular supply chain. As illustrated by Figure 24, the asset-light and lower- cost centralized networks (i.e. linear economy) are more exposed to disruption of supply flows, whereas the extra nodes and links in decentralized systems (i.e. ...
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... on the definition explained in section 4.1, the value proposition of KouniToys is summarized in Figure 25 and the four key elements are further detailed afterwards. Accordingly, many times, children will play with a toy for a while (from a few hours to a few days) and then they will lose interest. ...
Context 7
... value capture mechanism of KouniToys is a subscription model with three different subscription packages (including delivery charges), as showed in Figure 26. The subscription rate was set based on the willingness of the customer to pay for the service (i.e. based on the results of the online survey) and the number of toys (i.e. ...
Context 8
... (subscription rate + sale of toys) for a total cost of 11.3€ (the packaging (2.3€), the shipping (3.6€) and the depreciation of the toys (5.4€)), which leads to contribution margin of 12€/month. As showed by Figure 27, the first month, there is a negative contribution margin (i.e. loss) due to customer acquisition costs and after only 3 months, the company already reaches the break even at the customer level. ...
Context 9
... risks of critical resources: Price volatilities of various commodities have steeply increased over the last decade as illustrated by Figure 32. Such high price volatility is mainly explained due to short term scarcity, as supply chains are not able to keep up with increasing demand of a growing population and average consumption (Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2012, pp. ...

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... The circular economy is a viable alternative to most nations' business-as-usual or linear model. In this approach, bottled water consumption will be explored in three pathways: water, energy, and materials (Sehnem, Vazquez-Brust, Pereira, & Campos, 2019;Valavanidis, 2018;Wautelet, 2018). The water pathway focuses on improving bottled water quality, thereby reducing the risk of hydrocarbons, fluoride phthalates, and bisphenol (Martínez-Mier et al., 2005). ...
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... As illustrated in Figure 2, such economic model is characterized by the take, make, waste pattern and is built on two strong assumptions: boundlessness and easy availability of resources (energy and raw materials) as well as a limitless regenerative capacity of the Earth. Accordingly, as the economy grows, we need more raw materials for the production of goods and we produce more waste, [20]. ...
... The circular economy model is presented in Figure 3. Figure 3 illustrates in a simplified way the main phases of a circular economic model, in contrast to a traditional linear economy. In this conceptual diagram, each phase presents opportunities in terms of reducing costs and dependence on natural resources as well as limiting waste and harmful emissions to the environment, [20]. ...
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... This economic model exhibits a distinctive "take, make, waste" pattern. It is based on two foundational presumptions: the infinite availability of resources (both energy and raw materials) and the inexhaustible regenerative capaci-ty of the Earth (Wautelet, 2018). As the economy develops, the demand for raw materials increases to meet increased production requirements, consequently resulting in the increased depletion of natural resources and generation of waste. ...
... Nonetheless, the foundational principles of the linear model are no longer applicable within the contemporary global landscape. Several pivotal trends now imperil its sustainability, thus precipitating demand for an alternative economic paradigm (Wautelet, 2018). Since the 2010s, scientists around the world addressed this problem by investigating a novel economic paradigm known as the "circular economy". ...
... The rising scarcity of certain raw materials and the potential for geopolitical conflicts over resource access underscored the need for strategies that ensure resource security through recycling and reusing materials. (Wautelet, 2018). ...
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... Linear economy scheme[12] ...
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... This is an economic model that aims to design out waste and pollution, keeping materials in use for as long as possible (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2022). It is an alternative to the traditional linear economy, which follows the 'take-make-dispose' approach (Wautelet, 2018). The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a leading advocate for the circular economy, defines it as "an economy that is restorative and regenerative by design, aiming to keep products, components, and materials at their highest utility and value at all times, distinguishing between technical and biological cycles" (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2022). ...
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... The "take-make-dispose" model, represented in Figure 2, is based on the assumptions of high availability of materials and the regenerative capacity of the earth. Although LE has shown great success over the last century, it has raised many concerns as well; this model uses resources in unsustainable ways, producing large amounts of waste and harming the environment [11]. Within LE, population growth requires more and more resources to keep up with the demand generated by this growth. ...
... Within LE, population growth requires more and more resources to keep up with the demand generated by this growth. In addition to environmental impacts, there is concern about non-renewable resources, including many metals, minerals, and fossil fuels, becoming scarce [11]. Furthermore, the price of these resources is rising and becoming unpredictable, leading to an increase in costs along the value chain and to higher prices for end consumers. ...
... Linear Economy "take-make-dispose" model (adapted from[11]). ...
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