Teresa Domenech writes:  A circular economy is one that exchanges the typical cycle of make, use and dispose in favour of as much re-use and recycling as possible. The longer materials and resources are in use, the more value is extracted from them. This could contribute toward reducing Europe’s dependence on critical materials such as cobalt, fluorspar or gallium, but also reduce overall demand by recovering the resources, nutrients or energy contained in products at the end of their useful life.

Extending the life of products and materials prevents the over-generation of waste and recovers the full value of products. This would create new business opportunities and revenue streams, while minimising the environmental impact of mining, resource extraction, refining and manufacture.  The Circular Economy