The importance of chemistry for the circular economy

Abstract

This article aims to contribute to the paradigm shift away from consumerism and extraction of nonrenewable resources, which seeks to develop a symbiosis between a production system and sustainable consumption, alerting the authorities and the population about a new way of thinking about the economy, in contrast to the current linear model. The Circular Economy stimulates new management practices and changes the concept of the relationship between society and the production of consumer goods. This concept of economics covers the recycling, reuse and remanufacturing of industrial waste and refuse (organic and inorganic) and the use of renewable biomass in chemical processes. This new model of sustainability opens up excellent prospects for society in terms of job creation, education, social inclusion and poverty reduction.