From Linear to Circular
March 2, 2024
Recently I completed a course Design for a Better World by Don Norman, where I encountered the concept of Circular Economy. The main idea is to switch from the traditional mindset of selling products to the new mindset of selling services.
The Linear Model
Conventionally, we were taught that the goal of consumerism is to sell more and more products to customers. And the key is supply and demand. At times, it goes a little too far where companies will “create” demand (think of digital or cosmetic products) to sustain sales. This model is considered “linear” since it only considers product production and consumption, and never cares about what will happen after the consumption. As a result, more and more new products are produced, leading to excessive waste, as consumers have to throw away older items for newer ones.
The Circular Model
The idea of Circular Economy is to shift from the mindset of selling products to selling services. It emphasizes the entire lifecycle of a product. For instance, instead of selling cars, sell the service of transportation. This way, instead of selling more new cars and throwing away old ones, sellers can apply a subscription model and help recycle old cars. This concept is also called Transportation as a Service (TaaS).
Some Thoughts
Personally speaking, I found the traditional model of consumerism overwhelming: I always end up with unnecessary products such as tons of clothes and digital gadgets. To me, the Circular model is not only a means to protect the environment, but also a more sustainable and simple way of living. For example, if I only subscribe to my digital products, I don’t need to think about how to deal with my old laptops or when to upgrade my phones, the service provider will take care of everything to make sure I am on the latest versions. I am kind of hoping the same subscription model can be applied to other areas such as clothes and cosmetic products.
However, shifting from a mindset of ownership to subscription might be challenging, given that we are already used to “having” instead of “renting”. It u still intriguing to ponder a future where we can only live on “renting” but not “buying” things.