"Opportunities come not just from turning trash into treasure, but from engineering systems and products to make that a regular reality." - Futurist Jim Carroll
(Futurist Jim Carroll is writing a series on 30 Megatrends, which he first outlined in his book Dancing in the Rain: How Bold Leaders Grow Stronger in Stormy Times. The trends were shared in the book as a way of demonstrating that, despite any period of economic volatility, there is always long-term opportunity to be found. The book is now in print - learn more at dancing.jimcarroll.com)
Sustainability is moving from corporate responsibility to core business strategy, despite political pushback. The circular economy, which involves turning waste streams into value, represents one of the greatest untapped opportunities of our time - a multi-trillion dollar opportunity!
Want to dig deeper? There's a full PDF here - the summary is below.
https://pdf.jimcarroll.com/Megatrend8-CircularEconomy.pdf
What's it all about? Perhaps the best example of what it is all about? Apple, at this point, essentially designs the iPhone and other products not only for sale to the consumer, but for eventual disposal, with deconstruction of returned devices for parts, materials, and more. That's called 'design for deconstruction,' and it not only makes sense from an environmental perspective, but from an economic perspective.
With that example in mind, the interesting thing is that, unlike many sustainability or other corporate responsibility initiatives, which seem to be thrown away as political sands shift, this one isn't going away. It isn't just a buzzword or a niche aspect of corporate social responsibility. It's evolving into a core business strategy.
How big an opportunity is it? Pretty big - estimates going from $339 billion in 2022 to $8 to 10 trillion by 2035!
There are a few ideas with the trend: one is designing products to last longer.
Another is to design them for deconstruction, as previously mentioned.
And a third is the integration of advanced recycling technologies into every aspect of the supply chain - so that supply chains don't just get the product to the consumer, they also take over when the consumer sends it back!
With all this in mind, there are many sector-specific opportunities.
Read the PDF for more!
https://pdf.jimcarroll.com/Megatrend8-CircularEconomy.pdf
---
Futurist Jim Carroll's book, Dancing in the Rain, is a must-read for anyone looking to discover the opportunities of tomorrow, today.
**#Circular** **#Economy** **#Sustainability** **#Innovation** **#Recycling** **#Design** **#Waste** **#Opportunity** **#Resources** **#Future**
https://jimcarroll.com/2025/07/decoding-tomorrow-30-megatrends-8-the-circular-economy-opportunities-come-not-just-from-turning-trash-into-treasure-but-from-engineering-systems-and-products-to-make-that-a-regular-reality/
"Unconditional" - The Bravery
