The Circular Economy and the Inevitable Transition

Abstract

Traditional economic development often faces the trade-off between economic growth and environmental quality. This is because of the linear approach to economic development, which relies on resource exploitation to make products, consumption and then dispose, resulting in natural resource degradation and waste increase. The circular economy is a change approach towards restoration and regeneration, thereby reducing the dependence on natural resources and limiting emission, while not underestimating economic development. This paper conducts an in-depth analysis of the difference between the linear economy and the circular economy. Moreover, it discusses the necessity of the transition from the linear economy to the circular economy, which has recently become a trend in many countries around the world.