We all have a role to play in the circular economy

In September, Pierre-Emmanuel Saint-Esprit, Director of the Circular Economy at the Manutan Group and Executive Director of the Circular Economy Chair at ESSEC Business School, announced the launch of the very first MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) dedicated to the deployment of the circular economy within organisations. This course, provided by ESSEC Business School and designed in partnership with Circulab, reminds us of the invaluable role we all have to play, as individuals, in the advent of this sustainable model.

Everyone can make a contribution to the transformation of society, whether as a consumer or as an influencer. Our primary lever for action is, of course, our purchasing power. We play an integral role in balancing supply and demand, and particularly in increasing demand for sustainable solutions. We can adjust this balance by taking action at every stage in the product life cycle: purchase, extending its useful life through repair or reconditioning, reuse through donation or resale, and finally recycling.

Pierre-Emmanuel Saint-Esprit emphasises: “The very act of buying is the one that has the greatest impact, because it will determine, through the mechanisms of supply and demand, which initiatives you support and finance or not. Here, it’s all about limiting the negative impacts of your purchases and then generating a positive impact by supporting circular and regenerative initiatives.”

Then we can act as influencers. Our power to influence is much greater than we think. Broadly speaking, it covers three levels: those around us, our organisation and the political sphere. For each of them, it’s a question of adopting the right strategy. For example, we can highlight our efforts to our friends and family, suggest ideas to our company’s CSR or purchasing departments, and vote in favour of political parties committed to these issues.

One thing is certain: our models can only be transformed by all of us together! And it starts with everyone doing their bit. Discover all the action levers within your reach in this MOOC, in French and English, via the Coursera platform.