The term 'Circular Economy' has been around since the late 1980s to describe an economic system where waste at extraction, production, and consumption stages is turned into inputs. Put plainly, a circular economy encourages a transition from a 'take, make, and throw away' model, to one in which natural and technological resources are retained and reused at equal value. Essentially encouraging a 'cradle-to-cradle' rather than 'cradle-to-grave' mindset during the design process.

What does this mean for planning? A ‘Circular Economy Statement’ is currently a validation requirement for Referrable planning applications in London. More widely, forward-thinking planning authorities are increasingly requiring that the whole-of-life impact of a development be assessed at planning stage. This often requires design changes at the outset so that disassembly and re-use can be designed in.

This webinar will set the scene and explain a little more about the concepts behind Circular Economy and Cradle-to-Cradle design, then explore what this means for planning and the built environment.