We live in a world where overconsumption has led to severe environmental impacts, including resource depletion, pollution, and ever-growing landfills. Many of our current systems operate in a linear way: we extract resources, use them to create products, and then discard them as waste. This unsustainable approach has resulted in significant harm to our ecosystems—landfill disasters, pollution of waterways, and a depletion of natural resources being just a few of the consequences.

Recently, I shared a video on LinkedIn of Sungai Watch cleaning a river in Bali. While this video was incredibly satisfying and encouraging, it made me reflect on the root of the problem: why is there so much waste in the first place? As an engineer, I often ask myself, what is the ideal state, and how can we reach it?

The efforts of Sungai Watch are undoubtedly impactful, preventing tons of plastic waste from reaching the ocean. But from an efficiency standpoint, the real challenge is cutting waste at the source. This brings us to one of the core principles of the circular economy: rethinking the design phase. By reforming how we design products and processes, we can prevent waste from ever being generated. In some cases, this may even mean refusing certain materials entirely.

Sungai Design transforms collected waste into beautiful, sustainable products like chairs—check out their website for more examples. It’s a perfect demonstration of how we can turn problems into creative, impactful solutions. While Sungai Design successfully closes the loop by finding innovative ways to repurpose waste, the ultimate goal should be to prevent waste from being created in the first place. This is where the circular economy really shines: it pushes us to think about waste prevention from the very beginning, starting with thoughtful, sustainable design choices.

Understanding the Circular Economy In contrast to the linear model, the circular economy seeks to close the loop by rethinking how we use and reuse resources. It emphasizes the importance of extending the lifecycle of products through recycling, reusing, repairing, and refurbishing. The goal is to reduce waste, conserve natural resources, and minimize environmental harm.

Linear vs. Circular Economy

After understanding the differences between the linear economy—a one-way street where resources are extracted, used, and discarded—and the circular economy, a closed-loop system designed to keep materials in use and reduce waste, the next question is: Why isn’t everyone transitioning to circularity? The answer lies in the challenges that businesses face when trying to make this shift.

The hardest part for every sustainability professional is that sustainability is all about change—and change, no matter how beneficial, is always difficult. Convincing decision-makers, executives, and teams to embrace new models can be daunting. It’s about moving out of the comfort zone. The linear economy is the status quo, the familiar way businesses have been operating for decades. It’s a comfort zone where processes are well-established, and moving to a circular model feels like venturing into the unknown.

Circularity requires not only courage but also a genuine appetite for change. It involves establishing new systems, training teams, addressing unforeseen challenges, and adapting creatively. This shift can be intimidating, but it is essential for long-term success.

This shift toward circularity is not just a challenge for the sustainability or circularity teams—it touches every part of the business. For example:

In short, circularity is a company-wide transformation, requiring coordination across departments and a unified approach to tackle these changes.

One of the biggest challenges is the tendency for businesses to rely on recycling as a quick fix. If you think about the 5-phase waste hierarchy (Avoid, Reduce, Reuse, Innovate, Recycle), recycling should be the last resort, not the go-to solution. However, for many decision-makers, recycling offers an easy pass that avoids the complexity of redesigning products or rethinking supply chains. This mindset prevents companies from exploring deeper circular economy principles that go beyond recycling, such as reducing resource use from the outset or designing products that last longer or can be easily disassembled and repurposed.

Circularity often demands collaboration—not just internally but with industry peers, and sometimes even with competitors. For example, reverse logistics and packaging collection require companies to cooperate on systems that allow materials to be returned, reused, or recycled efficiently. This shift requires an open mind, where businesses can set aside pure competition for the sake of a higher purpose: advancing sustainability and ensuring the success of circular economy initiatives. This collaborative mindset can create shared value, benefiting entire industries and paving the way for widespread adoption of circular practices.

While the challenges are real, there’s hope. Today, we have numerous examples of best practices and industry leaders successfully implementing circular economy principles. Support from experts in the field can guide companies through the transition, showing them how to follow the best steps for their specific industry. Whether it’s sourcing more sustainable materials or redesigning products for longevity, the transition to a circular economy is not only possible but increasingly necessary for businesses to remain competitive in a changing world.

Today, the push toward circularity is no longer coming solely from regulators; it’s also being driven by customers, investors, and industry trends. Regulatory frameworks like the EU Circular Economy Action Plan are part of this movement, but more importantly, so are the growing demands from consumers and stakeholders who want sustainable solutions. The whole ESG disclosure framework places an increasing focus on circularity. While disclosing circular economy efforts may be sufficient for now, the reality is that businesses will need to continuously improve their practices in the coming years to meet evolving standards and expectations.

As a sustainability manager, your role goes beyond compliance. It’s about constantly raising awareness, educating your teams and stakeholders, and always exploring new opportunities. You must keep up with best practices in your industry, ensuring that stakeholders are aware of future trends, risks, and opportunities. The shift to a circular economy is inevitable, and those who proactively embrace it will be the ones to thrive in the sustainable future ahead.

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This post shows the 5 essential skills every professional aspire to enter the sustainability sphere should develop Link

Title: Deep Work

Author: Cal Newport

I picked up "Deep Work" by Cal Newport because I’ve been feeling the pressure of managing multiple projects, both at work and in my personal life. I’m already at the edge, and I realized that unless I find a way to focus better, it won’t be possible to balance everything effectively. Newport’s book was exactly what I needed—it validated the challenges I’m facing and provided a clear path forward.

The core idea of the book is simple but powerful: to achieve meaningful progress, we need to dedicate focused, uninterrupted time to our most cognitively demanding tasks. Newport defines this as deep work, and in today’s world of endless distractions, cultivating this skill has become increasingly rare, yet incredibly valuable. He contrasts it with shallow work, which is the busywork we all get caught up in—easy to complete but not truly impactful in the long run.

The book is divided into two parts that really resonated with me:

For me, just understanding the challenge allowed me to make some important adjustments. I now separate tasks that require focus for weekends, while juggling less demanding ones after working hours. At work, I’ve set some rules to block off early Monday and late Friday for distraction-free time. This approach ensures I can start the week by setting priorities and end it by making sure nothing important gets missed, tackling the biggest tasks first.

In this section, I usually share 3 takeaways from a podcast I’m currently following. These books are mostly non-fiction, often focused on self-development, and unrelated to sustainability. I’d love to know if you find this content interesting and if you'd like me to continue, or if you think it’s better to stop.

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