Society’s predominant economic model is built around a linear, “take, make, waste” approach to development. It designs for short-term obsolescence that comes at great social, economic and environmental costs. A variety of sustainability solutions have been developed to respond to the wide array of problems that exist with the linear economy model. However, many of these solutions do not deal with the underlying systemic problems of the linear model and are often simply add-ons to our current linear system.
The circular economy is a different type of model that has been developed to address the problems presented by the linear economy. The circular economy is regenerative by design and is based upon several key principles: design out waste, build resilience through diversity, shift to renewable energy sources, think in systems and think in cascades. The circular economy model allows us to reconsider our relationship to products by exploring two key areas: product redesign and system redesign, both of which provide the opportunity for value-creation on many levels.
Storytelling, and specifically Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, is a powerful tool for encouraging social change and transformation. The Hero’s Journey is a story pattern that crosses religions, generations and cultures. It describes an ordinary person who ventures through multiple steps of a journey on a quest for achieving a greater good for the rest of society. The Hero’s Journey offers a unique perspective that can be used to guide businesses in the transition from a linear economy to a circular economy. The obstacles and opportunities one encounters during the 12 steps of the Hero’s Journey can be mapped to the parallel obstacles and opportunities one encounters when exploring the transformations required to move from a linear to a circular economy.
Through research and literature review, a significant gap was discovered between a company becoming interested in the circular economy and the resources available to help it move from a linear economy business model to a circular economy model. A methodology and a prototype of a handbook were developed as roadmaps for businesspeople, business leaders and organizations. The goal of these tools is to make the transition from a linear economy approach to a circular one enticing and actionable. The title of the handbook is The Hero’s Journey to a Circular Economy: A Handbook for Business. The handbook contains two “Overview pages”, as well as individual “Step pages” that guide the reader through the process of applying the Hero’s Journey to the challenging stages of moving from a linear economy to a circular economy.
Several next steps were identified for the project including: testing the prototype with a diverse audience, utilizing the tool in a workshop for senior business leaders, and utilizing the tool in academic settings. The tool could also be used to develop animations or marketing campaigns to depict the Hero’s Journey of companies that are currently exploring, and have had successes with, the circular economy model.