Introduction 

Pakam as a Platform-as-a-Software (PaaS) created by a Lagos-Based Social Start-up, utilizes software applications and data to promote a circular economy and achieve sustainability through recycling and waste management.

The desire of the world to have sustainable societies and development is hinged on the readiness of humanity to employ innovation, knowledge and most especially, technology for global transformation. The ambitious goals listed in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can only become reality when the value of resources in our world is optimized. 

This is what Circular Economy is to achieve; an economic model that there is a loop in the exploration, production and consumption of resources. This is contrary to the make, use and dispose disposition to the use of resources in the Linear Economic Model. With a mission to ensure that waste generation is not an aspect of production, and that value is optimized, Circular Economy remains one of the surest ways of ensuring sustainable Development. 

Businesses and global companies are actively looking for ways to incorporate the principles of Circular Economy into their operations for obvious reasons. According to Jim Sullivan, Head of Global Sustainability Innovation Accelerator and Innovative Consultant Batool Hussain: “By redesigning global value networks toward a circular economy paradigm, companies, social enterprises, governments, and communities can unlock an additional $4.5 trillion in economic output.” 

The role technology and innovation will play in global economic development and the transition to a circular economy cannot be overemphasized. As a matter of fact, Chetna Chauhan and his colleagues believe that advancement in Circular Economy and its principles can largely be made possible when coupled with technology and innovation.

Technology is a means to an end, not an end

With the constant advocacy to adopt sustainable practices to ensure a sustainable world, there is no doubt that, as usual, humanity will look to technology to solve the world’s burning sustainability and environmental issues.

New technology will, in years to come, provide the needed tools, which are economically efficient, cost-effective and automatable to solve social, environmental and economic problems.  In the words of Jim and Batool, “Technology has incalculable potential to enable humanity to be the best stewards of the biosphere and usher into existence a truly inclusive, circular economy faster, more effectively”

The solutions technology affords us in our effort to transition from Linear Economy to Circular Economy are massive. From the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Blockchain,  

For instance, In 2021, SAP, a global technology company has over the years employed the power technology that affords humanity to innovate and create solutions that accelerate Circular Economy transition all over the word.

SAP helped companies like Topolytics, in partnership with Google Cloud, to create an app that tracks, in real-time, waste flows in the UK economy. This solution has since expanded to India and several other locations. This is just a pointer to the many possibilities Circular Economy efforts our desire for sustainability and energy transition.

Green Technology in Circular Economy

Green technology, also known as clean technology or environmental technology, refers to technologies that aim to reduce the negative impact of human activities on the environment. Green technologies can include a wide range of products, services, and processes that help to reduce waste, energy consumption, and pollution.

Circular economy and green technology are closely linked, as green technologies can be a key enabler of a circular economy. A circular economy is an economic model that aims to minimize waste and maximize the use of resources by keeping materials and products in use for as long as possible. Green technologies can play a crucial role in enabling a circular economy by facilitating resource efficiency, waste reduction, and the recovery of valuable resources.

Here are some examples of how green technology can contribute to a circular economy:

Product Design: Green technology can help design products that are more durable, easier to repair, and easier to recycle. For example, using 3D printing to create complex geometries that optimize resource use and make disassembly easier.

IoT and Big Data: The Internet of Things (IoT) and big data can help track and monitor the use of resources and products, enabling more efficient use of resources and identifying opportunities for waste reduction.

Advanced Recycling Technologies: Green technologies like chemical recycling, pyrolysis, and biodegradable materials can help reduce waste and enable the recovery of valuable resources.

Renewable Energy: Green technology can facilitate the transition to renewable energy sources, reducing the reliance on non-renewable resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Sharing Platforms: Green technology can facilitate the sharing of goods and services, enabling products to be used more intensively, reducing the need for ownership, and extending the life of products.

Circular Economy and the Three Triad of Technology 

2022 LoopLab Innovator, Mr Sunday Kolawole, and his company PetsPoint Technology Limited created an application that helps pep plastic collectors collect plastics and other waste through their integrated clean-tech value chain social enterprise. 

To incorporate the principle of Circular Economy in the way businesses are done and in human interaction. Two things must be done. This includes education and orientation for people on the need to embrace these principles and also the actual implementation of these principles. For these two things to happen in our society today technology is paramount.

1. Digital Technology:

Digital technology can play a significant role in facilitating the transition to a circular economy, which is an economic model that aims to minimize waste and maximize the use of resources. Here are some examples of how digital technology can contribute to a circular economy:

Product Design: Digital technologies such as computer-aided design (CAD) software and 3D printing can enable the design of products that are more durable, easier to repair, and easier to recycle.

IoT and Big Data: The Internet of Things (IoT) and big data can help track and monitor the use of resources and products, enabling more efficient use of resources and identifying opportunities for waste reduction.

Sharing Platforms: Digital platforms can facilitate the sharing of goods and services, enabling products to be used more intensively, reducing the need for ownership, and extending the life of products.

Digital Marketplaces: Online marketplaces can facilitate the exchange and resale of used products, enabling the recovery of valuable resources and reducing waste.

Circular Business Models: Digital technology can enable circular business models such as product-as-a-service, which enable companies to offer products on a subscription basis, encouraging longer product lifetimes and reducing waste.

Blockchain: Blockchain technology can help to increase transparency and traceability in supply chains, enabling the tracking of materials and products throughout their lifecycle and ensuring that they are reused or recycled as efficiently as possible.

2. Physical Technology 

Physical technology plays a crucial role in enabling a circular economy, which is an economic model that aims to minimize waste and maximize the use of resources by keeping materials and products in use for as long as possible. Here are some examples of how physical technology can contribute to a circular economy:

Advanced Recycling Technologies: Physical technologies such as chemical recycling, pyrolysis, and mechanical recycling can help reduce waste and enable the recovery of valuable resources.

Waste-to-Energy: Technologies such as waste-to-energy systems can generate energy from waste that cannot be recycled, reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Materials Science: Advances in materials science can enable the development of materials that are more durable, easier to recycle, and have a lower environmental impact.

Industrial Symbiosis: Physical technologies can enable industrial symbiosis, which is the exchange of resources and waste between different industries, enabling the efficient use of resources and reducing waste.

Repair and Refurbishment: Physical technologies such as repair and refurbishment services can extend the life of products and reduce the need for new products to be manufactured.

Sustainable Agriculture: Physical technologies such as precision farming, crop rotation, and organic farming practices can reduce the use of chemicals and water in farming, enabling more sustainable agriculture practices.

3. BioTech In Circular Economy 

Biotech can play an important role in enabling a circular economy, which is an economic model that aims to minimize waste and maximize the use of resources by keeping materials and products in use for as long as possible. Here are some examples of how biotech can contribute to a circular economy:

Biodegradable Materials: Biotech can enable the development of biodegradable materials that can be used instead of traditional plastics, reducing the amount of waste generated and enabling the recovery of valuable resources.

Biological Nutrient Recovery: Biotech can enable the recovery of nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen from waste streams, which can be used as fertilizers in agriculture, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers and reducing waste.

Bioremediation: Biotech can enable the use of microorganisms to clean up contaminated soils and water, reducing the need for costly and environmentally damaging remediation techniques.

Biologically-Based Manufacturing: Biotech can enable the development of manufacturing processes that use biological systems instead of traditional chemical processes, reducing the environmental impact of manufacturing and enabling the recovery of valuable resources.

Biobased Chemicals: Biotech can enable the development of biobased chemicals that can be used instead of traditional petroleum-based chemicals, reducing the environmental impact of chemical production and enabling the recovery of valuable resources.

In conclusion, understanding the role of technology in our desires and plans to adopt Circular Economy principles is the first point of attaining this reality. Technology is a critical enabler of a circular economy, helping to optimize resource use, reduce waste, and enable the recovery of valuable resources. With Technology, we can create a more sustainable and resilient economy, reduce our dependence on finite resources, and help mitigate the impacts of climate change.