Think Like an Ecosystem: Transitioning Waste Streams to Value Streams

Abstract

To meet the material demands of the future, transitioning waste streams to value streams is a vital step in ecological and economic sustainability. Linear production design disposes of resources before their optimal value have been realized and loses recyclable resources to waste streams. The economic infrastructure of the planet needs to be reimagined to meet human and ecological needs. The development and implementation of circular systems is key to the creation of sustainable global production. Through the analysis of the copper used in medical devices, we illustrate considerations systems engineers can take to close the waste-resource gap. Developing wasteless design mimics the resiliency seen in ecosystems and accelerates the evolution of the global economy to meet the needs of companies, the environment, and humankind.