ickecirkulära

Ickecirkulära is a Swedish term used to describe activities, products, or systems that do not conform to the principles of a circular economy. It denotes scenarios in which material and energy flows are predominantly linear, with emphasis on extraction, production, use, and disposal rather than reuse, repair, refurbishing, or recycling. The term is used in policy debates and sustainability literature to contrast with circular approaches.

Characteristics often associated with ickecirkulära include short product lifetimes, planned obsolescence, single-use or non-recyclable design, dependence on virgin material, wasteful packaging, and limited producer responsibility for end-of-life management. These patterns contribute to resource depletion, higher environmental impact, and economic losses from squandered materials.

Implications and responses: governments and organizations may seek to reduce ickecirkulära through design for longevity, repairability, modular construction, extended producer responsibility, recycling infrastructure, and incentives to reuse materials. Education and standards may also push industries toward circular business models.

Examples include fast fashion with disposable garments, single-use plastics, electronics designed with difficult disassembly, construction practices that generate large amounts of waste, and vehicles with low rates of component reuse.

Terminology: While widely used in Swedish sustainability discourse, ickecirkulära is not a formal category in all policy frameworks, and its meaning can vary by context. It is often described in opposition to circular approaches, highlighting non-circular practices.

See also: Circular economy, Resource efficiency, Waste hierarchy, Design for disassembly, Extended producer responsibility, Cradle-to-cradle.