The forgotten principles of the Circular Economy: A case study of how to integrate circularity concepts into production and supply chain.

Most organizations – and governments – pursuing circular designs and models seem to cherry-pick from among the three founding principles of the Circular Economy. The circular economy describes a new way of producing and consuming, reshaping supply chains to reduce, reuse, recycle and repair materials and products. However, many choose to focus on material innovation or recycling, forgetting the concepts of decoupling, reuse and regeneration. Embracing circularity principles within the supply chain can increase resilience by reducing reliance on virginmaterials and by shortening today’s long supply chains that cross many miles and borders. This article uses Cummins Inc., one of the largest manufacturers of diesel and gas engines in the world, as a case study to explore how these forgotten principles can add value throughout the supply chain.