Circularity and Learning: How Education Can Drive the Circular Economy

In recent years, the idea of ​​a circular economy has gained traction as an alternative to the linear model of production and consumption that dominates the world: extract, produce, use, and discard. Circularity means rethinking this cycle, reducing waste, keeping resources in use for as long as possible, and regenerating natural systems. It's a powerful concept, but one that often remains confined to technical reports, innovative companies, or specific public policies. The great challenge is transforming it into something living, present in people's daily lives.

This is precisely where education comes in. Without learning, circularity risks becoming just another sustainability buzzword. For this transition to be real, we need to train citizens, educators, and professionals capable of understanding not only the technical aspects of the concept, but also its social, cultural, and economic implications. After all, circularity isn't just about recycling—it's about rethinking consumption habits, questioning production models, and seeking collaborative solutions to common problems.

During my experience as a moderator of the Circularity Thinking Platform, an international space for exchange between people who had already been trained by Climate-KIC Circularity Thinking Program, I realized how essential continuous learning is in this process. Many participants arrived with great interest, but also with questions about how to apply the concept in their contexts, whether in schools, universities, local governments, or social organizations. By promoting meetings, stimulating conversations, and creating opportunities for collaboration, we helped keep the flame of circularity alive, preventing the initial training from being lost over time.

What became clear to me is that circularity isn't learned in a single course. It's built through networking, constant dialogue, and the sharing of practices that work and also of mistakes that offer lessons. By transforming former training participants into a learning community, we create not only knowledge multipliers but also people who support each other in facing the complexities of transition.

Circularity, ultimately, isn't just about material resources: it's also about human relationships. Educating for circularity means educating for cooperation, for systemic thinking, and for the awareness that we are all interconnected in the same cycle. And when we understand this, the circular economy ceases to be a distant ideal and becomes a possible practice in schools, communities, organizations, and in our own daily choices.