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7Научная статья
СОЗДАНИЕ ЭКОНОМИКИ ЗАМКНУТОГО ЦИКЛА В ПРОДОВОЛЬСТВЕННОМ СЕКТОРЕ
Байрамова Л.И.
Азербайджанский Tехнологический Университет (г. Гянджа, Республика Азербайджан)
Аннотация. В статье рассматривается необходимость и преимущества перехода от линейной экономики к экономике замкнутого цикла в продовольственном секторе. Цель экономики замкнутого цикла - обеспечить максимальную эффективность каждого процесса на протяжении всего жизненного цикла продукта или услуги. В экономике замкнутого цикла экономические стимулы являются основой для организации переработки отходов
Ключевые слова: круговая экономика, линейная экономика, круглая упаковка, переработка.
Для цитирования: Байрамова, Л.И. Создание экономики замкнутого цикла в продовольственном секторе /Л.И. Байрамова //Наука и реальность. - 2023. - № 3 (15). - С. 54-59.
УДК 339
CREATING A CLOSED-LOOP ECONOMY IN THE FOOD SECTOR
Bayramova L. I. Azerbaijan Technological University (Ganja, Republic of Azerbaijan)
Annotation. The article discusses the necessity and advantages of the transition from a linear economy to a closed-loop economy in the food sector. The goal of a closed-loop economy is to ensure maximum efficiency of each process throughout the entire life cycle of a product or service. In a closed-loop economy, economic incentives are the basis for organizing waste recycling.
Keywords: circular economy, linear economy, round packaging, recycling.
A circular economy is a model of production and consumption that involves sharing, renting, reusing, repairing, renewing and recycling existing materials and products as much as possible to create added value. This extends the life cycle of the product and thus minimizes waste. As the product reaches its useful life, your materials will remain in the economy for as long as possible. They can be used repeatedly and efficiently to create added value. This is in contrast to the traditional linear economic model based primarily on the concept of "disposal", which requires large quantities of cheap and readily available materials and energy. Circular economy is a systematic approach to economic develop-ment designed to benefit society and the environment. Unlike the linear "take the waste" model,
the circular economy is regenerative by design and aims to gradually decouple growth from the consumption of finite resources. After defining what the economy actual-ly is, this learning path explores the nuances of the circular economy concept, including the difference between biological and technical materials, the different possibilities avai-lable to keep materials and products in use, and the history of the idea.
Most products and packaging today are designed to be used once and thrown away. This means huge amounts of wasted material and pollution. As landfills reach capacity and microplastics contaminate the world's most remote regions, the need for change is inevitable.
What is a linear economy and why we need to move to a circular economy - circular economy thinking is fast becoming a guiding force in the private sector and in the public sector, but to understand why it is so important, we need to understand the key differences between linear and circular economies. Think about your last purchase; maybe we bought a phone or a TV or a sofa-chair. It is likely that these were bought as a replacement for previous items. But where does the other old item go?
Unfortunately, with our current economic model of "take it, prepare it and throw it away", most of these used goods end up in landfills. However, we can repair the couch and chair at home and use them again instead of throwing them in the garbage.
What's the big problem with our linear economy: waste. Simply put, a linear economy and the tendency to waste valuable materials is a significant problem on a planet with fi-nite resources.
The world population is increasing and this is affecting the environment. In order to ensure that there is enough water, food and prosperity by 2050, it would be right to move from a linear economy to a circular economy. For this reason, some countries have developed a government program for a circular economy. The goal is to ensure healthy and safe living and working conditions and to do less harm to the environment. Man harms nature for his own happiness and wellbeing. There are those who argue that the process of harming nature will never end and that it can only be solved by reducing consumption and population, but there is another option. This way is called circular economy. The circular economy is the opposite of the linear economy and means that everything is produced from scratch. The main goal for the future is to reduce the use of natural reso-urces and en-sure the return of waste through recycling.
In a circular economy, products are reused. Non-reusable products are recycled by chemical or mechanical processes or biological processes such as composting. Circular packaging solutions incorporate the principles of the circular economy and seamlessly integrate into sustainability efforts.
Thermal processing is another direction that implies the "waste-to-energy" principle in the fight against waste in cities. Thermal processing allows for less land use by preventing emissions. Incineration has historically been considered one of the most common methods of dealing with waste. Currently, it is a widely used method of dealing with waste, mainly in countries with territorial restrictions.
Through thermal processing, thermal energy is converted into electrical energy and its use in other sectors is ensured. In countries with a low income level, waste is mainly burned at low temperatures and in an open form, which causes air pollution, serious negative effects on health, and the formation of various chemical compoun-ds. Preventing the fight
with waste in this form is important in the formation of "green cities" in countries with a low level of development. Application of the "3R" principle in the fight against waste: The economic growth trends in the world result in an increase in the demand for raw materials. Extraction of raw materials, proces-sing, transportation and realization of manufactured products both require more resources and generate more emissions than waste reproces-sing processes. Taking these into account, the implementation of the "3R" principle in the use of waste, i.e. reduce, reuse and recycle remains relevant. The application of this principle in the "green city" concept serves both the pur-pose of sustainability by reducing the demand for resources of cities, as well as reducing the volume of waste and emissions.
Recycling itself can be done in two forms. The first of these characterizes the continuous recycling of waste materials for the same purpose. That is, the waste material retains its original production characteristics.
Another is recycling, which involves the use of waste for various purposes. In this case, the waste material is used to meet different types of needs. From the point of view of re-cycling, selective collection of plastic, metal, paper and other waste products is appropriate. The use of this principle in waste management is more common in high-income countries.
In a world of finite resources, products and their manufacturers must adapt and adopt sustainable practices that benefit consumers and the planet. Product design and packaging offer great opportunities to move from a linear economy to a circular economy.
Evidence of a rudimentary understanding of the principles of the circular economy can be seen in the results of the global shift towards recycling in recent decades. The recycling rate in developed countries increased from 7% in 1996 to 58% in 2016-2017 with great ef-fort. Although the recycling process is an important means of keeping resources in circula-tion, it is only one part of the circular economy.
In a circular economy, it is also about a cultural and positive change in the habits of us consumers. Instead of always buying the latest and greatest, we should pay more attention to the functional value of our products and the materials used to create them. Instead of buying new, we should repair and rebuild our wardrobes, food waste we have to find ways to eliminate it, change our way of travel and choose sustainable over cheap. Many cities recycle energy, plastic, waste and water. These steps give us an idea of how the circular economy system was born and how it will develop. Many cities place great importance on recycling activities and create new areas for waste from consumption. By taking measures for air and environmental pollution caused by energy consumption, it reduces their impact as much as possible.
As the world's population increases, urbanization will increase, which will bring more energy consumption. But this cannot always be the case. According to the survey, the use of electricity has not increased in the Uni-ted States over the past 10 years despite the growing population. Likewise, this energy is provided by renewab-le resources without polluting the environment
Leveraging emerging technology and innovation research in this area will have an impact in the near future. It cannot be the result of the efforts of a single person or a group of people. Governments, businesses, and non-profit organizations must work together to promote this kind of economy and innovation. A circular economy aims to reduce waste by making the most of resources. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, one of the creators of cir-
cularity, tries to integrate both biological and technical cycles of the model into the working principles of businesses. For example, just as there is no waste in nature and waste is actually food for other living things or raw materials for production, this principle can be applied to production and create zero-waste production. The second important principle is to obtain the energy required for production from sustainable and renewable resources. As the third and most important principle, the circular economy model puts forward the principle of systematic thinking. In other words, the production should take a systematic approach in the entire value chain, from the design of the product and service to delivery and sale, it should try to avoid waste and return used products to re-production. This can be achieved through more durable and sustainable design, repair and recycling. On the basis of these principles, practical solutions have been developed for the construc-tion, food, logistics, textile and plastic industries at the tactical, operational and strategic level. In addition to non-governmental organizations and government agencies, global corporations such as Philips, Coca-Cola, Cisco, Unilever and Apple have joined these principles at various levels.
One of the main issues in this model is the emergence of an alternative consumer cultu-re. In a circular eco-nomy, we will no longer buy our products, we will take them for tem-porary use. For example, a consumer may pay for light but not for lighting fixtures, while the company owns the lighting fixtures and pays the electricity bill. Thus, the product be-comes a service, encouraging these businesses to improve product life and recyc-ling.
At first glance, this model seems favorable to all parties. But the main reason circularity is supported by global corporations is that the model promises sustained economic growth and more production. The model assumes that sustainable economic growth is possible without taking into account the limited resources of nature, and the concept of a circular economy reconciles economic growth with sustainability. In other words, it means more cars, more microchips, more building production. For example, the European Union emphasizes that the circular economy will ensure sustainable economic growth. But the rapid continuation of economic growth means an increase in waste and energy use. Over the past century, resource use has increased by 1400% (from 7 gigatons in 1900 to 62 gi-gatons in 2005 and 78 gigatons in 2010). This means an average annual growth of 3%.
First, sustainable growth complicates the application of circularity, because even if all raw materials can be recycled and recycling is 100% efficient, the amount of materials ne-eded for growth will exceed the amount of materials used and renewable. To compensate for this, we must continuously use more resources. The gap between demand and supply requires a more responsible use of resources and a change in economic policy for sustainable growth. Given that resources are ideally 71% renewable and reusable, a circular economy model can only be achieved by reducing overall usage. In a circular model, we would have to use less fossil fuels, thus using fewer raw materials. Most importantly, we need to produce fewer cars, microchips, buildings. It will enable longer-term use of resources and reproduction of raw materials. Proponents of post-growth economic ideas point out that such an economic model works. Currently operating corporate sales networks or busi-nesses based on the social entrepreneurship model are examples of how non-profit busi-ness and production are possible.
Secondly, the formation of the principles and application mechanisms of the circular economy at the strategic level is mainly carried out by global corporations in many cases by
citizens and civil societies, small and medium businesses (which make up 98.7% of the economic activity of the European Union), universities and minimizes the involvement of research institutes. For example, we can clearly see the dominant participation of global corporations and the lack of representation of other parties in leading and decision-making platforms such as the European Council Parliamentary Assembly, the World Circular Economy Forum, and the European Union Circular Economy Partners Forum. This dominance of global corporations causes the application of the model to be still based on scientific research and citizen participation, and is still circular. questions about the role of local communities and citizens in the economy remain open.
By depoliticizing sustainable development, the circular economy model tends to overshadow complex socio-economic issues, such as migration, inequality and poverty, which are the result of economic and global challenges and which the circular economy has yet to address, such as inclusion. Circularity asserts that economic and environmental prob-lems can be solved with a technical engineering approach, and solutions on how to elimi-nate or not increase intra-state and inter-state economic-social inequality as we live in an era where the production chain is more global does not offer. Clearly, the strategy is to at-tract more global corporations to cooperate and create opportunities for business. For this reason, a recent study systematically reviewing the scientific literature on the circular eco-nomy reveals a significant gap in research in this area. Current academic and policy disc-ourse focuses mainly on business models, cleaner production approaches and productivity optimization. Only an insignificant minority of the existing literature considers the social and institutional application of the model.
In addition, developing and emerging economies are left out of these decision-making pro-cesses. As I mentioned earlier, developing countries are noted to be more circular in some cases. For example, developing economies such as Azerbaijan, Colombia, and Nigeria ha-ve habits of repair and reuse, so products are not thrown away when they lose their function, but are first taken to a repairman, or when people buy milk from a local producer, they fill it in glass containers that they use continuously instead of plastic. It is possible to enumerate more of these circular economic habits and observe the same picture in the economic relations of most of the countries in the initial and middle rungs of the industrialization ladder. But these practices are only at the tactical level of circularity. In reality, these economies are striving for more industrialization and economic growth. Also, many of these countries do not have regulation regarding minimum environmental requirements. In this case, the application of circularity to developing and emerging economies and local value chain studies are needed.
By 2050, global waste production will increase by 70% to 3.4 billion metric tons. This means that if we as a society are producing more waste, it means that we are not using resources efficiently. In general, the ineffici-ency of the current economic model is the constant increase in the use of natural resources, the generation of waste and the search for solutions related to the elimination of environmental damage.
Like all the Turkish states, Azerbaijan also faces new challenges: the need to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. This means the necessity of "greening" production and consumption on the basis that ecology is today's economy.
Thus, the transformation in the field of economy and ecology fundamentally affects the economic map of the world, and taking into account the scale of global climate changes,
a significant place is given to the application of environmentally friendly technologies in so-ciety, the use of clean energy sources is expanded, waste recycling and the restoration of polluted areas are encouraged. The transition to circular economies requires adapting stakeholder interactions and decision-making mechanisms to environmental imperatives.
The transition to a circular economy is considered one of the main directions of action against climate change. A circular economy model can help create a more resourceeffi-cient and environmentally friendly society.
For the transition of Azerbaijan's economy to a circular economy, the following steps should be taken first: environmental education projects should be expanded; in order to direct the attention of taxes to pollution, the taxation system should be reformed in the near future, a "carbon price" should be introduced to stimulate the introduction of advanced lowcarbon technologies; the production of ecological products should be encouraged through the "green" public procurement policy; State investments in "green" infrastructure should be increased in parallel with the financing of technical re-equipment of "traditio-nal" industrial areas; information on the impact of economic entities on the environment and information on corporate environmental control should be disclosed.
I hope that the greening of Azerbaijan's economic development will lead to diversification and increase in export of products, increase in competitiveness of Azerbaijani companies with a high share in the processing of natural resources in foreign markets.
References
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Байрамова Ламия Ильяс кызы, старший преподаватель, Азербайджанский Технологический Университет (г. Гянджа, Республика Азербайджан).
Дата поступления: 08.06.2023
© Байрамова Л.И., 2023
