Circular economy

Wageningen University & Research

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Start Date: 24 Oct, 2017
Self-Paced
Study Content: Videos

Join the transition towards a circular economy considering economic, supply chain, social, technical, managerial and environmental aspects.

Course Fee: Free

Certificate Cost: 199.00 USD

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Course Description

This course is made available through the eLearnAfrica and Edx partnership.

Do you want to contribute to a more sustainable society? Tackle the challenges in the transition towards a circular economy? In this course you will analyse what it takes to create a circular economy including sustainable supply chains.

Circular economy challenge

The transition towards a circular economy is one of the biggest challenges in order to create a more sustainable society. This transition requires an interdisciplinary approach, combining socio-technical, managerial, and environmental considerations.

Valuable resources often end up as waste. We challenge you to find and analyse examples of this in your own environment. You could consider possible solutions to reduce or recycle waste, but you soon realise that waste is not the only problem. Precious materials such as copper, gold and phosphorus are gradually disappearing. Water is becoming scarce, pollution of water and air is massive and a lot of food is thrown away.

Right now we design products from cradle to grave: from production to consumption to waste, which is a linear model. But we should design products from cradle to cradle: in a closed loop whereby they don’t become waste, but valuable resources again. And when we start thinking in circles, we might as well try to reinvent not just supply chains, but entire systems.

Because that’s what we have been doing with sustainability: we have been departing from the status quo, while cradle to cradle and circular pushes us to think outside the box.

Conventional understanding of sustainability proposes activities defined in terms of decreasing and reducing, such as ‘zero footprint’, ‘zero waste’, reduction of pollution, reduction of energy consumption. The focus is on reducing negative impacts. We call this eco-efficiency, which is often seen as a goal in itself – we can keep doing what we do, just strive to do it less.

Cradle to Cradle celebrates abundance; it recognises that people, just like ants and trees, are abundant and have a large impact on their environment. The challenge is to make this impact a positive one and we invite you to join this challenge!

Systems approach to circular economy

In this course, we therefore take a systems approach to the circular economy, considering different stakeholder perspectives, their incentive structures, and their impacts on circular alternatives.

The circular solutions will be identified by technological assessment using applied as well as emerging technologies. Since identifying and evaluating potential circular alternatives based on quantitative techniques is key in achieving sustainable solutions, you will also learn how to use life cycle assessment and agent-based modelling to assess the socio-technical and manageable challenges and environmental benefits of alternative solutions.

By integrating all perspectives in a case study, you will learn how to comprehensively and critically assess strategies to transition towards a circular economy.

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Wageningen University & Research

The rapidly increasing demand for nutritious food and its future consequences for the environment call for a much greater understanding of the global food system. WageningenX, by mobilizing a large and international community, addresses this needs effectively by offering different massive online open courses (MOOCs) within its domain. Our courses train (future) professionals in sustainable food systems and reach out to consumers to help them make informed choices about what they eat, how it is produced and the impact of their choices on the environment and society.

The complexity of global food systems requires training in a diversity of disciplines from ‘farm’ to ‘fork’. These are all imbedded in the mission of Wageningen University and Research centre: To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life! The union of expertise in various fields of natural and social sciences that Wageningen University & Research offers, leads to scientific breakthroughs that can quickly be put into practice. Moreover, our well known research centres constantly enrich our educational programmes with the latest scientific insights.

This institution is available on eLearnAfrica through partnership with Edx.

You may be able to download course materials after enrolling in this course. If not, all of the necessary course materials provided by the course instructor will be available on the provider's course page.

COLLABORATION POLICY

By enrolling in a course on or through eLearnAfrica, you are joining a special worldwide community of learners. The aspiration of eLearnAfrica is to provide anyone with an internet connection access to courses from the best universities and institutions in the world and to provide our learners the best educational experience internet technology enables. You are a part of the community that will help eLearnAfrica achieve this goal. eLearnAfrica depends upon your motivation to learn the material and to do so with honesty and academic integrity. In order to participate in eLearnAfrica, you must agree to the Honor Code below and any additional terms specific to a class.

ELEARNAFRICA HONOR CODE PLEDGE

By enrolling in a course, program, or degree hosted on the eLearnAfrica App or Site, I agree that I will:

Complete all tests and assignments on my own, unless collaboration on an assignment is explicitly permitted.
Maintain only one user account and not let anyone else use my username and/or password.
Not engage in any activity that would dishonestly improve my results, or improve or hurt the results of others.
Not post answers to problems that are being used to assess student performance.
Abide by any and all requirements of the eLearnAfrica Participants as may regard the expectations of civil or academic behavior or of community standards.

VIOLATIONS

If you are found in violation of the Terms and Conditions or Honor Code, you may be subject to one or more of the following actions:

Receiving a zero or no credit for an assignment;
Having any certificate earned in the course withheld or revoked;
Being unenrolled from a course, learning program or degree program; or
Termination of your use of the App and/or Site.
Additional actions may be taken at the sole discretion of eLearnAfrica and eLearnAfrica course providers.

No refunds will be issued in the case of any corrective action for such violations.

Honor code violations will be determined at the sole discretion of eLearnAfrica, the Partners, or Members. You will be notified if a determination has been made that you have violated this honor code and you will be informed of the corresponding action to be taken as a result of the violation.

CHANGING THE HONOR CODE

Please note that we review and may make changes to this Honor Code from time to time. Any changes to this Honor Code will be effective immediately upon posting on this page, with an updated effective date. By accessing the App and/or Site after any changes have been made, you signify your agreement on a prospective basis to the modified Honor Code and any changes contained therein. Be sure to return to this page periodically to ensure familiarity with the most current version of this Honor Code.

Effective Date: September 22, 2016