Business case

Reduced use of virgin materials and/or an increase of the use of secondary and bio-based materials

Reduce Material Consumption (SDG12)

Producing building materials and providing services to create residential and non-residential infrastructure and real estate


Construction and Infrastructure

Providing residential and non-residential construction services, such as architectural, engineering, planning, real-estate, contracting, and inspection services

Construction and Real Estate Services

Ensure renewable, reusable, non-toxic resources are utilised as materials and energy in an efficient way

Prioritise regenerative resources

Account for the systems perspective during the design process, to use the right materials, to design for appropriate lifetime and to design for extended future use

Design for the future

Using bio-based materials such as bioplastics, mushroom-based materials, etc.

Alternative bio-based materials and inputs

Designing products of multiple parts that can be easily exchanged

Design for modularity

Locally produced food has to travel shorter, which means less fuel is consumed and less greenhouse gases are generated. Moreover, buying locally produced food helps local farmers and markets and creates more jobs in the local businesses. 


Produce locally

Other

Regenerate strategies phase out hazardous or toxic materials and processes and substitute them with regenerative biomass resources. A circular economy aims to mimic natural cycles—by shifting to more regenerative farming practices, for example—while also maximising the share of circular biomass that enters the economy. Regeneration can happen both at the systems level (by designing regenerative processes) as well as at the product level (by switching synthetic to organic fertilisers, for example).

Regenerate

Impacts

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Industries

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Nace Sectors

The principles of a circular economy concern designing out waste, regenerating ecosystems and keeping items in use. Decoupling the economy from material flows—improving the rate of resource productivity faster than the economic growth rate—is also a consistent guide. By evolving with the growing number of applications of circular economy principles, and consolidating these strategies across thematic areas, Circle Economy’s Key Elements Framework (KE) renders the elements of the circular economy salient and serves as a basis to derive contextual strategies and interventions. 


The Framework consists of:
- Core Elements: Activities directly handling product or material flows; and uniquely,
- Enabling Elements: those that remove obstacles for core actors.


Key elements of the circular economy

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Circle Economy's framework of strategies and activities that define the circular economy

Urban Opportunities

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Based on the work of [Bocken et al. (2016)](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309699661_Product_design_and_business_model_strategies_for_a_circular_economy), the Four Flows Framework serves as a simple framework for managing resource flows in a circular economy by using less (Narrow), using for longer (Slow), using again (Cycle), and using clean, regenerative materials and energy (Regenerate).

These different principles of circular economy can be applied to our socioeconomic metabolism: we can design stocks like buildings, infrastructure, machinery, and vehicles to be rich resource mines for the future, and design manufactured goods and consumables to be cycled and made regenerative. Furthermore, the focus must also centre on getting more value out of fewer materials. Achieving the aims of a circular economy—minimising material use, regenerating the Earth, and preventing material losses—can be done through these four key strategies mentioned above.

Source: Circle Economy. (2023). *[The circularity gap report 2023](https://www.circularity-gap.world/2023)* (p.22). Amsterdam: Circle Economy. 

Four Flows Framework

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Ecomo creates low-impact buildings using modular design and prefabricated components with timber frames. Our Cape-Town based firm, founded in 2007 by Pietro Russo, specialises in consciously crafted modular homes across South Africa.
Our specialists follow a thoughtful design process that considers the natural surroundings of the building. We use the latest technology in modular construction to streamline the building process. Our projects use fewer resources, saving on material and water waste. This makes our modular homes more eco-friendly and affordable. 
The Benefits of Prefab Homes: Fast, Affordable & Eco-Friendly
There are so many advantages to modular building projects compared to traditional building:

A greener, more sustainable process
Less invasive than homes with traditional foundations
Fast, efficient assembly
More flexibility to build in a variety of locations
Excellent quality control
Minimal waste
Minimal water usage

Our structures are beautiful as well as practical. Modular homes have a warmly minimal aesthetic, and we carefully consider the light, space and textures as well as the integration into the natural environment. Learn more about the Ecomo philosophy and the benefits of modular building here.


South Africa

Africa

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Ecomo

Footprints Africa supports SMEs to adopt future-friendly practices, address the challenges of growth and create jobs, using supply chains as a tool for development. 

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Footprints Africa

<p>Ecomo has created a concept for sustainable, local, and modular houses in South Africa. These homes have been designed on sustainable design principles, incorporating low maintenance materials. They are built off-site in a factory in South Africa to minimize constructions waste and then installed on site. They can be arranged in whatever layout the client desires. The square modular units can be easily joined together in a variety of arrangements to accommodate living, play, or sleeping spaces.</p>