In discussing climate change and other prominent issues, we often hear about ‘systems’, such as the frequent mention of “systemic problems”. This is tied to a concept called ‘systems thinking’, and it’s an important ideological framework for understanding the circular economy.
What is systems thinking?
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a circular economy advocacy group, defines systems thinking as: “The ability to understand how the parts of a system interact to produce the behaviour of the whole.” The Foundation references systems expert Donella Meadows, who describes it as a “way of thinking that gives us the freedom to identify root causes of problems and see new opportunities.”
Systems thinking challenges us to look at the whole picture and understand how things are interconnected. It relates to the economy – and subsequently, the circular economy – in that it identifies how our current systems are grounded in linear thinking. Currently, our economy is based on resource extraction and the creation of waste and pollution. It moves in a straight line, without thorough consideration of how to manage and offset issues that arise. The circular economy seeks to overhaul this linear structure, and applies systems thinking by working from an understanding of larger problems, rather than focusing on just one piece.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation uses the example of ocean plastics to illustrate this. Plastic pollution in our oceans is a major global issue that relates to a variety of systems: overreliance on plastic, poor consumer education and awareness, lack of regulation, and so on. By seeing all the systems at play and using systems thinking, we can affect change by providing innovative solutions that address each part.
Technical approach
In order to facilitate systems thinking, there are a number of tools. The Circular Economy Practitioner Guide identifies a few of the most common ones as:
- Behaviour over time – This refers to trends in human behaviour over a certain time frame, as influenced by internal and external factors
- Policy structure – The political environment as it relates to a specific system or systems, and how it impacts decisions of individuals and groups
- Structure-behaviour relationships – This can be seen as a blend of the two above tools, looking at how behaviour changes in response to or within certain structures
Many of these tools examine human behaviour and the impact of systems on people, and vice versa. Systems thinking itself requires a mindset shift for many, as our culture and economy has been so pervasively linear for so long. In a paper for Environmental Science and Pollution Research, the authors discuss this potential, stating that a systems thinking approach, “can build up the capabilities required to identify and understand persistent linear trends and, in turn, support forward-thinking and time investment in enabling sustainable transitions.”
Overall, systems thinking within the circular economy helps us better understand where we are and why, in order to move toward a more sustainable future.
Karan is an experienced professional who has worked in multiple geographies and roles along his career. He holds a total of 10+ years of experience in manufacturing operations, and has focused his efforts towards finding solutions for waste recovery and making recovery economical for industries. 
As our Senior Research Scientist, Hormoz draws on his eight years of industrial and nine years of academic research experience in the areas of polymer science and engineering to develop new solutions for advancing circularity and sustainability.
As the Co-founder of 5REDO, Forough brings her expertise in supply chain management, business operations, inventory control, and revenue management to support the implementation of circular solutions within different industry sectors.
With her significant hands-on experience in developing and characterizing biological and chemical systems, Vicky plays a key role in 5REDO’s efforts toward developing novel products and technologies that offer improved circularity and sustainability to the industry and society. 
With several years of research experience in France and Canada, Fabien lends his expertise and passion for enzymology and microbiology to 5REDO’s sustainability innovation plans. 
With a passion for driving change and creating impact, Mahdi co-founded 5REDO to facilitate and expedite the adoption of circular economy principles in Canada. Mahdi is an alumnus of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s From Linear to Circular Programme in 2021. He also played a key role in developing and managing the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Circular Economy Seed Funding program aimed at fostering partnership development between companies and academic researchers to co-create solutions for the circular economy. 
By leveraging her expertise in life cycle analysis and process engineering, Ophela helps 5REDO to take a holistic approach to the development of circular solutions and technologies. 
As a recent graduate of chemical engineering from the University of Waterloo, Kyle brings his passion for impactful innovation and his experience with novel recycling processes to 5REDO to support our technology development initiatives. 
Shauna is a freelance journalist that covers a wide range of topics, including health, education, the environment, travel, lifestyle trends, and more. She holds a Master of Journalism from Carleton University, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Global Development from Queen’s University.