Circular Economy

A new model for creating value

Circular Economy: Re-considering the production cycle

The circular economy is a new paradigm for clean and sustainable industrial production, that aims to reduce its impact on the environment while enhancing its ability to create shared value for businesses, communities, and all stakeholders.

What is Circular Economy

Moving from a linear economy to a circular one means moving away from a production model where products are built directly from raw materials derived from nature, then sold to users, used for a relatively short period of time, and then disposed of. A circular economy model, on the contrary, exploits every opportunity to extend the use life of products, to allow more users access to the same product, to re-use components and materials from old products to make new ones, also ensuring that the energy and materials that go in the process come from sustainable and clean sources.

We see the Circular Economy as a key evolution that reduces pressure on the environment and generates jobs and economic growth. We have incorporated the five pillars of the Circular Economy at the heart of our strategy to boost our evolution towards this new production paradigm.

Spool of green thread in the foreground with other spools of thread behind it

The Five Pillars of the Circular Economy

Using renewable energy and renewable, recyclable or biodegradable materials in consecutive lifecycles

Promoting the use of platforms for collaboration among asset users and owners to help consumers make savings and earn profit from better use of resources

The producing company remains the owner of the asset, designed for longevity, and offers clients a service that often includes not only the use of the product but also further related benefits (training, assistance etc.)

Design and production involving extension of the product lifecycle by companies—the value that would otherwise be lost by wasting materials and energy is retained or even enhanced by repairs, updates, regeneration or remarketing

Creating production and consumption systems where assets previously regarded as waste are reused as input for new processes

Circular Economy Video Series

What Is the Circular Economy?

The Circular Economy is the new frontier of the economy, to support us in strong demographic growth and in the scarcity of available resources. Find out more about the Circular Economy and its 5 pillars in this video.

The Circular City of Enel X

Enel X imagines the Circular Cities of tomorrow: with no waste, availability of renewable energy, resources that operate at their maximum capacity for use, technology to facilitate every activity, resilience to guarantee the safety of all and economic growth. In the Circular City of the future, our electricity grid is intelligent, composed of renewable generation, with recharging points and storage systems for homes and businesses.

Assessing the Circular Economy

At Enel X we aim to accelerate growth in the field of Circular Economy through a structured monitoring and evaluation based on the 5 fundamental business principles of this economic models—because "if you can't measure it, you can't improve it."

Boosting the Circular Economy

Enel X's Circular Economy Boosting Program aims to provide solutions to increase the level of sustainability of an identified solution and at the same time stimulate its commercial appeal to the customer. Find out more in this video.

Enel X's Circular Economy Report

Using renewable sources, extending product life, creating sharing platforms, reusing and recycling, reusing products as services: these are just some aspects of the circular economy, a new economic model created for sustainability while offering businesses an extraordinary opportunity in terms of competitiveness and innovation.