We face a conundrum. The population is growing and expected to reach 9 billion people between 2040 and 2050. If world governments and civil society are successful inachieving the Sustainable Development Goals, billions of people will rise out of poverty. And 9 billion people consuming as much stuff -- food, clothing, gas and merchandise -- as today’s average middle class person will simply strip the planet bare.

这个难题的答案是在这个新现实的背景下重塑我们的业务模式。提高效率是不够的。我们需要重新设计当前的模型，将材料从地球上拉出，然后将废物扔进垃圾填埋场。

2016年7月7日，我主持了a panel discussion由荷兰大使馆主办的华盛顿特区。小组成员代表公司拥抱我们所谓的“循环经济”或不仅避免浪费的经济模式，而且是完全重新提出的。他们分享了三个有关循环经济如何为消费者，企业和地球工作的见解：

1) Bake Circular Design into the Business Model.

For each of these companies, circular design was a priority at the early stages of business model development.gDiapers, a compostable diaper company based in Australia, was founded by a husband and wife after they became parents and were shocked by the amount of diaper waste they produced.inashco, a Dutch company, formed to make use of the metals and minerals that can be harvested from the ash of industrial incinerators. AndPhilips照明制造商现在正朝着提供照明服务而不是单独的灯泡迈进。例如，公司持有10年照明维护合同与华盛顿大都会地区运输管理局。

2) Think Creatively About Your Customer Base.

Another common thread in the stories I heard from panelists was the process of getting to the right customer and understanding their needs. gDiapers originally sold compostable diapers directly to consumers, but was unable to produce them at a competitive cost. Their solution was to sell a complete diaper service to childcare centers instead, including collecting and composting the used diapers and selling the compost. This model allowed gDiapers to lower the prices of its diapers and find a loyal and enthusiastic customer base in childcare centers, which are happy to dramatically reduce their sizable waste-disposal expenses. Similarly, when Dutch start-upBetter Future Factorydeveloped a low-tech machine that transforms used plastic bottles into attractive building tiles that resemble marble, it discovered that its best customers were hardware stores and microentrepreneurs in Angola.

3) Good Policy Can Support Good Business Models.

最后，政策格局很重要。当政府不为土地以其真正的环境价值定价时，它会鼓励效率低下并损害循环设计的业务案例。消除废物的公司在像浪费的地区有更多的浪费提供，这些地区以其为社会成本定价的地区。尽管垃圾垃圾的价格上涨听起来可能像公司和消费者的负担，但我们看到市场将适应创新，高效的解决方案。

To solve the “stuff conundrum,” the private sector will need to tap its most creative and optimistic minds for new products and business models that respect the real value of the natural world. Early examples of circular design show exciting opportunity for growth. The circular economy can be a win-win for the environment, the private sector and consumers— and companies that embrace it now may find themselves better prepared in a changing world.