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Building an inclusive circular economy
From repurposing wind farm materials to changing the way we design our products and services for cities, the circular economy model is key to Enel's business strategy. Applying circular principles can make the world go round sustainably.
Circular Principles
The five pillars of the circular economy
Evolving from the linear economy approach of taking, making, using and wasting, it is possible to reduce environmental impact and promote true sustainable development by going circular. Thinking sustainably from the start is fundamental to achieving global decarbonization goals. A circular mindset is required throughout the entire value chain. This is why Enel is committed to integrating the five pillars of the circular economy throughout our business.
Circular Inputs
The use of renewable energy sources and materials that have recycled content are biodegradable, recyclable or renewable.
Product-As-A-Service
Through Product-as-a-Service (PaaS) models, the customer receives the use of a product or good, but the producer maintains ownership of that product, incentivizing producers to design for longer life cycles, optimize utilization and ensure proper materials and asset management.
Sharing
Platforms that enable the sharing of materials and goods increase their utilization without the need to produce more of them.
Life Extension
Products are designed to be modular and adaptable, simplifying their maintenance, modification and regeneration.
New Lifecycles
The value of a product is preserved at the end of its lifecycle through processes that reuse, regenerate, upcycle or recycle the product, its components or raw materials.
Circularity Throughout the Business
Embracing circularity across our value chain
Transitioning to clean energy is necessary, but not enough by itself. We must also find new ways of creating value that are self-sustaining and circular. At Enel, we are pursuing further improvements in the field of circularity – not only in our projects and products from development stage to their end-of-life, but also in all of our operations and new life cycles, collaborating with our employees, customers, communities and suppliers.
Circular Economy for Sustainable Energy
To go from just renewable energy to truly sustainable energy, circularity is fundamental. Enel Green Power puts the circular principles at the center of all the stages of our renewable projects. We work together with our partners to follow our “Sustainable Construction Site” model so that the design, construction, supply, operations and end-of-life management phases protect the environment, respect biodiversity and create long-term shared value for the communities who host our projects.
Circular Economy for Circular Cities
The unstoppable growth of people living in urban areas forces us to rethink cities and revise their linear economic approach. As the transformation enabler for smarter and more sustainable living, Enel X is helping businesses and cities to integrate circular principles that build a circular city. One where the electricity grid is intelligent, full of renewable energy, with smart EV charging points, distributed energy resources, and storage systems that together create an inclusive and resilient economy.
Circular Economy for a Sustainable Supply Chain
At Enel, we firmly believe in measuring the impact of our own business and actively involving our suppliers in a circular procurement strategy. To take a value chain approach, Enel’s Global Procurement function is establishing a circularity criterion upfront with our procurement process that allows us to provide a commercial offset or reward for suppliers that can meet that criterion, as well as guide them through circularity references and set improvement actions.
Defining the circular economy
To demystify the concept of circularity, we invited some of Enel North America’s trusted partners and experts driving a circular economy culture in the US and Canada to join us in defining what the circular economy is and why it is everybody’s responsibility.
Circularity in action
Discover some of the prominent Enel projects across our value chain that embed circular principles and prove that circular solutions are possible. Also, take an in-depth look at the circular economy concept with insights from our Enel experts.
Sharing the circular economy culture
Do you want to deep dive into Enel’s circular projects and vision? Find below our latest papers about the circular economy and join the conversation.