Page 122 - Çevre Şehir İklim İngilizce - Sayı 2

Industrial Decarbonization:
The Role Of Material Efficiency Strategies

materials, material efficiency, and circular economy are equivalently important
for sustainability (IPCC, 2022). Material efficiency also creates synergies to
contribute to solution strategies such as circular economy, energy efficiency,
and transition to technologies that will substitute fossil energy uses with green
energy. The circular economy model, which aims to keep the use and values
of materials and other resources in the economy as long as possible while
minimizing the waste at the end of it (European Commission [EC], 2015: 2),
has goals that overlap and consistent with the material efficiency strategies,
such as decreasing the need for raw material in the industry, reclaiming junk
back to the economy, and the reuse applications that reclaim the product
back to the economy without the need for remanufacturing, and recycling.
With the so-called 4R strategies, (reduce, reuse, recycle, and repair), it is
possible to decarbonize industry by using materials efficiently in the economy,
through green production and circularity actions (IPCC, 2022). As mentioned
before, through the product design, manufacture, use, and end-life stages,
when material efficiency and circular economy strategies are implemented
holistically, the most efficient results will be achieved in the decarbonization
of industry.
In order to decarbonize the industry through material efficiency and
transition to a circular economy, there is a need for a great systematic and
structural transformation. In this sense, both policymakers and NGOs have
their share of responsibilities to change the production as well as consumption
patterns through some certain policies and measures. From the public policy
perspective, Financial and economic instruments should be developed and
implemented so that enabling the economy to use materials and energy in the
most efficient and circular way. While such policies are designed, sustainability
should be taken into account from the production stage to the consumption
stage. Another important point is to raise public awareness about these
issues and long-term campaigns and trainings should be organized by public
organizations, NGOs, and the media.

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