Circular Economy: a Comparison Between the Case of Singapore and France

Abstract

Nowadays, due to the continuous developments in economies, various dilemmas are emerging, including energy demand, waste management, and greenhouse gas emissions (GHE). A promising approach to address these issues is a transition toward a circular economy (CE), and one of its successful approaches is the waste-to-energy (WTE). By exploiting WTE, there will be less demand for raw materials and resources. In this study, two developed countries, including France and Singapore, are evaluated based on their CE transition using the WTE method. Both countries are developing rapidly in terms of a successful CE. Reducing landfills as the major problem in Singapore is one of the most vital plans in their CE project. The planned target in Singapore is reducing landfill by 30% by 2030. Furthermore, Singapore aims for reaching a 70% recycling rate by 2050. On the other hand, the CE in France includes more comprehensive laws in four different sectors, such as production, consumption, waste management, and mobilizing actors. It is planned that by 2025, the recycling rate in France will reach 100%. A roadmap toward building a CE cannot be succeeded unless some practical strategies are developed for overcoming the encountered obstacles. The roadmap of both countries shows a specific milestone to reach a better CE, cleaner environment, and less use of natural resources. Most of the Singapore sustainable plans are planned to be caught by 2030, while France is trying to complete them by 2025. It should be noted that due to the current pandemic situation caused by COVID-19, there are some issues in implementing the obligations and plans thoroughly.