I’m Jos and I’m working on research in circular economy and automotive sector, and I would like to know your point of view. If you accept, I’m going to record our conversation, transcribe it and put the transcription with the pseudonym, not with your real name in a repository of text documents that will be used for the research. If you do this and you change your mind and no longer want to participate, get in touch with us and we will immediately remove your interview from the repository. I’m believing you an information sheet with the contact information. So if you agree, then please tell me your first name and that you agree.
My name is James and I agree.
Thank you very much. So, James, can you define a circular economy in your own words?
So for me, circular economy is ah a closed loop of resource use. So trying to minimize waste and minimize resource virgin resource use.
Do you participate in circular economy yourself in any aspect of your life?
Um, yeah. I mean, personally, at home, I’m privately, I take part in recycling schemes. I live in Germany, so there’s a lot of takeback schemes. Um, I would say I’m kind of against waste in general, so I try to hold on to things for as long as possible and repair them when I can. And then at work, uh, I don’t sit in our circular economy team, but I work closely with them quite often with them. So I’m trying to help further that within our company as well.
How did you become interested in the circular economy, ideas and practices?
I think it’s a natural evolution. With time. I think green and sustainability topics are now very hot on the agenda. You see them everywhere. They’re hard to avoid. Um, and I think the term circular economy is perhaps more new, but it covers things that previously people would do anyway for the benefit of the environment, for the planet, for themselves.
In your opinion, can the circular economy be implemented in individual sectors or industries?
Uh, I’m honestly, I don’t know. For me, the prospect of a fully closed loop circular economy seems unachievable in terms of unless you looked at the whole planet. But I think some industries are better suited to it. There are some things where you can continually recycle and the only new input is perhaps energy which we can get sustainably. So maybe for some specific industries, yes.
Do you think the circular economy already exists in the car industry?
I mean, 100% circular economy does not, but I think aspects of it do. So there’s already a huge amount of recycled material, well, not a huge amount, but recycled material going into vehicles and vehicles are recycled. I think the level of recycling in Europe is very high. I think globally it’s perhaps lower. Um, that’s one of the tricky things when you talk about circular economy is on what scale are you talking by company country, the world. I know you’re talking one industry. All industries are kind of interlinked or at least many. Um, but yeah, I think that’s definitely already aspects that are implemented in the automotive industry and there’s a shift and focus to increasing that.
do you currently own a car?
I don’t own a car. I own a motorcycle, though.
Did you own a car?
Yes. So I currently live in Germany. Before I used to live in the UK and I owned a car in the UK.
Uh, when is the one adjective that comes to mind when you think about electronics in a car?
Uh, complication. Although. Com. Com. Com complex.
In your opinion, are cars that include electronic components easier or harder to adapt to the circular economy principles that than regular cars.
Um taken as a whole, I’m not sure. I think certain aspects are an electric vehicle is simpler, so a battery and a motor system is simpler than an a gearbox and an engine. Um, small electronic components. You know, there’s things similar to your laptop or your phone. I think they’re more complicated perhaps to recycle because the level of integration of materials in the components is very high. So yeah, on cost the whole, who knows?