A ZERO WASTE WORLD.

• Author: Simon, Joan Marc

Journal of International Affairs (JIA): What does Zero Waste Europe do? How did you get started doing this work?

Joan MArc Simon (JMS): Zero Waste Europe is an NGO. We do three things: one, we influence policy making, providing new narratives such as a circular economy or the need to move away from single-use plastics; two, we facilitate and coordinate processes, such as work on zero-waste cities; three, we do implementation work, for example coordinating 30 national groups around Europe in the quest for zero waste.

My background is in economics but through my studies I realised that there was a mismatch between theory and reality. Something wasn't working when in order to make the economy function we had to destroy the very foundations of it. As an economist, I needed to understand how the production system works but I also wanted to fit the economy within ecological boundaries. And by developing zero waste models, I found a way that actually puts economics within the boundaries of an ecological system and allows communities to live in a system without destroying it.

JIA: What does zero waste mean and how does it tie into climate change?

JMS: Zero waste is a goal and philosophy. It seeks to emulate nature, and nature produces no waste. A zero-waste system allows for an economy that works in the long term. It ties into climate change through emissions, which cause climate change. Emissions are a residue, a waste, from a combustion process. From that perspective, zero waste also means zero emissions. More scientifically, we produced a study that demonstrated emissions associated with end-of-pipe solutions like landfills or incinerators are far worse than recycling and how prevention and reuse measures are much better than recycling.

JIA: What do you think are some of the biggest challenges currently facing zero waste initiatives?

JMS: There are two kinds of challenges. One is political, because you need to have the political will - be it from a company owner, a city authority or policymaker - to implement these changes. The second part has to do with economics. Many people tend to think, for example, that zero waste policies are more expensive than wasteful policies, which is an oxymoron from an economic perspective because managing waste is a net cost whereas managing resources is what makes the economy thrive. Winning the argument on the economics front is one of the key challenges.

JIA: What do you think is the best way to get political will to implement these changes?

JMS: From a...