The shift from a traditional linear business model towards a circular approach that focuses on reuse and recycling is gathering pace. In this article, we share thoughts on how Axis and the surveillance industry can contribute. 

Discarded electronic and electrical goods – e-waste – is the world’s fastest-growing waste stream. In 2018, it amounted to 50 million tons – equivalent to all commercial aircraft ever built. And this number is projected to double by 2050.

One way to minimize e-waste is to change from traditional linear industrial processes to a circular model that extends product lifetime, for example, through repair or reuse. This way, materials and components keep their value over time while minimizing waste and pollution.

The term “circular economy” found mainstream appeal in the 2010s through the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Aiming ultimately to disrupt the linear economy, they write: “We must transform all the elements of the take-make-waste system: how we manage resources, how we make and use products, and what we do with the materials afterward. Only then can we create a thriving economy that can benefit everyone within the limits of our planet.”
To be successful, society at large must prioritize the transition to a circular model. It is entirely dependent on attitudes in society – what customers, end-users, decision-makers, and others think and are willing to accept.

“It’s essential that companies such as Axis drive change, educating their partners and other stakeholders and increase demands,” says Mathias. “It’s more important than ever that we truly understand their various needs and aspirations so that we can support them in their transformation towards circularity.”
Ausra goes one step further: “As Axis is a responsible company, we need to move towards a circular business approach. I can’t see a future without it. We must challenge ourselves, but also our partners. It’s time for the surveillance sector to collaborate and change together.”