Circular Economy
Take-Make-Dispose
Definition
Take-make-dispose is the shorthand for the linear economic model: extract raw materials, manufacture products, use them briefly, and discard them as waste. It assumes infinite sources and infinite sinks — assumptions that fail on a finite planet — and generates the resource depletion, pollution and waste that circular economy models are designed to eliminate by keeping materials in use at their highest value.
References
This reference provides supporting context for how “Take-Make-Dispose” is defined and used.
Source imported for editorial provenance.
Overview
How it is used
The model frames circular economy communication, business model analysis, education, and policy narratives (EU circular economy action plans).
Why it matters
You cannot fix a model you cannot name; take-make-dispose is the name of the model sustainability must retire.