Kuala Lampur, Nov. 28 -- The writing is clear on the wall. Our linear "take-make-waste" economy is hitting its planetary limits. Climate catastrophe demands decarbonisation, while rampant consumption devours finite resources at an unsustainable pace.

Enter the circular economy: a shift towards systems designed for regeneration, keeping resources in productive loops for as long as possible.

It promises resilience, reduced emissions, and resource security.

Realising this vision demands a technological revolution, fuelled by unprecedented investment in research and development (R&D). Without it, the circular transition will stall, or even fail.

Much of the current discourse around circularity focuses on end-of-life - recycling better, ma...