Thinking like Leonardo da Vinci for a Zero Waste Europe

The existing systems of production and consumption, which have adopted a linear growth model, are a source of many environmental problems both at European and worldwide level: resource depletion, global warming, pollution. The possibility to redefine the principles that have guided economic systems towards economic-social-environmental unsustainability can be facilitated by the adoption of Circular Economy model, which European Union is promoting these days with appropriate actions and programs, with the aim of creating a more resource-efficient, competitive and sustainable Europe. Circular Economy is an economy that uses also secondary raw materials (and no longer only raw materials) as input in the production cycle. For this purpose it can certainly be useful to refer to Leonardo da Vinci’s way of thinking, characterized by deep ecological and systemic awareness. Leonardo da Vinci’s thinking can infact act as a lever for a paradigm shifting in science and, more particularly, in economic science towards Circular Economy. Also Blue Economy theorized by Gunter Pauli can be referred to the way of thinking of Leonardo da Vinci, which proceeded through analogies. Blue Economy suggests infact a parallel between the functioning of a living system and the functioning of an economic system, both characterized by a metabolitic process. The difference between the living system and the economic system is that the former produces wastes that are fully biodegradable thus managing to close perfectly the circle of its metabolism. The challenge for the economy is then to copy Nature to reduce the increase of entropy that capitalism generates for its reproduction. Ecosystems do not only generate waste, but also possess the ability to evolve creatively towards the highest efficiency levels using only what is available at local scale; they are able to create cascades of nutrients and energy; they can manage to satisfy the basic needs of all their members and to use the skills of all their components. To imitate Nature in economic and managerial field means, according to Blue Economy, efficient utilization of local raw materials; processes of transformation that integrates chemistry, physics and biology in circular systems; waste conversion in resources which can be reused as input in other productive processes. Blue Economy has inspired the creation of many innovative companies which base their business on imitating the functioning of ecosystems and which have created many local jobs, involving various types of skills and increasing integration and social cohesion. “Thinking like Leonardo da Vinci”, according to its seven principles (curiosity, demonstration, sensation, fade, art/science union, corporeality, connection), can definitely help the transition to an industrial ecology (Circular Economy and Blue Economy).