Struggling to Create a Circular Economy Model: Could Disruption be the Key Factor in Mauritius?

By Neekhil Bhowoniah – World Bank Financial Sector Expert for Mauritius and Seychelles | United Nations FAO Accreditation Expert for the Green Climate Fund Readiness for Mauritius

Despite growing recycling, the global circularity rate fell to 6.9 percent in 2025 – representing a 2.2 percentage point drop since 2015 (The Circularity Gap Report, 2025). The current figures leave no doubt that the world is far from being circular.

87 percent is the share of uncontrolled disposal of municipal solid waste in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Less than 5 percent of municipal solid waste is recycled in SSA – presenting itself as the lowest by regional breakdown, and even worse, the share of total municipal solid waste processed through waste-to-energy is zero. The lowest levels of municipal waste management are in Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and South Asia. These alarming statistics were the main findings of the Global Waste Management Outlook 2024 report. With this current trend, the Sub-Saharan region is expected to become the dominant region globally in terms of total waste generation (UN-Habitat, 2025).

It is also being recognized that data availability and data quality are the greatest challenges in SSA. And this issue of data and metrics was previously highlighted – see BIZWEEK, Issue 541, page 10.

“The circular economy model is not just about being environmentally responsible…”

Mauritius renewed its climate commitments by revising its target to divert 50% (from the initial target of 30% under Mauritius NDC 2.0) of on-board waste from landfill through circular economy principles by 2035 (Mauritius NDC 3.0). Its National Roadmap for Circular Economy (2023-2033) sets a shared vision, priorities, and long-term goals for transitioning from linear to circular systems. Yet, beyond policy design, there is a need to reshape consumption and production habits across society, as circularity hinges on behavioural change and public awareness (which is relatively low).

Back to Classical Foundations

Ask anyone in the field of circular economy whether Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) should be a primary goal of the transition and they will quickly say “yes.” Ask them to also include the concept of Metabolic Rift, and they are likely to hesitate. Why? Simply due to the fact that mainstream (neoclassical) economics and ecological economics are seen as opposing paradigms, holding fundamentally different “pre-analytic visions” with regard to the link between the economy and the environment. But now, it is high time for radical thinking. Including theoretical foundations helps understand and identify the current structural disconnections in continents (and countries). Remember global circularity is declining; reversing this trend is required. But, how? 

The interaction between neoclassical thinking and circular economy will be useful in capturing the behavioural aspects and moral considerations of consumers, firms, and government. The following combination of factors is needed: (i) Metabolic Rift, (ii) Social Metabolic Research, and (iii) Nature-Based Solutions. 

• Metabolic Rift: referring to Marx’s Theory, it serves as a diagnostic tool that identifies unsustainable practices, justifies circular interventions, supports systemic thinking, and integrates the behavioural aspect.
• Social Metabolic Research: supports evidence-based policy and provides concrete data for quantifying flows and gaps – by designing strategies to reduce resource use, close loops, and minimise environmental impact.
• Nature-Based Solutions: reconnects disrupted natural cycles by using ecosystems to recycle, regenerate, and sustain the flow of resources and energy.

The Tug of War

In this case, Mauritius’ “rift” is capitalism and consumerism. Our economy is presently characterized as a capitalist production system driven by growth and still operating on a linear economy model (take-make-use-dispose). This is likely to conflict with the principles of the circular economy as capitalism is driven by continuous capital accumulation, profit maximization, and consequently, high-volume consumption and waste. So, is the only solution to answering environmental concerns an end to capitalism? Not really. This is where disruption becomes relevant, more specifically the ‘circular disruption’ model. 

It is worth noting that the circular economy model is not just about being environmentally responsible, but how to transform circularity into a competitive business strategy requiring new business models, innovation, policies and stakeholder collaboration. The circularity efforts are not failing; it is simply that the current progress is being outpaced by rising material