The linear economy is rooted in a take-make-use-throw culture that causes immense damage to the environment both in terms of resource use as well as harmful emissions air, water, and soil. Cleaner production focused on reducing resource use, energy use, and waste emissions is a step in the right direction, but not enough to address the environmental issues completely. A life cycle perspective is imperative to address these issues comprehensively and lead to sustainable solutions. A circular economy moves away from the conventional linear economy model by increasing the lifetime of products to ensure getting the maximum out of the resources and energy invested in their production, minimizing waste emissions, and keeping materials in circulation instead of drawing on more virgin resources. Looking at all these things in a holistic, systems, or so-called life cycle view ensures that the anticipated environmental benefits can actually be achieved.