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Circular economy: Council and Parliament strike provisional deal on the right to repair directive
The world’s material circularity currently stands at 7.2% - having decreased from the 8.6% material circularity recorded for 2020 and the 9.1% for 2018. This downward trend must be reversed if we are to support 9+ billion people living well within the boundaries of our by the mid-century. And the flow of product and material data can play a pivotal huge role in making this possible.
Data has the potential to support actors across the value chain in making informed decisions, optimizing processes, and identifying opportunities for circularity. In light of the developing Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, data-sharing tools like the Digital Product Passport can facilitate the sharing of such information, enabling various circular strategies and service business models.
This research provides a practical example of the data flows that may exist and be utilized to enable a circular economy across four sectors: the chemical, electronics, construction, and textile (apparel) sectors. Through the mapping of purpose-driven data-flows, companies can better prepare for a regulation that seeks to drive circularity and retain material value, while bring about synergies and intricacies between them.
Data has the potential to support actors across the value chain in making informed decisions, optimizing processes, and identifying opportunities for circularity. In light of the developing Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, data-sharing tools like the Digital Product Passport can facilitate the sharing of such information, enabling various circular strategies and service business models.
This research provides a practical example of the data flows that may exist and be utilized to enable a circular economy across four sectors: the chemical, electronics, construction, and textile (apparel) sectors. Through the mapping of purpose-driven data-flows, companies can better prepare for a regulation that seeks to drive circularity and retain material value, while bring about synergies and intricacies between them.
The European Commission plans to introduce a Digital Product Passport (DPP) for all products offered on the European market. Using a systems perspective, Metabolic identified opportunities for the circular economy that would open up if data was intentionally shared across value chains. The study also delves into industry apprehensions surrounding the implementation of these passports, providing an overview of the initiative’s potential benefits and challenges.
The global economy can be characterized as “linear” as it is mainly based on extraction, production, use and disposal. This linear economy leads to resource depletion, biodiversity losses, waste and pollution causing serious damage to the capacity of our planet to continue to provide for the needs of future generations. Moreover several planetary boundaries are already reached or exceeded.
To meet our current and future human needs (welfare, housing, nutrition, healthcare, mobility, etc.), there is an increased understanding that a transition towards an economy that is more circular, based on a circular flow of resources, can create and share more value with society and stakeholders, while natural resources are managed and regenerated in a sustainable way, securing the quality and resilience of ecosystems.
Organizations recognize many potential reasons to engage in a circular economy, e.g., delivering more competitive, and sustainable solutions; improved relationships with stakeholders; more effective and efficient ways to fulfil voluntary commitments or legal requirements; engaging in climate change mitigation or adaptation; managing resource scarcity risks, increasing resilience in the environmental, social and economic systems, while contributing to satisfying human needs.
The ISO 59000 series of documents (see Figure 1) is designed to harmonize the understanding of the circular economy and to support its implementation and measurement.
The series also supports organizations, such as government, industry, and non-profit organizations in contributing to the achievement of the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.
To meet our current and future human needs (welfare, housing, nutrition, healthcare, mobility, etc.), there is an increased understanding that a transition towards an economy that is more circular, based on a circular flow of resources, can create and share more value with society and stakeholders, while natural resources are managed and regenerated in a sustainable way, securing the quality and resilience of ecosystems.
Organizations recognize many potential reasons to engage in a circular economy, e.g., delivering more competitive, and sustainable solutions; improved relationships with stakeholders; more effective and efficient ways to fulfil voluntary commitments or legal requirements; engaging in climate change mitigation or adaptation; managing resource scarcity risks, increasing resilience in the environmental, social and economic systems, while contributing to satisfying human needs.
The ISO 59000 series of documents (see Figure 1) is designed to harmonize the understanding of the circular economy and to support its implementation and measurement.
The series also supports organizations, such as government, industry, and non-profit organizations in contributing to the achievement of the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.
This study "The Digital Circular Economy" is the result of the project Digitalisation and Circular Economy, which the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and the Cradle to Cradle NGO carried out together in 2023. Using different industries and specific use cases as examples, the study analyses how the potential of digitalisation for circular value creation can be leveraged in Germany and Europe.
ETC products are usually not (with some exceptions) subject to a review by the Eionet countries and do not formally represent the view of the European Environment Agency.
Circular economy solutions are needed to safeguard biodiversity and solve the climate crisis. Join us in creating a fair transition to a society in which we maintain the value of what we produce through smarter design and shifting from owning products to using services.
Circlolink's B2B and B2C DPP tools plus cloud APP connects products to full circularity, increasing the brands ROI, collecting unprecedented LCA data and fosters new interconnected circular partnerships.
PaperTale is building an ecosystem that gathers and
verifies supply chain data, in real-time.
verifies supply chain data, in real-time.
Key lessons from Finnish pilots to support the development of circular economy business models
Circular economy business models in the electronics sector such as rental, second hand and repair are rapidly gaining importance as they aim to reduce resource consumption by optimizing product use. However, it remains difficult to quantify the actual positive impact of these models and there is currently no standardized approach.
The „Undress Project“, implemented and led by Circularity in collaboration with Systemiq and Fraunhofer IZM and 12 industry partners, and supported by Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt and Deloitte, sets out to develop a methodological framework and practical guide to assess the environmental impact of circular business models for the case of consumer electronics. This project will provide much-needed key insights for the transition to a truly sustainable circular economy, with the electronics sector leading the way.
The „Undress Project“, implemented and led by Circularity in collaboration with Systemiq and Fraunhofer IZM and 12 industry partners, and supported by Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt and Deloitte, sets out to develop a methodological framework and practical guide to assess the environmental impact of circular business models for the case of consumer electronics. This project will provide much-needed key insights for the transition to a truly sustainable circular economy, with the electronics sector leading the way.