Our impact

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Influencing policy and pilot projects

Our programme reports on the state of circularity and its impacts at all levels: from global to national to cities and industries.

Our aim is to enable policy and pilot project implementation that allows us to operate within planetary boundaries and ensure wellbeing for all.
Impact stories
'The Circularity Gap Report Denmark, initiated by a local consortium of Danish organisations, has sparked interest in circularity among Danish politicians, businesses, and the general public... The report serves as a new reference point, drawing attention from various media outlets. At the launch event in front of the Danish Parliament, about 60 newspapers covered the occasion. We've also received significant interest from business actors eager to learn more about the report's conclusions and how to become more circular. We've been invited to speak at numerous events and have workshops planned for businesses. Additionally, there is a plan for political follow-up, and efforts are underway to determine how we can measure Danish circularity in the future'.
Sine Beuse Fauerby, Chief Political Consultant at the Danish Society of Engineers
Presentation at the Danish Parliament
The report launch was held at the Danish Parliament (The Folketing) in August 2023 and was attended by the Danish Minister of Environment, Magnus Heunicke, alongside a public exhibition of the Circularity Metric. The report was commissioned by a consortium of Danish institutions: the Danish Industry Foundation, Danish Society of Engineers, Confederation of Danish Industry, Danish Technological Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Danish Design Centre, and Lifestyle & Design Cluster. Since publication, these newly formed coalitions, equipped with the report results, have continued to take action on the ground to dive deeper into specific sectors and strategies.
OCT 2023
Launch of the Circularity Gap Report Denmark at the Danish Parliament
AGENDA 2024
Convening of industries to develop relevant policies
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'The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals underline the importance of a sustainable use of resources. With the Circular Economy Package (CEP) and the Action Plan, the European Union has declared its commitment to pave the way for sustainable production and consumption in our common economic area . . . Now it is important to take the next steps based on a scientific background to make our progress towards a circular economy planned and measurable'.
Elisabeth Köstinger, Federal Minister for Sustainability and Tourism of Austria
Austria’s 2022 Circular Economy Strategy
The Circularity Gap Report Austria, developed together with Altstoff Recycling Austria, was presented to the Austrian Ministry of Environment in 2019. The report fueled a wider discussion and, four years later, has contributed to the country’s recent policy changes. At the end of 2022, the Austrian Cabinet of Ministers adopted a National Circular Economy Strategy. The comprehensive policy document sets the goal of boosting circularity from 9.7% to 18% by 2030.
2018
Circularity Gap Report Austria commissioned by Altstoff Recycling Austria AG (ARA)
2020
The Austrian Ministry of Climate Protection began developing the national Circular Economy Strategy
MAR 2022
First draft presented during the Circular Economy Summit Austria
DEC 2022
The Austrian Cabinet of Ministers officially approved the Circular Economy Strategy
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'The Circularity Gap Report doesn’t just measure Scotland’s current rate of circularity, providing a quantifiable baseline from which we can measure change—it also identifies bold interventions that will advance the country’s circular efforts'.
Iain Gulland, Chief Executive Officer at Zero Waste Scotland
Scotland’s 2023 Circular Economy Bill
In mid-June of 2023, the Scottish Parliament introduced the Circular Economy Bill. The bill was drafted with the assistance of numerous non-profit and research organisations. For example, the Circularity Gap Report Scotland, published in 2022, provided a first overview of the country’s circularity rate. The report was commissioned by Zero Waste Scotland, a non-profit that consulted the Scottish Parliament on the Circular Economy Bill.
2016
Making Things Last: The first Circular Economy Strategy in Scotland
2022
Circularity Gap Report Scotland provides a first overview of the country’s circularity rate
2023
The Scottish Parliament introduced the Circular Economy Bill
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CGRi Approach

Values:

A data-centric methodology and framework
Our methodology emphasises a data-centric approach, providing empirical evidence to enhance policy authority and effectiveness.
The authority of policies is enhanced when supported by empirical evidence rather than intuition or assumptions.
A data-driven approach enhances accuracy in understanding issues and identifying trends.
Effective policies rely on data, enabling precise monitoring and assessment of their impact.

Vision:

Transforming material use into social benefits
  • Defining the circular economy's real value: By re-articulating how material use is transformed into social benefits, the circular economy can provide absolute reductions in material use and environmental impacts. The real value of the concept thus lies in its ability to reduce total material demand while optimising social outcomes to put societies back on track to a safe and just operating space.
  • Modeling circular strategies: Modeling circular strategies is crucial to revealing outcomes that aid in setting realistic roadmaps and tailored targets. Targets and indicators, such as material and carbon footprints, are essential at all levels of governance to monitor material flows and steer socioeconomic transitions.
  • Roadmaps guiding local governance: Once targets are in place at national, subnational or city levels, they serve as guiding goals for government departments and industries. Relevant sub-groups, such as industries, convene to establish roadmaps and actions towards these goals.

Our goal:

Doubling global circularity

  • Reducing total material demand: The global economy is currently overshooting planetary boundaries, eroding Earth's life support system. We advocate for reducing total material demand to bring humanity back within a safe operating space.
  • Increasing the use of secondary materials: We emphasise the importance of increasing the use of secondary materials as a key strategy in moving towards a circular economy.
  • Link to climate agenda: Policymakers often overlook the importance of material resources in defining climate and environmental policies. We raise awareness about the link between resource management, greenhouse gas emissions and the broader climate agenda.
  • Setting reduction targets: Similar to emissions reduction targets in the Paris Agreement, we advocate for absolute material use and waste generation reduction targets. This involves measuring material and carbon footprints, waste generation and estimating the reduction potential of circular economy strategies.
  • National targets and local change: Encouraging change at the industry and subnational levels through binding national targets is a key strategy. We aim to track the implementation of circular economy strategies at different territorial levels.
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The Circularity Gap Reporting Initiative is an initiative of Circle Economy Foundation, an impact organisation dedicated to accelerating the transition to the circular economy.
www.circle-economy.com
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