Our mission
Powered by Circle Economy, CGR® aims to accelerate the transition to a circular economy through data-driven baseline measurements and actionable digital solutions. By sharing our insights, we empower others to make informed decisions and take impactful action toward their circularity goals.
Why measurement matters
Since its founding in 2012, Circle Economy Foundation has recognised the urgent need for robust, data-backed measurement of the circular economy. At the time, no global baseline existed to understand how circular our world was—or how to meaningfully track progress.
That changed in January 2018 with the launch of the first Circularity Gap Report (CGR®) at the World Economic Forum in Davos. It revealed a striking truth: the world was only 9.1% circular, exposing a massive Circularity Gap. Alongside this key metric, the CGR introduced a methodology and framework to measure, monitor, and close that gap. Since then, we’ve applied it annually at the global level—and increasingly on national, regional, and industry scales to support decision-makers worldwide.
The gap Is growing
Although the concept of a circular economy has gained traction—and more policies have emerged to support it—progress has stalled. In fact, global circularity has declined, reaching just 6.9% in our latest report (2025, launched at the World Circular Economy Forum in São Paulo).
This backward trend reinforces our urgency: we must expand access to our data and insights, dig deeper into what’s driving the decline, and scale support for those in a position to make change.