All Research

This 42-page circularity briefing aims to help you grasp the opportunity that the circular economy presents to your business. Key learnings include: Technology and policy innovations in the push back against single-use packaging Corporates, investors and countries leading the way on circularity Read more [...]

Around 3,000 different types of chemicals (amongst which a number are toxic) can be used in paper-making. Although paper products are mostly biodegradable and easy to recycle, these hazardous substances can still affect human health and environment throughout every step Read more [...]

This report is a summary of the discussions held during Fashion Forward Edition #1 on the 30th of January 2019 in Milan, Italy. The event was co-organized by the Circular Economy Club Milan, Taipei+Milano Sustainable Design Collab, and InterNations Changemakers Read more [...]

R2Pi - The Route to Circular Economy - an EU Horizon 2020 project on circular business models and policies to enable the transition has published a report on enablers and barriers. Circular economy business models allow Europe to address the Read more [...]

In the face of climate change and growing resource scarcity, there is an urgent need to move away from conventional production models. Our latest report Mapping Circular Economy Activity in the UK was developed in response to interest from Opportunity Peterborough and Peterborough City Council.  Although Read more [...]

Water systems intersect with all sections of society and industry. Opportunities exist in these interfaces to create additional value by application of circular economy principles. This white paper sets out the theoretical basis for a framework to identify the opportunities Read more [...]

This report, first published in November 2015, is part of a series focusing on the PwC  ‘Going Circular’ programme, which seeks to alleviate pressure on materials, water and the climate in support of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 12, Read more [...]

El cambio climático, la sobreexplotación de los recursos y la destrucción de los ecosistemas, provocados por un sistema de producción y consumo desmesurados, son retos a los que debe enfrentarse la sociedad actual. Las organizaciones internacionales están buscando alternativas para Read more [...]

Circular economy provides a promising avenue to create more value in the sector by addressing simultaneously resource constraints, consumer value and profitability challenges. The transition from linear to circular however requires significant changes at micro, meso and macro levels, from Read more [...]

EFFECTIVE is a ground-breaking international R&R project, financed by the European Horizon 2020 programme, will begin in June 2018. The coordinator of the consortium is Aquafil Slovenia while Circular Change is leading all communication and dissemination activities. Introducing the EFFECTIVE project The consortium was awarded a Read more [...]

Researchers and practitioners at the University of Edinburgh have been working together to identify how principles of the Circular Economy can be embedded in Research, Learning & Teaching and Operations at the University and have published a report on their Read more [...]

Rising resource risks and the growing recognition of the economic value being lost in waste have raised business interest in the circular economy. This analysis shows how Scotland could help to make its economy more circular, by assessing potential opportunities Read more [...]

Circular economy enables new business opportunities for the Finnish energy industry Finland strives for a global frontrunner position in circular economy. The energy industry is a significant player in creating a sustainable economic system: in addition to leading us towards Read more [...]

State of current circular trends and practices in companies Corporate leaders are increasingly seeing the business and societal value of strategies to re-use and recycle resources-and are moving toward what’s commonly known as a “circular economy.” This approach rethinks the traditional Read more [...]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation was established in 2010 with the aim of accelerating the transition to the circular economy. Since its creation the charity has emerged as a global thought leader, establishing the circular economy on the agenda of decision Read more [...]

Our world economy is only 9.1% circular, leaving a massive ‘Circularity Gap’. This alarming statistic is the main output of this first Circularity Gap Report, in which we launch a metric for the circular state of the planet. Taking the United Read more [...]

The city of Amsterdam has made a major step in the transition to become one of the world’s first circular cities. Commissioned by the city, Circle Economy implemented its newly developed City Circle Scan to identify areas in which Amsterdam Read more [...]

In this report, the World Economic Forum and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, with analytics provided by McKinsey & Company, acting as project adviser, joined forces to reconcile the concept of scaling a circular economy within the reality of a global Read more [...]

The report “Circular Advantage, Innovative Business models” published by Accenture shares five circular business models (Circular Supplies, Resource Recovery, Product Life Extension, Sharing Platforms and Product as a Service) and ten technologies—in particular ‘digital’ in the form of social media, Read more [...]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation works with business, government and academia to build a framework for an economy that is restorative and regenerative by design. Our mission is accelerate the transition to a circular economy. Below you can find a sample of our Read more [...]

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and other digital currencies have caused a financial frenzy. But they have also stimulated a very interesting discussion about their potential to change the very meaning of money, the business landscape and, finally, our world. I am very happy Read more [...]

As sleeping economic giants like India grow, the worry is they’ll take on the same bad habits as advanced countries. Alternatively, emerging economies could take on more “circular” approaches, according to a new report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the United Read more [...]

In order to enable the circularity of materials to either ecosystem, the ‘Cradle to Cradle’ principlesencompass the following good design practices: Design all products, processes and objects so that after their initial use all materials can be fully re-used in a Read more [...]

According the Imagine 2050 report, companies across three key industries are standing in a mine of wasted materials and energy worth $5 billion, and that is only in the UK. The report was developed by Veolia, a resource optimisation consultancy that operates Read more [...]

The Cradle-to-Cradle framework provides the principles to design eco-effective solutions on the basis of safer materials that can be perpetually cycle back to the technical or biological ecosystems. The technical ecosystem uses inorganic or synthetic man-made nutrients that can be used multiple Read more [...]

This report, produced by Technopolis  Group in consortium with Fraunhofer ISI,  Thinkstep and Wuppertal Institute, is a direct contribution to the Action Plan on Circular Economy which was adopted by the Commission on 5 December 2015. The package aimed to help Read more [...]

Obsolete industrial parts supplier, EU Automation has published an industry guide for manufacturers interested in making their production method more sustainable by contributing to the circular economy. The circular economy focuses on keeping resources at their highest utility and value Read more [...]

Which materials are critical to the European Union? Identifying the critical materials to the European Union is critical. We also need to consider on what basis their criticality should be assessed and what are the implications of a material being Read more [...]

How should we measure the performance of the circular economy? This is one of the critical questions in the circular economy, since its objectives are substantially different from those in the traditional linear economy. This is why EASAC recently commissioned a Read more [...]

New guidance released from the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) allows architects and designers pursuing the Living Building Challenge (LBC) to incorporate Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Products and Material Health Certificate products into their projects. Circular Buildings, Step-by-Step of the Cradle to Cradle improvement Read more [...]

The report ‘Intelligent Assets: Unlocking the Circular Economy‘ illustrates opportunities for innovation and creativity across a spectrum of industries and sectors: it looks at how we manufacture and use electronics and advanced equipment, how we create our energy infrastructure, how Read more [...]

A new study by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation — the US Chamber’s research arm, Trash to Treasure: Changing Waste Streams to Profits Streams, says companies are not accurately estimating, measuring and managing their waste streams, which means they are Read more [...]

The Circular Design Guide is a collaboration between the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and IDEO. The guide has been developed with input from leading businesses, over 400 students and specialist design institutions. The new tool includes 24 methods and a resource bank enabling change makers, entrepreneurial Read more [...]

The report “Potential Circular Economy strategies for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics” was conducted as part of a research initiative at the Harvard University Extension School faculty aide research program. The report provides an overview of the key areas where the Read more [...]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation developed the Circular Economy Toolkit for Policymakers with the Danish Business Authority and Danish Environmental Protection Agency as key contributors to the pilot phase.   The report Delivering the circular economy: a toolkit for policymakers describes a step-by-step methodology and demonstrates its Read more [...]

Circular economy is a fast growing trend in municipalities around the world – but what are municipalities really doing to integrate the concept into their operations?   Based on a five month intensive research project, the report “Circular Economy in Read more [...]

BSI have created a free to download Executive Briefing on BS 8001 Framework for implementing the principles of the circular economy in organizations – Guide.   This Executive Briefing is aimed at executives, decision-makers and senior managers. It provides a short overview Read more [...]

Forum For The Future is an international non-profit working with business, government and civil society to solve complex sustainability challenges.   In partnership with Unilever, Forum for the Future have developed a toolkit identifying 10 circular business model archetypes. These archetypes distil their long-term Read more [...]

The circularity indicators project was executed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation together with Granta Design. It has been co-funded by the LIFE financial instrument of the European Union. The objective of the Circularity Indicators Project is to provide indicators to estimate the circularity of products and businesses. Read more [...]

Interest in the circular economy research has grown remarkably in recent years. Viewed as a concept by some, a framework by others, the circular economy is an alternative to a traditional take-make-dispose linear economy.   The Journal of Industrial Ecology recently published Read more [...]

Developed by the National Zero Waste Council, a cross-sector leadership initiative to advance waste prevention in Canada. The Council is taking action on the factors that drive waste generation to support a high quality of life, environmental sustainability and economic prosperity Read more [...]