Circular economy

• The Irish government's Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy plans to introduce a levy on disposable cups, introduce a deposit return scheme for plastic bottles and cans, and halve food waste by 2030.
• The European Commission suggests the development of circular economy to reduce pressure on natural resources, stop the biodiversity loss, and reach the climate-neutrality targeted by 2050.
• As highlighted in the European social partners work programme 2019-2021, moving towards a circular economy is a key requirement for decarbonising the European economy as well as to ensure the EU's prosperity in a world where the competition to access natural resources will become more challenging.
• More businesses will adopt principles of the circular economy, such as leasing, refurbishing, reusing or recycling their products, to reduce their material costs and improve their bottom lines.
• Ultra Capital is currently reviewing a pipeline of USD 3.3 billion in sustainable infrastructure opportunities, which includes projects that will help realize the vision of a circular economy for plastics.
• The Dutch government specified its national goal to develop a circular economy in the Netherlands by 2050 and to realize an objective of a 50% reduction in the use of primary raw materials by 2030.
• Compared with business-as-usual, the circular economy has the potential to generate savings of USD 200 billion per year, reduce greenhouse gases by 25%, and create 700,000 net additional jobs by 2040, making it a clear opportunity to build back better.
• Amsterdam have set a target to be a 'circular city' by 2050, with circular economy practices applied to waste and materials.
• The EU economic recovery proposal says that achieving emissions reduction and energy targets could add 1% to the EU's GDP and create almost 1 million new green jobs over the next decade, while investing in a circular economy could add another 700,000 jobs.
• The transition to a circular economy would create new markets, jobs, products and services, boost EU's GDP by 7% and generate a net economic benefit of €1.8 trillion by 2030.
• A recent study estimates that applying circular economy principles across the EU economy has the potential to increase EU GDP by an additional 0.5% by 2030 creating around 700000 new jobs.
• Amsterdam will launch the fourth stage of its circular economy initiative next week, with 200 new projects planned for the coming year.
• As a long-term goal, Costa Brazil has a sustainability plan with the objective of achieving a circular economy with 100% traceability and sustainability by 2025.
• The latest estimates for the potential from circular economy opportunities in the built environment could add GBP3 - 5bn annually to GDP by 2036.
• The European circular economy opportunities report projects that adopting circular economy principles could not only benefit Europe environmentally and socially but could also generate a net economic benefit of 1.8 trillion by 2030.
• The EU's Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy, which was agreed in 2018, is forcing companies operating within its borders to make half of all plastic packaging to be either reusable or cost-effectively recycled by 2025, and all plastic packaging be so by 2030.
• Managing population impacts on the planet will further strengthen Whole Life Value approaches and drive a move from linear to circular economy.
• WRAP suggests that an extensive development of the circular economy could, by 2030, create dispersed employment throughout the UK.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) could create £167bn of value annually through the circular economy, while it could slash global emissions by 4%.
• Successful health outcomes for the populations of Europe resulting from progress towards Health 2020 will support a healthy workforce, which is required for successful development of a circular economy.
• The shift to a circular economy in Europe is expected to add €900 billion to its economy and create an extra three million jobs by 203014.
• A shift to a more Circular Economy, where resources are kept in use for as long as possible, provides an opportunity for the UK to achieve sustainable growth and prosperity.

Last updated: 04 October 2020