But circularity is a journey and not a destinationthe industry can always do better. Market-based tools such as forest certification are a great way to leverage natural climate solutions while strengthening a business model that values forests and helps address deforestation. Meanwhile, global circularity has dropped from 8.6 percent in 2020 to 7.2 percent in 2023. Our collaboration initially focused on implementing these practices in priority tropical forest regions in Indonesia and Gabon. Reuse Seattle has succeeded in implementing reusable items for food service at more than 20 locations and reducing more than 350,000 single-use cups. It's our objective to demonstrate how these climate change mitigative solutions are not just technically available but achievable at any scale. Youre using an outdated browser. Instead of a linear take, make, waste, economy, where we take things from the ground, make them, and throw them away, a circular economy encourages things like waste prevention, repair, reuse, and recycling, said Ashima Sukhdev, SPUs Climate Mitigation and Circular Economy Policy Advisor. Claire Thiebault, claire.thiebault@un.org. Breathing new life into Lebanons parched rangelands, Circular Economy Coalition for Latin America and the Caribbean, ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Partnerships for a global circular economy, Launch of the Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficienc, Circular Economy - a key component of a water-smart society, Series of webinars on Financing Circularity, Launch of the Circular Economy Coalition for Latin America and the Caribbean, XXII Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean. Step 2: Improve the Loop. One of the root causes of pollution - and also of climate change and biodiversity loss - is the unsustainable use of natural resources in our production and consumption models. Likewise, in agriculture, shifting to regenerative productionregenerative productionRegenerative production provides food and materials in ways that support positive outcomes for nature, which include but are not limited to: healthy and stable soils, improved local biodiversity, improved air and water quality. Their system comprises a simple 3D lattice of ropes and baskets suspended just below the surface, with different species growing at different depths. * All references to Kosovo shall be understood in the context of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999). 2023 The Nature Conservancy It is vital, but would only address 55% of global emissions. | only 7.2 percent of used materials are cycled back, material consumption has risen by over 65, reduce global material extraction and consumption by a third, can help reduce global GHG emissions by 40 percent by 2050, supporting innovative solutions for start-ups, who are building houses made of recycled plastic, connect circular economy solutions with their climate action plans, Indigenous Peoples have been implementing circular solutions, by integrating circular and green economy approaches, from 9.1 percent in 2018 to 7.2 percent in 2023, Kosovo* launches acceleration programme for green businesses, The tactics to drive a gender-inclusive circular economy, How indigenous communities in Chile can inspire global action on the circular economy, The impact of Indonesias Green Sukuk in Piyungan Landfill, In Lao PDR, the future is low-carbon and circular, Recycling waste and creating opportunities for women in Jordan. The UCAFproject aims to provide an adaptable city-level circularity assessment framework toassist cities in transitioning to a circular economy. RIL-C is a set of practices pioneered by TNC that balance the economic needs of forest-based communities and businesses with environmental goalsclimate mitigation in particular. With plans to cut emissions 60% by 2030, become carbon neutral by 2050, Lao PDR is showing climate leadership. Gvle was particularly affected, with over 700 reports of damage valued at almost SEK 500 million In this 2017 paper in Nature Climate Change, scholars at Imperial College London tally up the total amount of CO2 that needs to be reduced by 2050 (relative to a business-as-usual scenario) to . It will focus on the development of a new integrated science toolkit for improved forest managementcontinuing to scale RIL-C in response to strong demand while introducing a new biodiversity monitoring component. With financing through UNDP-supported Green Sukuk, Indonesia revitalized the 12.5 Hectare landfill. The environmental impacts of today's "take, make, waste" or "linear" economy are dramatic and extensive. Underserved communities across this nation have been overburdened with the negative environmental and health impacts caused by a non-circular economy. How one Argentinian city overhauled its waste management to tackle one of the world's largest rubbish dumps, This Indian Start-Up Turns Rice Waste Into Biodegradable Packing Foam, How youth are driving the circular economy transition across the world, Bontu Yousuf, Sophia Simmons, Olya Van Houten and Salma Melissa Mohammadiyan, Recycling increased by 152% at these London flats - here's how, Meet the 16 innovators that are leading the charge on circular transformation, Wesley Spindler, Tara Baumgarten and Emilie Dam, The enormous opportunity of e-waste recycling, is affecting economies, industries and global issues, with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale. The convening which attracted top City of Seattle and Washington state government officials as speakers, as well as business leaders, professionals, and community members consisted of mainstage talks and panel discussions about circular economies ones that reduce waste through reusing, repurposing, and recycling. While global greenhouse gas emissions are expected to fall slightly this year due to social distancing measures and economic shutdowns associated with the pandemic, global carbon dioxide levels remain at an all-time high. Editor's Note: If you found this piece useful, sign up for our monthly climate newsletter to get more explainers and climate news delivered directly to your inbox. In the fiber-based packaging and paper industry, every part of its value chainfrom the use of renewable raw materials in the design of reusable, recyclable and compostable products to the manufacturing process itselfis naturally circular. The idea of a 'circular economy' is increasingly being embraced by political leaders, businesses, and citizens as a means to help tackle waste and pollution, speed up climate action and keep the economy prosperous at the same time. A notable example isnature-based solutionsthatentail, multifunctional areas in cities. hus causing additional greenhouse gas emissions. Title VI Notice of Nondiscrimination To review your email preferences, please visit nature.org/emailpreferences. Of all habitats, forests have the greatest potential to increase carbon storage and avoid greenhouse gas emissions through improved forest management, according to TNC. The first example most people think of when they think of circular economy is waste management, but circular economy is in fact so much more.
What is the circular economy - and why is the world less circular This framework will allow cities to measure their level and potential for circularity and can be tailored for different decision-making contexts and sector-specific demands. The EU bank paves the way to a circular economy with financing and advisory support for the public and private sector. For a truly circular economy, we, as a collective, need to not only look ahead to new innovative approaches or technologies, but also look back to see what has already worked, and continues to work. Like the rest of Europe, Sweden was plagued by cloudbursts in the summer of 2021. The World Resources Institute has estimated that doubling the global circularity level by 2030 can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 20%. The circular economy (CE) is a proposal for a new, more sustainable, and durable economy model. We need to change the way we think about climate change in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and meet the targets set out in the Paris Agreement. Advancing the circular economy is another important part of the solution, and it creates significant value for companies that embrace it. ITU-T Study Group 5 is the lead study group on EMF, environment, climate action, sustainable digitalization, and the circular economy.
What is the World Economic Forum doing about the circular economy? Stay tuned. What is the World Economic Forum doing about the circular economy? Circular economy, on the other hand, aims to minimize waste and promote a sustainable use of natural resources, through smarter product design, longer use, recycling and more, as well as regenerate nature. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. Kosovo*, for example, is supporting innovative solutions for start-ups and SMEs, including the development of a mobile app for identifying environmental pollution and misconduct in urban areas. These trends would have huge impacts on our planet, in terms of climate change, environmental and land degradation, water stress, biodiversity loss and human health. Climate, biodiversity, human health. A theater designer by training, Goldmark has been doing a lot of bridge-building lately. Global sites represent either regional branches of The Nature Conservancy or local affiliates of The Nature Conservancy that are separate entities. in buildings and construction, by eliminating waste, sharing buildings more, and by reusing and recycling construction materials, we can reduce the emissions from construction materials by 38% by 2050. One of the biggest opportunities to improve circularity is with fluff pulpthe white fluffy material that makes diapers and other hygiene products absorbent. What is EPA doing to promote acircular economy? Jay Inslee, Mayor Bruce Harrell, and SPU General Manager and CEO Andrew Lee spoke at the convening, the largest event of its kind in the nation for circular economy and zero waste professionals. Recent projections show the global population could rise from 7.9 billion today to around 9.7 billion in 2050. The Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency (GACERE)is an alliance of governments at the global level willing to work together on and advocate for a global just circular economy transition and more sustainable management of natural resources at the political level and in multilateral fora. Build internal (MDBs) and external (project partners) capacity for utilising the circular economy as a strategy to achieve economic success and resilience in client countries. Circularity provides a framework to think about consumption. Aligned with the global priorities of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, International Papers goals accelerate the progress toward achieving the companys visionwhile driving sustainable outcomes for people, communities, the environment and its customers. Its a really powerful tool and I think people dont always realize that its there and available to us. It is a change to the model in which resources are mined, made into products, and then become waste. The African Development Bank (AfDB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), IDB Invest, and the World Bank acknowledged the importance of the circular economy transition in combating the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity . The target is to advance circular solutions throughout its value chain, while creating innovative products that are 100 percent reusable, recyclable or compostable. Achieving net zero In the midst of the fight against COVID-19, humankind has begun to pay closer attention to the Earth and its systems. Its a way to think about [reducing] waste and its a way to think about the front end, what we make and buy. These are concise papers offering relevant facts and figures, as well as arguments outlining key benefits of the circular economy to address planetary crises or a sustainable development challenge. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Strategic partners contribute to the work of GACERE: the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE), theWorld Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF). Improve and align impact assessment methods for circular economy investments. These steps will help cut greenhouse gas emissions that cause harmful climate change and hurt communities in Seattle and the nation. Research conducted by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and other institutions estimates these approaches could deliver around a third of the emission reductions needed by 2030.
EUCircularTalks: The circular economy in the context of a limited d) Identify research needs and possible global governance improvements that could help governments and stakeholders to address such barriers and bottlenecks, including concerning specific resources. Image:Unsplash/Josh Power. This is available to us right now, today from how we design products to what we choose to buy and whether we compost.
How to use circular economy to enhance biodiversity? not geological timescales. Privacy Statement A particular focus would be on policies and regulatory frameworks that have proved successful in supporting just transition policies and practices contributing positively to sustainable human development and ensuring that no one is left behind. World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use. Ghanaians like Nelson who works with waste pickers who collect about 20,000 tonnes of plastic every day, are showing us the way. The African Development Bank (AfDB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), IDB Invest, and the World Bank acknowledged the importance of the circular economy transition in combating the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, and emphasised the key role the financial sector has in supporting countries transition to a circular economy.