Global Circularity Gap

The global economy's circularity is decreasing year by year, with only 7.2% of it currently being circular. This decline is driven by increasing material extraction and reliance on virgin sources. The Circularity Gap Report (check the full report at https://www.circularity-gap.world/2023#download) shows that in just six years, more materials were extracted and used than in the entire 20th century, pushing the planet's environmental limits.

Although recycling is important, it alone cannot keep up with the rising demand for virgin materials used in infrastructure and durable goods. However, a circular economy has the potential to meet people's needs while using only 70% of the current material consumption, within safe planetary limits.

The linear "take-make-waste" economy has already exceeded five of the nine key planetary boundaries, necessitating a transformation in our relationship with materials to minimize environmental pressure. Adopting a circular economy could reverse this overshoot and reduce global material extraction by about one-third, primarily by eliminating fossil fuels and reducing demand for high-volume minerals.

The report identifies four key principles: using less, using materials for longer, making them clean, and using them again. Implementing 16 transformational circular solutions across key systems like food, the built environment, manufactured goods, and mobility can help reverse environmental overshoot and maintain thriving ecosystems.

Each country's starting point and progress towards a circular economy may differ, requiring tailored approaches. Public-private collaboration is crucial to scale the transition to a circular economy, and policy plays a significant role in enabling this shift and managing potential rebound effects. By embracing the principles of reduction, regeneration, and redistribution, a circular economy can achieve a sustainable and equitable distribution of vital resources for the well-being of all.