In collaboration with business consultancy Deloitte, global impact organization Circle Economy Foundation today released its “2024 Circularity Gap Report,” which highlights how the global circularity rate is declining lately from 9. 1% to 7. 2% despite the number of discussions. Discussions and articles similar to this topic. The circular economy has almost tripled in the last five years. This means that although everyone talks, very few actually take action.
“Lately we are exceeding five of the nine very important limits for the health of our planet. Continuing down this path will mean putting other people and the planet at greater and greater risk. Through a circular economy, we can alleviate those pressures, returning humanity to a functioning space,” says the Amsterdam-based organization whose purpose is to double global circularity by 2032.
The latest report is a step in this direction and moves from theory to action by identifying how the three main enablers – policy and legal frameworks, finance, labor and skills – can lead to sustainable progress around the world between the rich (‘Shift’) and middle-income teams (‘Growth’ and low-income countries (‘Construction’). Furthermore, “the world’s richest nations can no longer use progress as an excuse for unrestricted consumption of curtains,” warns the report.
Moving from theory to action also means addressing the deep reasons for linear affects and moving away from economic practices that are known to be socially and environmentally exploitative, ultimately turning regulations in favor of circular practices. “This will require unlocking capital, implementing ambitious programmes and context-specific policies, and closing the sustainable and circular skills gap,” the report proposes.
In the last five years, humans have fed on a whopping 500 billion tons of tissues, almost the equivalent of what was fed in the 20th century (!). This means that, globally, we are eating more virgin tissues than ever before, while the percentage of secondary tissues is decreasing.
“With the Circularity Gap Report, stakeholders need to prioritize their circular roadmap based on data-driven analytics. Policymakers, industry leaders, and monetary institutions can agree on concentration spaces and work collaboratively on the systemic upgrade needed to stay within our planetary boundaries. ” comments Ivonne Bojoh, executive director of the Circle Economy Foundation, in a press release.
“To ensure the transition to a circular economy is just and fair, circular solutions must be designed with the world’s most vulnerable populations in mind, then these solutions will reduce inequalities across workforces and increase job opportunities worldwide,” adds Bojoh.
In this area, the report stresses that policies and legal frameworks could incentivise sustainable and circular practices while penalising harmful, linear ones, with wealthy nations focusing on adjusting regulations in the construction and manufacturing industries, for example setting standards for product durability and strengthening the Right to Repair legislation.
In middle-income countries, selling circular agriculture and production would be a very sensible priority, with local governments enforcing and enforcing public bans and limits on pollution, requiring lengthy tax programs from manufacturers, and requiring a minimum amount of reclaimed fabrics for any new production while directing the budget toward regenerative agriculture.
“Low-income countries can simply prioritize sustainable progress through circular policies in structure and agriculture. These come with debt relief and a step forward towards progress and transition capital, securing the rights of smallholder farmers and incentivizing the use of local, biological and secondary tissues. in structure,” the report warns.
To unlock financing for circular structure and production in high-income countries, he suggests rethinking accounting criteria and practices, as well as implementing taxes to increase the value of unsustainable products.
In emerging economies, governments can simply redirect subsidies from polluting practices in agriculture and production towards clean, regenerative practices. In addition, it is possible for all long-term investments to align with ecological and social well-being standards.
For low-income countries, the study suggests a progression and transition of the budget towards circular measures in key sectors such as agriculture and structure (regenerative agriculture and smart urban planning, for example).
The report highlights the desire to enable a just transition to overcome gaps in the workforce and skills: “This means that curricula – especially vocational education – include green disciplines and skills. Short-term schooling may simply be a solution to meet the immediate needs and growing demand for green jobs, from renewable energy technicians to repair specialists.
In addition, it suggests that emerging countries formalise casual employment and seek to create decent, inclusive and well-paid emerging jobs for a just transition for all.
In the area of fashion, the report urges to eschew fast fashion in favour of sustainable textiles. This goes along with drastically reducing new clothing purchases and repairing, reusing or recycling used clothing. Priority should be given to natural and local textile manufacturing, as well as higher-quality and more durable garments.
The report also mentions stories of good luck in sustainable development, including Hafentown in Hamburg, Germany, a former abandoned piece of land redeveloped into an inclusive city within the city; CocoaAction Brazil, which uses regenerative agriculture to empower smallholder cocoa farmers and definitely have an effect on production systems; Rwanda’s Circular Economy Action Plan for the construction sector; and China’s productive sector, which is being modernized through a program of eco-commercial parks, commercial symbiosis and reproduction.
The full 2024 Circularity Gap Report is available on circularity-gap. world/2024.