‘The Circularity Gap Report 2019’ was launched in Davos and published as part of the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE) by Circle Economy. PACE is a public-private collaboration aimed to bring about the circular economy at speed and scale.

The Report’s findings show no improvement from the previous year’s result. The report reveals that the global economy is only 9% circular which means more than 90% of the raw materials used globally do not find their way back into the economy. The report underlined that the problems of a linear economy, like greenhouse gas emissions and increasing resource extraction, persist and continue to impact the global economy. The upward trend in material use, resource extraction and carbon emission shows/proves we are way off base in terms of sustainability and circularity. It is also explained that the goal of the Paris Agreement limit global warming to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels can only be achieved through a circular pathway.

The Report uses the Global Circularity Metric to measure the yearly state of the world’s economy in terms of what resources we use and what we cycle back into the economy, while referencing UN environment statistics that demonstrate that a circular economy would bring environmental benefits in the form of a 28% reduction in global resource use and a cut in greenhouse gas emissions of 72%.

The Report also highlights 3 key circular strategies which could be adapted throughout the economy to help limit global climate change;

· Optimizing the utility of products by maximizing their use and extending their lifetime to sustain and preserve what is already been made

· Rethinking the new business model to provide product access to a greater number of users and enable shared utilization

· Enhanced recycling, using waste as a resource

The Report emphasized that the circular economy is the only way to prevent and control the consequences of climate change on social, economic and environmental level and additionally shares steps to bridge the gap in circularity through leadership and action as below:

· Build a global coalition for action

· Develop a global target and action agenda

· Translate global targets to local action roadmaps

· Improve our understanding of circular systems

Please click here to access the full report.

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