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This collection was curated by the Circle Economy team from Knowledge Hub case studies for businesses, local and national governments around the world to find inspiration in practical examples of the circular economy. 

Visit the <a href="https://circle-economy.com" target="_blank">Circle Economy website</a> for more information and for more publications on the circular economy.

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Circle Economy

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Business case

Impact on the ease of innovation, and facilitating uptake of innovations

Innovation

Reduced green house gas emissions released into the biosphere

Reduce Emissions (SDG13)

Minimise waste through diversion: Instead of sending waste to landfill, it is redirected into other industrial processes for handling, treatment, recycling, recovery, or reuse in various forms. 

Minimise waste through design: At the outset of a process of project, plan and design such that there is zero waste or minimal waste during production, use, and at end of life. 

Minimise Waste (SDG12)

Reduced use and withdrawal of water and rate of recycling and reuse of water

Save Water (SDG6)

Reduced use of fossil fuel energy sources and/or increased use of renewable energy

Reduce Energy Consumption

Producing agricultural products and processing them into food and beverageproducts for consumption

Agri/Food

Producing textile and leather products and processing them into apparel and accessories

Fashion and Textiles

Producing and gathering crop and animal products from land and water through farming, hunting, and fishing

Agriculture

Utilise waste streams as a source of secondary resources and recover waste for reuse and recycling

Use waste as a resource

Utilise bio-based, reusable, non-toxic and non-critical materials

Regenerative materials

Reuse, repurpose, and recycle waste streams within the same industry

Valorise waste streams - closed loop

Transforming waste products, materials for reuse within the same industry

Closed loop upcycling

Solutions at all stages of the textiles value chain.

Zero Waste Textiles

These countries are home to around a quarter of the global population, yet consume over one-third (34%) of raw materials. Shift countries’ material footprint per capita is 4.6 times that of Build countries (largely due to the overconsumption of consumer goods imported from Grow counties) and 1.6 times that of Grow countries.

These are high-income countries in the Global North, as well as in the Gulf, Australia, and Oceania. Examples include:
- Member States of the EU
- the US
- Japan
- the UK
- Canada
- Argentina, ...

While much of their infrastructure is already built, they still contribute heavily to the overshoot of planetary boundaries: they contribute 42% of climate change, 27% of nitrogen, 18% of phosphorus, 16% of freshwater use and 38% of land use change.

To find out what country profile your country belongs to, explore [this interactive story](https://circularity-gap.world) and search for your country on the final map.  


Shift

Business

Regenerate strategies phase out hazardous or toxic materials and processes and substitute them with regenerative biomass resources. A circular economy aims to mimic natural cycles—by shifting to more regenerative farming practices, for example—while also maximising the share of circular biomass that enters the economy. Regeneration can happen both at the systems level (by designing regenerative processes) as well as at the product level (by switching synthetic to organic fertilisers, for example).

Regenerate

Cycle strategies aim to cycle and reuse materials at their highest value: they maximise the volume of secondary materials re-entering the economy, ultimately minimising the need for virgin material inputs and therefore also narrowing flows. Of course, virgin materials will always be needed to a degree: all materials degrade and can’t be cycled infinitely, use energy, and require blending with virgin materials to maintain strength and functionality.

Cycle

Impacts

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Industries

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The principles of a circular economy concern designing out waste, regenerating ecosystems and keeping items in use. Decoupling the economy from material flows—improving the rate of resource productivity faster than the economic growth rate—is also a consistent guide. By evolving with the growing number of applications of circular economy principles, and consolidating these strategies across thematic areas, Circle Economy’s Key Elements Framework (KE) renders the elements of the circular economy salient and serves as a basis to derive contextual strategies and interventions. 


The Framework consists of:
- Core Elements: Activities directly handling product or material flows; and uniquely,
- Enabling Elements: those that remove obstacles for core actors.


Key elements of the circular economy

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Circle Economy's framework of strategies and activities that define the circular economy

Urban Opportunities

Whilst no two countries are the same, there are still obvious similarities between some of them, with discernible development patterns and parallels in evidence. Common problems and shared solutions help place unique country identities and individual issues in context.

Whilst this classification is far from clear-cut and exhibits some overlap, it does underline how the discourse on transitioning to a circular economy needs to account for both differences and commonalities, if we are to arrive at a more strategic and instructive analysis. It also allows to highlight a set of key themes that are likely to be central to the countries that fall under the respective profiles. 

Country profiles (Build, Grow, Shift)

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A framework to distinguish between different country profiles and their circular transition needs.

Browse case studies by type of implementing stakeholder.

Implementing stakeholders

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Based on the work of [Bocken et al. (2016)](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309699661_Product_design_and_business_model_strategies_for_a_circular_economy), the Four Flows Framework serves as a simple framework for managing resource flows in a circular economy by using less (Narrow), using for longer (Slow), using again (Cycle), and using clean, regenerative materials and energy (Regenerate).

These different principles of circular economy can be applied to our socioeconomic metabolism: we can design stocks like buildings, infrastructure, machinery, and vehicles to be rich resource mines for the future, and design manufactured goods and consumables to be cycled and made regenerative. Furthermore, the focus must also centre on getting more value out of fewer materials. Achieving the aims of a circular economy—minimising material use, regenerating the Earth, and preventing material losses—can be done through these four key strategies mentioned above.

Source: Circle Economy. (2023). *[The circularity gap report 2023](https://www.circularity-gap.world/2023)* (p.22). Amsterdam: Circle Economy. 

Four Flows Framework

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    QMILK fibers are 100% natural, soft and smooth as silk and skin friendly. They meet the requirement of innovative material developments. With a natural antibacterial effect and high hydrophilicity, they provide added value of the fiber products in the growth market.QMILK as the only natural fiber which has thermo-bonding properties. Thus, other natural fibers can also be combined without conventional plastics or phenolic resins. So, of course, light-weight constructions remain 100% and can be composted.
       QMILK – natural cosmetics with natural peptides- As the new active favorites in medicine an cosmetics. They protect and regulate all processes of the skin. QMILK – pure & effective skin care system- Exclusive compositions of organic oils and fresh milk proteins even free of alcohol & glycerol- Your sensitive skin is healthy and youthfully fresh! Protected, best supplied and in balance, your skin is healthy and youthfully fresh.
       With the world’s first – 100% natural plastic QMILK makes a decisive contribution to human health and the environment of people. Properties of QMILK organic plastic:
Within a few months completely bio-degradable without any residue
-naturally anti-bacterial
-dermatologically “excellent”.
-flame retardant and low density         QMILK-leading company of production and processing of milk proteins from non-FOOD milk and renewable raw materials in the patented up-cycling process. QMILK is a pioneer for sustainability of products and manufacturing. QMILK fibers are a new functional material with interesting properties. So on the one hand, material deficiency is eliminated, but creates new opportunities for product development with clear added value for health and the environment        QMILK sustainable technologie                         QMILK is a patented, specially designed spinning process. As water – and energy-efficient, zero – waste – is this procedure process very sustainable. QMILK fibers are made of 100% renewable Raw materials and non-food milk.
This milk is not suitable for food use and is expensively disposed so far as unused secondary waste. This amounts to about 2 million tones anually in Germany alone. The Green Tec Awards were awarded in 2015
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Germany

Qmilk 

<p>QMILK has created a 100% natural and sustainable fibre made from dairy proteins. The procedure is zero waste, and only uses non-food milk, making use of what otherwise would have gone to waste. In Germany alone, 2 million tonnes of non-food milk is disposed of per year. The QMILK production process is also energy and water efficient, and the fibres are biodegradable in compost after just a few weeks. The fibre can be used to make soft textiles for clothing, yarn and felt, and is naturally antibacterial and climate regulating. QMILK has already been used successfully in a variety of products throughout Germany, and received the Green Tech Award in 2015.</p>

QMILK sustainable fibre from non-food milk

Qmilk has developed a technology for the production of textile fibers from the
milk protein casein. The textile fiber is used in the following areas:
clothing, home textiles, technical applications, medical and car care
equipment.

  

Read more at:

<https://www.qmilkfiber.eu/?lang=en>

