Policy case

Reduced green house gas emissions released into the biosphere

Reduce Emissions (SDG13)

Providing electricity and gas services, including traditional and renewable energy generation, natural and manufactured gas and operating gas networks

Energy Utilities and Independent Power Producers

Ensure renewable, reusable, non-toxic resources are utilised as materials and energy in an efficient way

Prioritise regenerative resources

Replace energy sources with less impactful alternatives and enact energy efficiency measures

Regenerative energy

Enacting measures that optimise energy use

Energy efficiency

Using renewable energy like solar, wind, etc. or renewable fuels like biomass, etc.

Renewable energy, fuels

'Regulate' changes the rules of the systems to achieve compliance through enforcement. 


Regulate

Legislation

Review and update regulation

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

Impacts

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Industries

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A framework of policy instruments that enabled and encourage the transition to the circular economy

Policy Instruments

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A framework of policy instruments that enable and stimulate the transition to the circular economy

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

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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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 Project description Title: Strengthening of the market for small and medium-sized PV systems
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Tunisia
Lead executing agency: Ministry of Energy, Mines and Renewable Energy
Overall term: 2017 to 2019    Tunisia meets around 97 per cent of its electricity needs from gas and oil. In 2015 the state paid energy subsidies of more than 150 billion euros, resulting in a considerable burden on the budget. At the same time, given the steadily falling prices of photovoltaic (PV) systems, there is now an environmentally friendly and economical alternative for generating electricity. At present, however, despite the excellent geographical conditions, installed photovoltaic capacity stands at just 35 megawatts. More private and public investment is necessary to increase the proportion of photovoltaic systems. This will require a more enabling legal and administrative framework, customer-oriented services provided by the private sector and measures to anchor market growth in disadvantaged regions. Objective The project supports the efforts of the Tunisian Government to expand the market for decentralised photovoltaic systems. Approach The project works with its implementation partner, the National Agency for Energy Conservation (ANME), and other partners in the capital, the provinces and the municipalities, to improve the general regulatory conditions and services. The partners want to reduce bureaucratic barriers to investment in line with national and international recommendations. To this end they wish, for example, to develop official support programmes and to make the regulatory conditions more attractive to investors. Stakeholders in the local solar energy market – including the Agency, the energy utility STEG, municipalities and governorates, company representatives, banks and consumer organisations – are cooperating in three focus regions to draw up and jointly implement action plans designed to promote investment. The lessons learned are made available to other regions and representatives of the national incentive policy. The transparency and quality of the products and services on the market are being improved. Methods and instruments are being identified for this purpose, and appropriate training measures are being planned and delivered for decision-makers, advisors and installation engineers. Here, too, the lessons learned are being compiled in a suitable form and made available.

Tunisia

GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit )

 National Agency for Energy Conservation (ANME)

German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development 

<p>This project was commissioned by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and was active between 2017 to 2019. During this time, the objective was to strengthen the market for small and medium-sized PV and supported the efforts of the Tunisian Government to expand the market for decentralised photovoltaic systems.&nbsp;</p>