Business case

Impact on the quantity or quality of jobs, and shifts in the labour market

Jobs

Impact on the health and happiness of human populations

Well-being

Efficiency gains on operations or transactions either through cultural or technological shifts

Productivity

Reduced green house gas emissions released into the biosphere

Reduce Emissions (SDG13)

Reduced use of virgin materials and/or an increase of the use of secondary and bio-based materials

Reduce Material Consumption (SDG12)

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

Collecting waste from households and businesses by means of refuse bins, wheeled bins, containers, etc., and providing treatment, incineration, materials recovery and reclamation, and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste

Waste Management

Processing and producing food and beverages for consumption

Food and Beverage

Enacting measures that optimise material use such as 3D printing, etc.

Material efficiency

Using materials that can be easily reused or recycled after use

Reusable, recyclable materials and inputs

Enacting measures that optimise water use

Water efficiency

Enacting measures that optimise energy use

Energy efficiency

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

Renewable energy, fuels

Collection programmes that process products and parts for reuse or recycling within the same industry

Closed loop collection

Collection programmes that process products and parts for reuse or recycling within other industries

Open loop collection

Transforming waste products, materials for reuse within other industries

Open loop upcycling

Generating energy from waste through processes such as anaerobic digestion, gasification, incineration, etc.

Generating energy from waste

Processing waste streams into fuels such as biogas, biofuels, pellets, etc.

Processing waste into fuel

Recovering and reusing waste heat, gas, etc. for energy

Recovery and reuse of waste energy

Designing products that can easily breakdown and degrade in the environment

Design for bio-degradability

Utilising data and models to to identify, enable and/or implement circular strategies (eg. effective resource use & logistics planning, circular business models & design)

Data analytics, modelling

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

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Meerlanden

ABN AMRO Bank

 Rabobank 

Nyenrode Business University

Avans Hogeschool

Invest-NL

Allen & Overy

Sustainable Finance Lab

Impact Institute

Alfa Accountants & Adviseurs

<p>This white paper details the importance of measuring circular impact and using it to steer decision making in business. Using the case study of Meerlanden, the paper shows how data on circularity can bolster profitability in business while limiting negative environmental and social externalities through two avenues: integrated profit and loss and multiple balance sheets. Next steps and recommendations are provided for companies, financiers and accountants.&nbsp;</p>

How to find the value of circular impact in business: Circular impact management and financial reporting

A waste company in the Netherlands, Meerlanden, is using old bread from a
large hotel chain as input in their anaerobic digester. The old bread is
collected, and put through the anaerobic digestion process to generate green
gas, compost and heat. The green gas produced is used to fuel the trucks that
collect the old bread.

