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The Circular Economy in Groningen focuses on the Dutch province of Groningen. For nearly sixty years, natural gas extraction was one of the primary economic activities in the region. However, after experiencing extraction-related earthquakes, the province decided to phase out gas extraction. Now, Groningen is committed to diversifying and ‘greening’ its economy. To unite residents, organisations, companies, and governments to work towards this goal, a collaboration has been formed: the Dutch National Programme Groningen (NPG).
Building on the initial €1.15 billion of funding provided by the government for the implementation of the Programme, this report explores four strategic directions to guide NPG’s multi-year investment plans towards a circular economy. Embracing circularity in the transition from an extraction-based system to a more diversified and sustainable economy can yield numerous advantages, including enhanced social welfare, job creation, prevention of additional earthquake damage, and a competitive advantage for the region's main economic sectors—the Chemical and Agrifood industries—on both national and international levels.
This white paper—Leveraging corporate sustainability reporting for circular transformation: A starter guide—shares insights from the latest research endeavour by the Coalition Circular Accounting (CCA). The Coalition assessed the implications of European Sustainability Reporting Standard (ESRS) E5, Resource use and the circular economy, alongside Danish paint manufacturer Hempel.
Hempel was selected as a partner for this process as it provides a particularly illustrative case study for the task. A business evidently concerned with its impact on the environment in an industry where circularity is key for fulfilling sustainability ambitions—but one that needs to take significant steps to comply with the new reporting requirement.
The analysis of the Hempel case seeks to do two things. First, shine a light on the specific requirements of ESRS E5—providing a step-by-step guide for businesses to prepare themselves to report on circular economy topics. Second, to reframe compliance with ESRS E5 from being viewed as a laborious distraction into a unique opportunity to kickstart businesses' circular economy transitions.
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To help advance the use of employment-related indicators for measuring the progress and impact of the circular economy, the Circular Economy Indicators Coalition (CEIC), a collaboration between the Platform for Accelerating Circular Economy (PACE) and Circle Economy, ran an employment-focused project track 2022-2023. This project reviewed and consolidated existing employment-related indicators for the circular economy and assembled stakeholders to discuss gaps in current indicator coverage. This report provides a high-level summary of the findings from this track project.
What do we mean by the circular economy in the built environment? Why does it matter? How can we ensure that we get the maximum benefits for people and planet, not only from managing resources and products more effectively, but also by getting more value from the use of assets and systems that last for years?
From across the world, leading experts in both the built environment and circular economy sector have come together to identify the core concepts and principles that we hold in common across our diversity. Join us for the live launch of Our Shared Understanding to learn how this North Star can help to align policies, strategies and initiatives and accelerate the transition to a circular economy in the built environment.
Decent Work in the Circular Economy: An Overview of the Existing Evidence Base is a joint report by Circle Economy, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE) Programme of the World Bank, with support from the Goldschmeding Foundation.
This report is the first output of the broader ‘Jobs in the Circular Economy’ initiative between the three partners. The initiative aims to identify multiple gaps in the evidence base for circular jobs through collaboration with an international community of research institutions, industry representatives, social partners, governments and public bodies.
The report explores research gaps and five key themes that summarise the focus of the current evidence base. These themes represent crucial opportunities and challenges regarding the circular economy’s ability to create a more just and inclusive society—including labour market and sectoral transformation, informality and the circular economy, work reallocation and skills development, working conditions and social protection, and gender discrimination and social equity.
With this report, Circle Economy, the ILO and S4YE put forth a call to action to realise the full potential of the circular economy by generating better evidence in three main areas:
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This brief—Circular Jobs in City Governments: People Driving the Circular Transition of Urban Governance—dives into the jobs and skills needed to propel circular economy interventions in cities.
It presents six examples of circular economy interventions that can be used as a tool for city-level governance and creating local impact, spanning areas like energy, waste management, mobility, and public procurement.
It showcases eight examples of jobs that drive circular economy interventions forward in cities. These jobs are complementary and rely on each other to ensure that circular economy principles trickle down throughout government departments and become a reality in cities worldwide.
The document also groups the key circular roles into three phases: the strategic circle, the project circle and the operational circle. By understanding these circles and their requirements, city governments can secure the right competences, resources and tools needed to adjust their work to circular principles across different departments.
Circular Balears explores pathways towards building a circular tourism system in the Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera). Developed in collaboration with the Fundació Impulsa Balears, the report studies the current flow of resources and materials in the local tourism system. It presents strategic directions and circular opportunities spanning five of the six key focus areas considered in this study: Water, Energy, Materials, Food and Mobility. The report also shows how these focus areas interact with the Terrestrial and marine environment. In particular, it examines their impact on the terrestrial and marine environment and how better management of the environment can unlock the circular opportunities of each focus area. By implementing the opportunities identified under each strategic direction, the region can ensure long-term economic development while protecting its natural ecosystems.
Jobs and Skills to Drive a Circular Built Environment dives into the jobs and skills needed for four circular strategies in the built environment: Smart material management, Product-as-a- service, Bio-based materials and Offsite, modular construction.
The briefing explores practical levers for upscaling circular construction strategies, from education to procurement. It gives policymakers and construction industry professionals tips on how to anticipate and plan for labour market shifts linked to the circular transition.
This report, commissioned by the Royal Association for Building Ceramics in the Netherlands (KNB) , investigates the current and future role of building ceramics in a circular economy. This versatile and sustainable material is already widely used and reused in the Dutch built environment, mainly in the form of bricks and roof tiles. However, it constitutes no more than 5% of the total annual volume of building materials.
The report explores pathways toward promoting the use of building ceramics and improving the environmental performance of ceramic technology. With this in mind, the sector should focus on lowering its carbon footprint, for example, by employing hydrogen and electricity in production processes. Moreover, ceramics suppliers should experiment with new business models, such as ‘Product-as-a-Service’, and enhance collaboration within the construction sector.
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