The scarcity of resources, global warming and the increasing production of waste force us to look differently at the established economic growth model.
The circular economy aims to correct this distortion of the economic model, where it is prioritized for materials to remain in the economy for as long as possible, avoiding the extraction of resources again from nature, making them available for future generations.
There are several strategies to convert the linear economy into a circular economy. Today we present the standards already published to promote the circular economy: BS 8001:2017 and XP X30-901:2018.
BS 8001: 2017 – Framework for implementing the principles of the circular economy in organizations – Guide
This standard was published by the British Standards Institution (BSI) in 2017 and aims to be a guide for organizations that want to implement best practices in resource management, resulting in economic, environmental and social benefits. The six basic principles of the circular economy defined by the standard are:
- Systems thinking: Understanding the impacts of your activity on the entire system.
- Innovation: rethinking the way resources are managed to increase value creation.
- Stewardship: taking responsibility for impacts throughout the product’s life cycle (direct and indirect).
- Collaboration: Cooperating with suppliers and consumers is vital to ensure that the product has maximum circularity.
- Value optimization: using materials with the greatest efficiency and maximum market value.
- Transparency: organizations must be honest about their capabilities and weaknesses in achieving a circular model.
The BS 8001:2017 standard aims to promote the circular economy in organizations through an eight-stage process, which includes the development of the business model, with its prototype and implementation. However, the standard does not intend to grant any certification that the business model is a circular economy model, and does not include review by an external entity, which may limit the creation of circular business models.
XP X30-901:2018 – Circular economy project management system – Requirements and guidelines
This standard was published by the Association Française de Normalization (AFNOR) in 2018 and also aims to be a guide for the creation of circular business models, with a small difference: it takes into account the three pillars of sustainable development: economy, environment and society. The circular economy approach included in this standard is divided into seven areas of action: sustainable sourcing, ecological design, industrial symbiosis, functional economy, responsible consumption, useful life extension and effective management of end-of-life materials and products.
Unlike the BS 8001:2017 standard, the XP X30-901 standard aims to certify organizations that want to develop circular business models.
Unlike the BS 8001:2017 standard, the XP X30-901 standard aims to certify organizations that want to develop circular business models.
ISO standard – coming soon
ISO has created the ISO/TC 323 – Circular Economy working group dedicated to developing standards on the circular economy in organizations. To date, the following are under development:
- ISO/WD 59004 – Circular economy — Framework and principles for implementation;
- ISO/WD 59010 – Circular economy — Guidelines on business models and value chains;
- ISO/WD 59020 – Circular economy — Measuring circularity framework;
- ISO/CD TR 59031 – Circular economy — Performance-based approach – Analysis of cases studies.
This is another topic covered by Plan4Sustain. If you want to learn more about this topic, contact us.
*Cover photo by Raphael Schaller on Unsplash