The circular economy is more popular than ever, but global circularity is falling steadily. How can we reverse this downward trend?

The Circularity Gap Report 2024 identifies the key enablers of policy, finance and labour to accelerate progress towards the circular economy.

The Circularity Gap Reporting Initiative: a global score for circularity

The Circularity Gap Reporting Initiative highlights the urgent need to transition to a circular economy. We aim to empower key decision makers in both government and business to coordinate action to accelerate that transition. We do this by measuring current states of circularity and by bringing together stakeholders from businesses, governments, academia and NGOs to input and evaluate our findings on the state of the transition based on the latest scientific evidence.

Latest Updates

January 24, 2024
Global Circularity Rate Is Falling Steadily Every Year —Study Pinpoints Key Reforms to Revert This Trend  
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January 16, 2024
NEW FEATURE: Dive deeper into the report with Denmark’s Data Explorer
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November 16, 2023
Munich's residents consume four times more resources than deemed sustainable
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Endorsed by
global leaders

The circular economy is a fundamental means to achieving sustainability and carbon neutrality. Yet to know if we’re getting there, we need to measure circularity. The series of Circularity Gap Reports have been illuminating, as they’re showing us the distressing tendency of the past years. This third report sparks an alarm for all governments; we need to deploy all the array of policies to really catalyse this transformation.
Carolina Schmidt
Minister for the Environment
Government of Chile
The circularity gap is widening, and with it, the climate and biodiversity impacts of our extractive economies. To confront environmental challenges and deliver socio-economic benefi ts, we must rethink how we consume and dispose of materials. This report offers essential metrics to track progress and underlines the key role played by cities and regions in bridging the gap.
Gino van Begin
Secretary General
ICLEI
Despite two years of concentrated eff orts and pockets of success, circularity’s global impact is not big enough. This report provides a clear roadmap for action. Countries, cities and businesses can step up as change agents to accelerate circularity locally and globally. But, governments and businesses alike must engage in far-reaching, cross-border collaborations for circular value chains and climate neutrality.
Frans van Houten
CEO Phillips and Co-chair of PACE

Partners & Supporters

With special thanks to our partners:

Impact

18
Reports
54,000+
Report downloads
Impact stories
'The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals underline the importance of a sustainable use of resources. With the Circular Economy Package (CEP) and the Action Plan, the European Union has declared its commitment to pave the way for sustainable production and consumption in our common economic area . . . Now it is important to take the next steps based on a scientific background to make our progress towards a circular economy planned and measurable'.
Elisabeth Köstinger, Federal Minister for Sustainability and Tourism of Austria
Austria’s 2022 Circular Economy Strategy
The Circularity Gap Report Austria, developed together with Altstoff Recycling Austria, was presented to the Austrian Ministry of Environment in 2019. The report fueled a wider discussion and, four years later, has contributed to the country’s recent policy changes. At the end of 2022, the Austrian Cabinet of Ministers adopted a National Circular Economy Strategy. The comprehensive policy document sets the goal of boosting circularity from 9.7% to 18% by 2030.
2018
Circularity Gap Report Austria commissioned by Altstoff Recycling Austria AG (ARA)
2020
The Austrian Ministry of Climate Protection began developing the national Circular Economy Strategy
MAR 2022
First draft presented during the Circular Economy Summit Austria
DEC 2022
The Austrian Cabinet of Ministers officially approved the Circular Economy Strategy
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'The Circularity Gap Report Denmark, initiated by a local consortium of Danish organisations, has sparked interest in circularity among Danish politicians, businesses and the general public... The report serves as a new reference point, drawing attention from various media outlets. At the launch event in front of the Danish Parliament, about 60 newspapers covered the occasion. We've also received significant interest from business actors eager to learn more about the report's conclusions and how to become more circular. We've been invited to speak at numerous events and have workshops planned for businesses. Additionally, there is a plan for political follow-up, and efforts are underway to determine how we can measure Danish circularity in the future'.
Sine Beuse Fauerby, Chief Political Consultant at the Danish Society of Engineers
Presentation at the Danish Parliament
The report launch was held at the Danish Parliament (The Folketing) in August 2023 and was attended by the Danish Minister of Environment, Magnus Heunicke, alongside a public exhibition of the Circularity Metric. The report was commissioned by a consortium of Danish institutions: the Danish Industry Foundation, Danish Society of Engineers, Confederation of Danish Industry, Danish Technological Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Danish Design Centre and Lifestyle & Design Cluster. Since publication, these newly formed coalitions, equipped with the report results, have continued to take action on the ground to dive deeper into specific sectors and strategies.
OCT 2023
Launch of the Circularity Gap Report Denmark at the Danish Parliament
AGENDA 2024
Convening of industries to develop relevant policies
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'The Circularity Gap Report doesn’t just measure Scotland’s current rate of circularity, providing a quantifiable baseline from which we can measure change—it also identifies bold interventions that will advance the country’s circular efforts'.
Iain Gulland, Chief Executive Officer at Zero Waste Scotland
Scotland’s 2023 Circular Economy Bill
In mid-June of 2023, the Scottish Parliament introduced the Circular Economy Bill. The bill was drafted with the assistance of numerous non-profit and research organisations. For example, the Circularity Gap Report Scotland, published in 2022, provided a first overview of the country’s circularity rate. The report was commissioned by Zero Waste Scotland, a non-profit that consulted the Scottish Parliament on the Circular Economy Bill.
2016
Making Things Last: The first Circular Economy Strategy in Scotland
2022
Circularity Gap Report Scotland provides a first overview of the country’s circularity rate
2023
The Scottish Parliament introduced the Circular Economy Bill
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