The unexpected shutdown of most industrialized economies in the first part of 2020 offered a unique glimpse into a different kind of world: one with radically lower rates of CO2 emissions and pollution. Today we have the opportunity to imagine a different type of world. But how can we be more responsible stewards of our natural assets while still maintaining healthy world economies? The answer lies, at least in part, in the implementation of more sustainable methods of production and consumption.
These include the circular economy: a new model for business, powered by renewable energies, in which waste becomes a material flow to be reused or recycled, where value is preserved at its highest level and business activity contributes to the self-regenerating systems of the biosphere.
In 2019 and early 2020, Bureau Veritas set out to capture a snapshot of how the circular economy is viewed and implemented by businesses around the world. We surveyed almost 800 companies of all sizes and across all sectors to understand if, how and why they were—or were not—shifting to a circular model. In parallel, we conducted in depth interviews with companies from five sectors.
Circular Shell
