Part of a policy series on accelerating the circular economy transition, this brief explores policies which aim to make circular systems the norm via design, focusing on three key systems: products, agricultural systems and cities. Together, they account for the vast majority of resource use, waste generation and environmental impact, and crucially, all three are shaped by policy-led design decisions.

The way these systems are designed matters. A focused mix of upstream policy instruments can reduce reliance on virgin resources, improve material circulation and deliver economic, environmental and social benefits.

The brief features six case studies from G20 countries and provides practical recommendations to help policymakers design and implement effective circular economy policies.

The circular economy is increasingly recognised as a pathway to long-term economic resilience and prosperity.

However, its application to date has focused primarily on finite, technical materials, overlooking bio-based materials. This gap limits the ability of the circular economy to deliver system-wide impact.

This paper intends to shed new light on the application of the circular economy framework to bio-based materials.

It finds that better alignment of policy agendas on circular economy and bio-based materials could deliver wide-ranging socioeconomic and environmental benefits. Many countries could see this as a key opportunity in the development of bio-based sectors within global value chains. It could also help to distribute value more fairly across all actors involved.

Waste prevention innovation in cities works, with the right conditions.

This new report reveals how two megacities built circular economy programmes that reduced waste, supported informal workers and created lasting systemic change.

It presents the lessons learned from the Circular Economy Innovation Cluster (CEIC) programme funded by the IKEA Foundation and implemented in Bengaluru, India and Nairobi, Kenya from 2023 to 2025. 

The report sets out what it takes to shift urban economies away from linear, waste-making-waste-recycling models towards less waste generation in the first place.

Project REWEAR investigates rewear as a global practice of circularity.

This study provides new data illustrating the multiple situations and tensions of rewear innovation and ecosystems.

It looks at the state of play of rewear in Europe, Ghana and Pakistan, and examines the EU policies shaping used textile flows.

There are three case studies: a company using high tech sorting technologies, a repair-oriented social enterprise which puts people first, and an end-to-end platform for aftersales service.

The study finds that rewear alone cannot address the systemic challenges facing the textile sector. Lasting progress will require a parallel transition toward systems that produce and consume fewer garments, reducing the volume of low-quality material entering post consumer flows at source.

Climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss are combining to form an urgent global challenge. However, just like the crises themselves, the solutions to them are interconnected. In this briefing paper, Circular Flanders explores how the circular economy can contribute to protecting and restoring biodiversity.

You will discover why biodiversity is essential for our economy and well-being, how our current production and consumption system puts nature under pressure, and what role circular strategies can play in reversing this trend. 

From reduced resource use and smarter design to regenerative production and new value models, this paper offers insight, inspiration and practical starting points.

This report presents a supplier evidence architecture model for EU-Brazil circular value chains. 

It also focuses on reverse logistics, e-waste, traceability, custody records, product data, due diligence files and board-level risk governance. 

The report introduces a diagnostic Supplier Evidence Failure Index (SEFI) as a non-certification framework for quantifying exposure created by fragmented documentation, weak traceability and governance latency. 

It concludes that regulatory clarity is the starting point but audit-grade evidence is required to support procurement review, buyer due diligence, regulatory defensibility, circular value chains and sustainable finance readiness.

What would it take to turn resale and repair into a source of economic growth that uses fewer resources, produces fewer emissions and creates more local jobs?

That's the question at the heart of this new report. It demonstrates how a targeted mix of policy incentives could lift gross margins to 55% for resale and 41% for repair. It covers three policy shifts: 

• reducing VAT/sales tax on secondhand goods and on repair services
• lowering labour taxes for jobs in resale and repair
• Extended Producer Responsibility

The report focuses on existing levers that governments can pull, not new frameworks to invent. Together, they improve margins per unit, reduce labour costs and ensure producers pay more of the true costs of linear production, giving resale and repair the conditions they need to scale.

This technical publication analyses why the EU-Mercosur agreement may reduce tariff friction but does not remove the evidentiary burden created by EU product, circularity, carbon, deforestation and supply chain rules. 

It focuses on Brazilian suppliers, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, Digital Product Passport readiness, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the EU Regulation on Deforestation-free Products, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and the need to convert operational reality into audit-grade, buyer-readable evidence for European procurement, compliance and board-level review.

Concrete from old buildings can often be reused instead of being demolished, reducing waste and cutting carbon emissions. The challenge is proving that reused concrete will remain safe and durable for decades. 

This study presents a new method for estimating how long reused concrete can last, through probabilistic prediction of service life (covering both carbonation and corrosion stages). Using Monte Carlo simulations and case studies of Nordic precast concrete buildings, the research shows that reused concrete elements can achieve service lives similar to new ones when properly assessed and repaired. 

The framework supports smarter decisions on reuse, helping make construction more circular, resource-efficient and sustainable.

This study proposes a concept and workflow for solar, context-adaptive and reusable façades. Integrating solar control with parametric facade design, the workflow enables envelopes to adapt to urban context changes while promoting circularity. 

The method was tested through simulations, assessing daylight, glare, energy and circularity in changing urban scenarios. A Solar Circularity Indicator (SCI) was introduced to track façade alterations and reuse. In the 100m new obstruction scenario, 79% of facade modules were maintained, while 29% of altered modules were reused, yielding an 85% SCI.

The solution provided 2% more useful daylight than glazed façades and 11% less glare. The workflow provides a framework for circular, performance-based designs that preserve aesthetics and adaptability.