In recent years, the concept of green jobs has been the focus of increasing attention. The principles of green jobs and green employment are grounded in a variety of evolving concepts such as green economy, green growth, sustainable development and circular economy, which are multi-dimensional and their understanding evolves in both academic and political contexts.

At the EU policy level, the green transition is seen as an opportunity to create jobs in existing and emerging economic sectors. A large number of different approaches to how green jobs can be defined and classified have been put forward. Differences and gaps identified in these existing definitions and frameworks have exposed the need to create a novel, integrated taxonomy for green jobs, which is developed in this report.

With the EU striving to achieve circularity and climate neutrality by 2050, this publication explores the Netherlands' target of reducing primary raw material consumption by 50% by 2030. This is all the more impressive given that the current global circularity rate is 7.2%.

The brochure showcases over 20 best practices from the Netherlands, with an emphasis on the transformative applications of chemical recycling. The toolboxes and strategic approaches presented serve as a pragmatic blueprint for implementing effective and sustainable chemical recycling initiatives.

This white paper examines China's transition to a circular economy.

A new plan for China’s circular economy (CE) was set out in the 14th Five-Year Plan 2021-2025. Circular Innovation Lab's previous paper on China’s Circular Economy Policies: Review and Reflection argued that there has been significant improvement in environmental aspects in China. It also identified challenges in the implementation of past five-year plans, such as coordination challenges, uneven and unsustainable development, and lack of research.

This paper builds on those findings to address the way forward in China's CE transition, including challenges and opportunities.

More than 140 million SMEs make up a significant part of China's economy and technological innovation.

However, they are also responsible for significant environmental issues, with most environmental regulation violations in China being incurred by SMEs. This paper investigates how SMEs can help China transition to a circular economy by harnessing their potential for technology innovation and flexibility in adopting circular practices. By looking into the development characteristics of Chinese SMEs, it highlights the implications for SME-related policies and management and emphasises the need for collaboration between businesses, NGOs and individuals.

By tapping into their strengths, SMEs can play a vital role in delivering the successful transition to a circular economy in China.

The circular economy was introduced in China’s policies in 2002 and has evolved into a national strategy and a fundamental pillar of the economy. However, while the efforts so far are worth celebrating, issues such as coordination challenges, uneven development, unsustainable success, and a lack of research are still undermining China's circular development.

This paper builds a primary framework by reviewing the development of China's circular economy policy. The paper consists of a policy review, the implementation and the corresponding outcome, challenge identification, framework establishment and application.

This paper - part of the A Circular Economy Vision series - follows one of Circular Innovation Lab's previous analyses of the potential effects of the European Critical Raw Materials Regulation (ECRMR) on developing economies.

It focuses on the EU’s domestic critical raw material (CRM) markets, revealing how the current hyperfocus of the policy on extraction, processing and recycling is not applicable to all identified CRMs. By analysing the limits of the ECRMR as it stands, the paper argues that a supporting structure of circular economy legislation could promote a successful ECRMR for all CRMs, not just those that could benefit from recycling infrastructure.

The paper provides detailed policy recommendations for each CRM where data allow.

As the world transitions to green energy and greater technology use, critical raw materials (CRMs) are the new frontier of economic and political disputes.

The EU has recognised this threat to supply chains, passing the European Critical Raw Materials Regulation to help stabilise EU access to CRMs. Published in March 2023, the regulation seeks to improve EU extraction, processing and recycling capacity with minimal reliance on other states. However, the EU has limited sources of many CRMs, and so strategic projects in third countries will be utilised to ensure that EU demand is met.

This paper discusses the possible impact of this regulation on developing economies, exploring how they will be affected by strategic projects, shifting EU import demand, and circularity incentives.

Global biodiversity is being lost at an unprecedented rate, giving rise to a sixth mass extinction and constituting one of the core challenges of the triple planetary crisis. Biodiversity forms the foundation of life on Earth and its loss presents a systemic risk to future human survival. To reverse the biodiversity crisis, transformative systems-wide change is required.

This paper addresses an existing research gap by exploring whether the circular economy can play a role not only in halting biodiversity loss but also in regenerating it and thereby contributing to a nature-positive future. To unlock the regenerative potential of the circular economy, a coherent strategy is needed that provides incentives for all actors, notably policymakers and businesses.

Academics are studying the challenge of including the informal recycling sector (IRS) in the circular economy.

This review explores the direct and indirect contributions of the IRS to various circular economy fields, drawing on relevant literature.

1. The modi operandi of different recycling value chains are captured in a typology.
2. Information on reported forms of collaboration, tensions and challenges in urban waste management is summarised in a conceptual framework to facilitate the transition to circular and inclusive wise-waste systems.
3. Important aspects related to circular business models and approaches to the IRS are discussed and avenues for further research proposed.

This article unpacks the idea of cycles, loops and flows by analysing what socio-ecological cycles are most relevant for sustainability and circularity.

It thus finds a set of seven cycles that are key to better understanding the circular economy and its relation to human and planetary well-being (biogeochemical, ecosystem, resource, power, wealth, knowledge and care cycles).

The article then analyses how and whether dominant circular economy discourses currently address these cycles. It proposes the idea of a circular society as an umbrella concept that can help us better address the critical ecological, social and political implications of a circularity transition.

Moreover, this article develops a set of interrelated strategies to operationalise the circular society concept.