This policy brief aims to shed light on the circular economy’s role as a systems approach to delivering the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and addressing the global biodiversity crisis.

The circular economy does not explicitly feature in the GBF. It is often narrowly associated with waste reduction, particularly in the plastics sector. This risks obscuring the broad potential of circular approaches across sectors to help achieve biodiversity objectives, including through improved resource use, sustainable land management and funding mobilisation. 

The brief underscores the circular economy’s potential to transform the whole economic system into one that values, preserves and regenerates nature – a transformation essential to the GBF’s long-term success.