ISO 59004 belongs to the ISO 59000 family of standards which is designed to foster a shift towards a circular economy.
Focusing on Circular economy — Vocabulary, principles and guidance for implementation, this standard advocates for a circular economy model which emphasises the sustainable management and renewal of natural resources.
It aims to help organisations contribute to the United Nations Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development by facilitating the transition to circular use of resources. It sets out key terms and concepts, a vision for a circular economy, core principles and practical guidance for delivering on sustainability goals.
You can read a sample or purchase the full version on the ISO website.
ISO 59010 covers Circular economy — Guidance on the transition of business models and value networks.
This standard provides guidance for organisations wishing to take their value creation models and networks from linear to circular. It focuses on business-oriented strategies to implement circular economy practices at both organisational and inter-organisational levels. It complements ISO 59004 by offering more detailed guidance on assessing current value creation models, mapping value chains and value networks, and developing strategies for circularity. ISO 59010 is designed to help organisations make this transition effectively.
You can read a sample or purchase the full version on the ISO website.
ISO 59020 covers Circular economy — Measuring and assessing circularity performance.
It provides a structured approach for organisations to measure and assess their circularity performance. It aims to standardise the process by which organisations collect and calculate data, using mandatory and optional circularity indicators.
This standard will:
help organisations align with global sustainability goals
enhance transparency and accountability in environmental reporting
support strategic decision-making for sustainable resource management.
You can read a sample or purchase the full version on the ISO website.
Together with ISO 59004 and ISO 59010, these standards offer a complete toolkit for achieving a circular economy, from principles to measurement.
During the World Circular Economy Forum 2024, the European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen announced two initiatives intended to advance the circular economy at global level.
The establishment of the EU Circular Economy Resource Centre under the Global Gateway strategy will facilitate peer-to-peer exchanges and partnerships between EU and third-country stakeholders, fostering the uptake of sound circular economy policies and business models worldwide. The Commissioner announced a EUR 15 million commitment from the European Commission.
In addition, Commissioner Urpilainen launched the "SWITCH to Circular Economy in East and Southern Africa” programme. The European Commission will contribute EUR 40 million over five years to this programme, which will promote the transition to circular economies.
ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability is a global network of more than 1 750 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Active in over 100 countries, ICLEI influences sustainability policy and drives local action for low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development.
Simon Clement joined ICLEI Europe in 2002. As Head of Circular Economy, he is responsible for ICLEI's activities in this field, including managing the European Circular Cities Declaration. For over 20 years he has worked for, and on behalf of, local, regional and national governments in project, policy and strategy development on sustainability issues such as circular economy, procurement, transport and smart cities.
This session will present the findings of innovative demonstration projects on net zero emission and plus energy neighbourhoods around Europe, as well as the viewpoints of key stakeholders along the value chain. It will also explore the policy measures needed to finance and scale up such projects around Europe.
The main outcome will be a list of policy recommendations for private and public decision makers.
The European Commission has announced a EUR 40 million investment in the SWITCH to Circular Economy in East and Southern Africa (SWITCH-2-CE in ESA) programme.
This programme aims to advance circularity in Eastern and Southern African countries as they shift from a linear to a circular economy. It will do so by creating an enabling environment for investment in circular business models and improving access to the necessary skills and finance.
The Textiles ecosystem stakeholder event, organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship & SMEs, will take place on 4 June.
There will be updates from the Commission on the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, the implementation of the Transition Pathway for the Textiles Ecosystem, the EU Pact for Skills and the European Partnership on Textiles under Horizon Europe.
This conference is an opportunity to meet the public authorities and companies involved in the circular economy in the French Drôme Ardèche region.
There will be a main session on a circular and cross-cutting approach for tomorrow's economy, a round table discussion on the regional donut in Valence Romans, five workshops and three site visits.
EU Green Week is an annual opportunity to raise awareness, promote and discuss European environmental policy. This year's focus is Towards a water resilient Europe.
There are two strands: the EU Green Week conference Towards a water resilient Europe, taking place on 29-30 May in Brussels, and the EU Green Week Partner Events, taking place between 29 May and 1 September around Europe. They will focus on water resilience, but there are several on circularity, too - such as Implementing circular economy with EU Ecolabel, taking place on 27 August in Latvia.
