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2025

Acirculareconomy

tolivewithinthesafe

limitsoftheplanet

Behindthecover

Thisyear’scovercapturesastarkcontrast:desertencroaching

onlushforest.It’sapowerfulvisualmetaphorforourcurrent

trajectory—whereresourceoveruseandenvironmental

degradationthreatentoerasewhatremainsgreenandvital.

Thecirculareconomyoffersapathtopushbackthedesert,

bothliterallyandfiguratively,byrestoringbalancebetween

people,planet,andprosperity.

TheCircularityGapReport20252

TheCircularityGapReport20253

CircleEconomyisdrivingthetransitiontoanew

economy.Inthiseconomywehelpbusinesses,cities

andnationsleveragebusinessopportunities,reduce

costs,createjobsandinspirebehaviouralchange.

Asaglobalimpactorganisation,ourinternational

teamequipsbusinessleadersandpolicymakerswith

theinsights,strategies,andtoolstoturncircular

ambitionintoaction.

CircleEconomyhasbeenattheforefrontof

thecirculareconomytransitionsince2012.Our

annualCircularityGapReportsetsthestandardfor

measuringprogressandwemanagetheworld’s

largestcircularitydatabase,encompassingdata

fromover90nations,350cities,and

1,000businesses.

Incollaborationwith:

Deloitte.

Deloitteprovidesleadingprofessional

servicestonearly90%oftheFortuneGlobal500?

andthousandsofprivatecompanies.

Ourpeopledelivermeasurableandlastingresults

thathelpreinforcepublictrustincapitalmarkets

andenableclientstotransformandthrive.

Buildingonits180-yearhistory,Deloittespans

morethan150countriesandterritories.Learnhow

Deloitte’sapproximately460,000peopleworldwide

makeanimpactthatmattersat

Table

ofcontents

Executivesummary10

1Introduction16

2Howcircularisthe22

globaleconomy?

Acomprehensivelookintothestate

ofglobalcircularity

3Thewayforward57

Callstoactionforstakeholdersin

governmentandbusiness

Endnotes66

Acknowledgements72

TheCircularityGapReport20254

TheCircularityGapReport20255

Insupportofthe

CircularityGapReport

TounleashthefullpotentialofcircularityandhelpraisetheglobalCircularityMetricbeyonditscurrent6.9%,wehopethattheCircularityGapReport2025

willserveasacatalystforinformed,data-drivenaction.Suchactionisessentialforaccelerating

HRHPrincessSumayabintElHassan

President,TheRoyal

ScientificSocietyofJordan

theglobaltransitiontowardsacirculareconomy.

Thiswillhelpaddressthetripleplanetarycrisisofclimatechange,biodiversityloss,andpollution,

whileadvancinghumanwell-beingwithinthelimitsofourplanet.InJordan,whereresourcescarcity

andenvironmentalpressuresarekeenlyfelt,thecaseforcircularityisbothurgentandcompelling.

AttheRoyalScientificSociety,weremainsteadfastinourcommitmenttoadvancingcirculareconomyprinciplesthroughinnovation,collaboration,andregionalleadership.WebelievethatJordancan

serveasamodelforpractical,scalablesolutionsthatrespectbothpeopleandplanet.

TheCircularityGapReporthasbecomeakeymeasureofprogressintheglobaltransitiontoacircular

DrJackBarrie

SeniorResearchFellow,RoyalInstituteof

InternationalAffairs

economy.The2025reportrevealshowfartheworldisfromachievingatrulyregenerativecircularsystem

and,asaresult,howvulnerableeconomiesareto

increasingresourcevolatilityandcompetition.Italsoprovidesaglobalbenchmarkacriticalreference

pointfromwhichtoaccelerateprogressalongsideacompellingcaseshowingwhyurgentglobalactionisneededtoday.

Amidrisinggeopoliticaltensions,resource

competition,andeconomicvolatility,thecircular

economyismoreimportantthanever.Itplaysa

AtteJ??skel?inen

President,TheFinnishInnovationFundSitra

keyroleindrivingnewinvestments,shapingfree-tradeagreements,andstrengtheningdevelopmentcooperationsuchasthesupportprovidedby

thenewSitra-ledEUCircularEconomyResource

Centre.Theworld’sresourceflowsarechanging,

andthisreportmanagestobothstresstheurgencyoftransitioningwhilecapturingtheopportunitiesacirculareconomyoffers.’

Insupportofthe

CircularityGapReport

TheCircularityGapReport20256

Businessesplayacrucialroleinscalingcircular

solutions,andbrands,inparticular,havethepowertomobiliseconsumersacrosstheglobeanddrive

HegeS?bj?rnsen

GlobalCircularStrategy

Leader,IngkaGroup,IKEA

behaviouralchange.Byrethinkingproductdesign,investinginnewbusinessmodels,anddeveloping

newcapabilities,theprivatesectorcanaccelerate

thetransitiontowardsacirculareconomy.The

CircularityGapReportisavaluabletoolthatprovidesinsights,informsbetteractions,andsuggests

impactfulindicatorsforprogress.

Atbeah,webelievethatcircularityisthefoundationforasustainablefuture.TheCircularityGapReport

DrMohabAliAl-Hinai

VicePresidentSustainability&CircularEconomy,beah

2025highlightstheurgentneedforsystemicchange,reinforcingtheroleofcollaboration,innovation,andresponsibleresourceuseinshapingaresilientglobaleconomy.Weareproudtosupportthisinitiativeandremaincommittedtodrivingimpactfulchangefor

Omanandbeyond.

Despitewidespreaddiscussionsonthecircular

HelenaMcLeod

DeputyDirector-General

andHeadofGreenGrowthPlanning&ImplementationDivision,GlobalGreen

GrowthInstitute

economy,theworldisbecominglesscircular.I

commendtheCircularityGapReportsforbringing

thisurgentissuetolight.Itscallisclear:nations

musturgentlyshifttoacirculareconomytobuild

resilienceandsustainability.Welookforwardto

moreregion-andcountry-specificassessmentsandtheformaladoptionofcircularitymetricsinnationalandregionalpolicyframeworks.

Insupportofthe

CircularityGapReport

TheCircularityGapReport20257

‘TheCircularityGapReport2025highlightsthat,

morethanever,urgentactiontoboostcircularityisrequiredfrompolicymakersandindustryleaders.

Thetransitionneedstobeguidedbyscience-based

targetsformaterialconsumption,particularlyinhigh-incomecountries,whichareovershootingthesafe

andjustboundariesofourplanet.’

‘TheCircularityGapReport2025highlights

thecrucialroleofgovernmentsindrivingthe

circulartransitionthroughsmartpoliciesand

multilateralcollaboration.UNECEsupportsthis

goalbyprovidingpolicytoolsthatleveragetrade,innovation,andinfrastructurefinancing,while

fosteringcooperationthroughCircularSTEP—a

networkofgovernmentexpertsworkingtobridgetheCircularityGapinlinewiththeUN’sSustainableDevelopmentGoal12onsustainableconsumptionandproduction.’

JanezPoto?nik

Co-Chair,InternationalResourcePanel

ElisabethTürk

DirectorofEconomic

CooperationandTradeDivision,UnitedNationsEconomic

CommissionforEurope

‘Circularsolutionsaretheonlywayforbusinessestomeetboththeirgrowthambitionsandglobal

QuentinDrewell

SeniorDirector,Circular

ProductsandMaterials,

WorldBusinessCouncilforSustainableDevelopment

sustainabilitytargets.TheCircularityGapReport

2025providescriticalinsightsthathelpbridgethegapbetweencircularpotentialandaction.AligningwithinitiativesliketheGlobalCircularityProtocol,thisreportplaysacrucialroleinguidingbusinessleaderstowardmeasurableandtransformative

actionstoensurebusinessescangeneratelong-termvalueandbuildupresilience.’

‘Globally,thereisanurgentneedforbold,

innovativesolutionsthatdriveasystemicshift

SeemaArora

DeputyDirectorGeneral,ConfederationofIndianIndustry

towardsacirculareconomy.Incorporatingcircularprincipleswillplayacriticalroleinbuilding

competitivenessandaddressingsocioeconomic

developmentchallenges.TheConfederation

ofIndianIndustryrecognisestheimportance

oftransparent,robustdata—asprovidedand

championedbytheCircularityGapReport2025—toinformdecision-makersandcreateanenabling

policyenvironmentwithinwhichindustrycanact.’

TheCircularityGapReport20258

Insupportofthe

CircularityGapReport

circularbusinessmodelsandambitiouspolicytargets.ThisyearsCircularityGapReporthighlightsthe

missinglinkincircularity:wemustreduceouroverallmaterialfootprintandwastegeneration.Reuseand

lifetimeextensionarecrucial.Policymakersmust

implementeconomicconditionsforcircularityto

thrive,andbusinessesmustscaleimpactfulstrategiesanddrivesystemicchange.

‘Thedata-drivenapproachtakenbytheCircularityGapReport2025emphasisesthecriticalroleof

metricsinadvancingthecirculareconomy.

Bymeasuringandanalysinghowresourcesareused,thereportprovidesessentialinsightsforinformeddecision-makingonsustainability,

highlightingtheimportanceoftrackingmaterialflowsinachievingaresilientfuture.’

TheCircularityGapReport2025isadecisivewake-upcall.Byrevealingourdecliningcircularity

andemphasisingtheurgentneedforsystemic

change,itprovidesaroadmapforcleanindustrialtransformationthatcanaddressclimate,nature

andeconomicrisks.UNIDOsupportstheseeffortsthroughabroadrangeoftechnicalcooperation

servicesonthecirculareconomy.

‘Circularityrequiresresource-lightconsumption,

IfullyendorsetheCircularityGapReport2025anditsCircularityMetricfortheinsightfuloverviewofthetransitiontoacirculareconomyitprovides.

Whilethisshiftpresentsasubstantialchallenge

fortheCentralEuropeanInitiativeregion,italso

offerssignificantopportunitiestostrengthenlocaleconomies,empowercommunities,andfoster

sustainabledevelopmentandresilience.’

DrZsuzsannaKirály

DeputySecretaryGeneral,CentralEuropeanInitiative

HeikeVesper

ChiefExecutive,Transformation&Policies,WWFGermany

JohannaPakarinen

SeniorAdvisor,StatisticsFinland

SmailAlHilali

Chief,DivisionofCircular

Economy&GreenIndustry,UnitedNationsIndustrial

DevelopmentOrganization

Insupportofthe

CircularityGapReport

TheCircularityGapReport20259

‘TheCircularityGapReport2025rightlyhighlightstheurgencyoftransitioningtoacirculareconomy.

TheForestStewardshipCouncilsupportsitscall

forregenerativesystemsthatprioritiserenewable,

responsiblysourced,andreusedmaterials.Thiskeepsvalueintheloopandensuresthatecosystems—suchasforests—canthrive—sustainingpeople,climateandbiodiversityforgenerationstocome.’

‘TheCircularityGapReport2025isabroadscorecardonthestateofglobalcircularityandoffersaclearroadmapforhowtoincorporatecircularpractices

intobusinessstrategies.Itprovidesleaderswith

actionableinsightsonhowtoinvestindiverse

materialstreamsandcircularpathwaysinordertoenhancesupplychainresilienceandmitigaterisks.

Bydoingso,businessleaderscanunlockgrowth

andnewopportunitiesforinnovationandefficiencyacrosstheirenterprises.’

JenniferSteinmann

DeloitteGlobalSustainabilityBusinessLeader,Deloitte

FabianFarkas

ChiefMarketsOfficer,

ForestStewardshipCouncilInternational

‘Indiaiscentraltotheglobalcirculareconomy

transition,withitsdynamicindustries,innovationecosystem,andvastpotentialforcircularsolutions.

TheCircularityGapReport2025providesvitalinsightstoguidethisshift,highlightingboththeurgency

andopportunitiesofreducingmaterialusewhilesupportingresilience.’

RasmusAbildgaardKristensen

AmbassadorofDenmarktoIndia,MinistryofForeign

AffairsofDenmark

‘TheannualCircularityGapReportgivesanimportantinsightintotherelativeamountsofrecycled

ChrisJansen

MinisterfortheEnvironment

andPublicTransport,

GovernmentoftheNetherlands

materialsinoureconomy.ItisthereforeasourceofinspirationfortheNetherlandsinshapingeffectiveandrealisticcircularpolicies.Wecanunlockan

accelerationtowardsthecirculareconomyto

enhanceourcompetitiveness,reducestrategicvulnerabilities,andcreatefuture-proofjobs.’

TheCircularityGapReport202510

Executivesummary

Theeconomicsystemshoulddelivermaximum

possiblewellbeingwithinthesafelimitsofour

planet.Aftersevenyearsofreporting,ourmessageremainsmuchthesame:inthefaceofescalating

globalchallenges,thecirculareconomyoffersa

meanstorewiretheentrenchedlinearpracticesthatnolongerservemostpeopleortheplanet.SincethelaunchofthefirstCircularityGapReportin2018,we’veanalysedtheCircularityMetrictoofferinsightinto

theglobalstateofthecirculareconomytransition.1

Thissinglefigurequantifiestheshareofsecondary

materialsoutoftotalmaterialconsumption,servingasaNorthStarfortrackingprogresstowardsthe

circulartransition.ButtheMetricisonepieceofa

largerpuzzle.That’swhy,forthefirsttime,thisreportanalysestheCircularityGaptoexaminehowtherestofthematerialsflowingintoandoutoftheglobal

economyarecontributingtoacirculareconomy—ornot.Globalmaterialflowscanbebrokendownintothreeinterconnectedcategories:

?Circular:SecondaryMaterials(theCircularityMetric)andCarbon-NeutralBiomass;

?Linear:Non-Carbon-NeutralBiomass,FossilFuelscombustedforenergy,andotherVirgin,Non-

RenewableMaterialsdestinedforlandfill;

?Potentiallycircular,potentiallylinear:Net

additionsofvirginmaterialstoStocks—suchas

buildings,infrastructure,andmachinery—thatcaneitherberecycledorwastedattheirend-of-life

manyyearsdowntheroad.

Thisreportexamineshowmaterialsenterthe

economy,whethertheyre-enteritand,ifnot,how

theyleaveit—eitheraswasteoremissions.Various

sub-indicatorssupporteachoftheheadlineindicatorsabovetogiveasenseofwhereweare,wherewe’re

heading,andwheretargetsareneededtodriveactionintherightdirection.Thisyear’sreportservesasa

data-rich,comprehensivereportcardfortheglobalstateofcircularity,openinguptheCircularityGaptosupportpracticaldecision-making.

Potentially

Circular

Linear

circular

Potentially

Non-Renewable

linear

SecondaryMaterials

Materialsdestinedfor

Landfill

Stocks

Carbon-NeutralBiomass

Non-Carbon-Neutral

Biomass

FossilFuels

combustedforEnergy

TheCircularityMetriccontinuesto

decline:thevastmajorityofmaterialsenteringtheeconomyarevirgin,withtheshareofsecondarymaterials

fallingfrom7.2%to6.9%asofthelatestanalysis.

Ongoingdeclinesincircularitycanlargelybetied

tosustainedgrowthinmaterialuse.Althoughthe

absolutescaleofsecondarymaterialconsumption

isslowlytrendingupwards,thisisbeingoutpaced

bygrowthinvirginmaterialuse.Globalextraction

hasmorethantripledinthelastfiftyyears,recentlyreachingalandmark100billiontonnes—andwithout‘bendingthetrend’,thisissettorisebyafurther

60%by2060.2

Atrulycirculareconomyshouldberesource-light:

withoutprofoundlyrewiringsystemsofproductionandconsumptionandapplyingstructuralchanges

acrosskeysystems—fromhousingandfoodto

mobilityandmanufacturing—wewillnotbeabletoclosethelooponmaterialconsumption.Atthesame

time,thereisasignificantopportunitytobolster

theCircularityMetricbyrecyclingallthematerialsthatpotentiallycould3becycledbutcurrentlyaren’t.

Virgin,Non-RenewableMaterialsdestinedfor

landfill—includingheavyindustrialwastes,short-

livedconsumerproducts,andend-of-lifevehiclesor

constructionmaterials—accountfornearlyone-fifth(18.1%)ofglobalmaterialinputs.Thisrepresentshugeuntappedpotential:ifweweretorecycleallwaste

currentlynotbeingrecycledwithoutreducingoverallmaterialuse,forexample,theCircularityMetricwouldgrowtoapproximately25%.

Thereispotentialtoboostcircularitybybetter-

managingconstructionanddemolitionwaste,aswellassmallerwastestreams,likemunicipalsolidwaste.

However,agoodportionofVirgin,Non-Renewable

Materialsarehard-to-recycle,lower-valuewastetypes,fromwasterocktosoils,underscoringtheimportanceofrollingoutcircularstrategiesthatminimisewaste

fromtheoutsetwhileprioritisinghigh-valuereuseandrecyclingwherepossible.

Inanidealworld,

weuseasmanysecondarymaterialsaspossiblewhileminimisingextractionandconsumption.

Industrieshaveembracedprinciplesofmaterialefficiencyandsufficiency,prioritisingtheuse

ofrecycledinputsalongsidecirculardesign

principles.Materialrecoveryfromlong-lived

stocks—suchasbuildingsandinfrastructure,

whichcanactas‘banks’ofmaterialsfor

reuse—hasbeenoptimised.Atthesametime,

countrieshavevastlyimprovedwastecollection,processingandrecyclingandhaveminimised

wastefromextractionprocesses.

Theverdict

Withoutstrongglobaltargetstoholdus

totherightpath,we’reveeringoffcourseforseveralkeyindicators.Naturalresourcemanagementandglobalmaterialusetrendsaremovinginthewrongdirection:material

extractionandwastegenerationaretrendingupwards,whilerecyclingandcontrolled

disposalratesarebothtrendingdownwardsoverafive-yearperiod.What’smore,official,science-basedglobalmaterialusetargetsarelacking,makingitdifficulttodriveprogress.

TheCircularityGapReport202511

Asustainablebioeconomyis

importanttotheglobalcircular

economytransition,butmeasuringitsimpactremainsablindspot.

Ofallthematerialsflowingintotheglobaleconomy,

21.5%areCarbon-NeutralBiomass,and2.2%areNon-Carbon-NeutralBiomass.*Carbon-NeutralBiomass

referstobiomassthatabsorbsasmuchcarbonas

itemitsoveritslifecycle,maintainingabalance

throughnaturalprocesseslikeregrowthandcarbonsequestration.

Non-Carbon-NeutralBiomassrepresentstheportionthatexceedsthisbalance:itdoesn’timplyadifferenceinhowthebiomassisextractedbutratherreflects

thatacertainproportionis‘inthered’.However,all

biomassextractioncomeswithnumerousuncapturedenvironmentalimpacts.Althoughrenewable,biomassisn’tsustainablebydefault,andcarbonneutralityis

onlyapartialcriterionforquantifyingitscircularity.

Byonlyconsideringthisaspect,wecan’taccountforthelossofecologicalcomplexityandbiodiversity

thatbiomassextractionmaycause—forexample,

large-scalemonocultureplantationscandepletesoil

nutrients,reducehabitatdiversity,andcontributetodeforestation,threateningecosystemsandspecies.

Itisnotcurrentlypossibletomeasureotherimportantcriteriaforcircularbiomass,suchaswhethernutrientsaresafelyreturnedtothebiosphereintherightplaceandattherightrate.Forthisreason,evenCarbon-

NeutralBiomassshouldbeconsideredcarefullyand

withnuance.ThoughNon-Carbon-NeutralBiomass

accountsforjust2.2%ofmaterialinputs,itrepresentsapproximatelyone-tenthoftotalbiomassuse—stillacrucialsharetominimise.

Despiteitsdecliningshareinglobalmaterial

extraction,thescaleofbiomassextractionhasmorethandoubledinthelasthalf-century,drivingland-

usechangeandbiodiversitylossandaccountingforasignificantportionofglobalemissions.Developingamorecirculareconomywillrequirearebalancingofgloballanduse:currently,adisproportionateshareoftheplanet’slandisusedforagriculture—particularlyforpastureandfeedcrops.Transformingourfood

systemstowardscircular,regenerativepractices

andplant-based,unprocesseddietswillbecriticaltoreducingthesepressuresandrestoringecosystems.

Theverdict

We’remakingsomeprogress,butmore

mustbedonetohelpmeetglobaltargets.Globalbiomassextractionandotherkey

indicators—waterstress,forexample—are

trendingupwards,whiletheshareofforestedlandisdecreasing.Whilewearemaking

progressatsafelytreatingwastewaterand

bolsteringlandprotection,progressisn’t

happeningatthespeedandscopeneededtomeetglobalclimateandbiodiversitytargets.Withoutacceleratedaction,ecosystems

maystruggletosustaintheindustriesandcommunitiesthatdependonthem.

Inanidealworld,

we’vereducedthelandfootprintintensity

ofbiomassproductionandusebiomassin

awaythatrespectsnaturalcycles—suchas

thecarbon,nitrogen,phosphorus,andwatercycles—preventstheharmfultransformationofland,nurturesbiodiversityandsoilhealth,andmaximisesvaluethroughcascading

wherepossible.

*Amuchsmallershareofbiomassiscapturedbyotherindicators,makingitswayintothetechnicalcycleandcontributingtothe

CircularityMetric,Virgin,Non-RenewableMaterialsdestinedfordisposal,orNetAdditionstoStock.

TheCircularityGapReport202512

Fossilfueluseremainshighand

continuesgrowing,withfewstrongincentivestochangecourse.

Althoughtherateoffossilfuelextractionrelative

toothermaterialshasdeclined,absoluteextractionhasincreased—from6.1billiontonnesin1970to

15.8billiontonnesin2021.413.3%ofmaterials

flowingintotheeconomyareFossilFuelscombustedforenergy,themaindriverofclimatebreakdown.

In2021,energyuseaccountedfor73%5ofglobal

greenhousegasemissions—excludingthosefromlanduse,land-usechangeandforestry—withfossilfuelsremainingthedominantenergysourcetoday,representing82%oftotalprimaryenergysupply.6

Historically,fossilfueldemandandglobaleconomicgrowthhavebeencloselycoupled—andevennow,theirusecontinuestobeincentivisedthrough

artificiallylowprices,withexplicitsubsidies

amountingtoanestimatedUS$1.4trillionin2021.7

Thetransitiontoanet-zeroenergysystempresentsamajoropportunitytoreducerelianceonfossil

fuelswhilemitigatingenvironmentalharm.Todo

this,weshouldsystematicallyrestructurehowwe

powertransport,generateelectricityandprocess

materials.Thisrequiresscalingdowntheseactivitiesandreorientingfinancialflowsfromsubsidies

towardsdecarbonisedsystemsbasedonelectricityandpoweredbyrenewablesources.Althoughthe

energytransitionwillinitiallybematerial-intensive—particularlyintermsofmetals—smartsystem

designcanreducerelianceonpresentandfuturematerialinputs.Thiscontrastswiththecurrent

energysystem,whichrequiresaconstantflowoffossilfuelstosustain.

Adoptingcirculardesignprinciples—suchasdurability,reuse,andrecycling—atboththeproductandthe

systemlevelwillbecrucialtominimiseenvironmentalburdenshifting,suchashaltingfossilfuelextractionbutrampingupmining.

Theverdict

Whilethere’sbeensomeprogresstowardsdecarbonisation,itisn’tenoughtolimit

warmingto1.5-degrees.Totalenergy

supplyandglobalgreenhousegasemissionsarestilltrendingupwards—andwhilewe’reseeingpositiveincreasesinelectrification

andrenewableenergyconsumption,we’renotyetontracktomeetglobaltargets.

Electrification,forexample,isgrowingmoreslowlythanenergydemand,andthecarbon

intensityofelectricitygenerationisgrowing.What’smore,halfofthewastegeneratedby

theglobaleconomyisreleasedintheformofemissions:becausewecan’t‘closetheloop’onemissions,thisrepresentsasignificantbarriertobolsteringcircularity.

Inanidealworld,

we’veprioritisedsystemicefficiencytokeepgrowingenergydemandincheck,enabling

renewableenergytoreplace—ratherthan

simplyaddto—fossil-basedsourcesin

theenergymix.Becauseelectricityisthe

mostefficientandeasiestformofenergyto

decarbonise,we’veelectrifiedasmanyactivitiesandendusesaspossibleandpoweredthem

withcleanrenewables.

TheCircularityGapReport202513

Rapidstockaccumulationisa

primarydriverofrisingresourceextraction—particularlynon-

metallicminerals,whichaccountforhalfoftotalextraction.

Ofallmaterialsenteringtheglobaleconomy,

38%arevirginNetAdditionstoStock.Thisincludesnon-metallicminerals,metals,andsmallamountsoffossil-fuel-basedmaterialsandbiomassused

primarilyforbuildings,infrastructure,vehiclesandmachinery.

Stocksaren’tinherentlypositiveornegativeand

evenhaveseriouspotentialtoboostcircularity

downtheroadifcirculardesignprinciplesare

integratednow.By‘mining’existingstocks,wecanexpandthepoolofrecyclablematerialsavailable

toincreasetheCircularityMetric.However,stocks

arehighlymaterial-intensive,withtheirtotalweightincreasing23-foldoverthe20thcentury,8atrend

settocontinuealongsiderapidurbanisationandeconomicgrowth.

By2050,urbanpopulationswillgrowby2.5billion,

requiringsignificantstockbuild-up,9particularlyin

lower-andmiddle-incomecountries.Thesenations

havetheopportunitytoembedcircularprinciples

at