So, what is a Circular Economy?
The circular economy is gaining momentum as a transformative approach to sustainable economic development. Unlike the traditional linear “take, make, dispose” model, it calls for a fundamental shift in how we produce, consume, and manage resources – one that is increasingly supported by new government policies worldwide.
At its core, the circular economy focuses on creating shorter, closed-loop cycles for materials and energy. This approach aims to:
- Minimise pollution and waste by rethinking design, production, and disposal
- Extend product life cycles through repair, refurbishment, and reuse
- Enable the shared use of natural assets, reducing the strain on ecosystems
But being circular is about more than just recycling or product design. It must address both tangible and intangible factors that shape the global value chain. These include sustainable trade practices, sound economic models, corporate responsibility, fair labour conditions, public health, and the protection of human rights.
Conformity assessment
Conformity assessment, a process that evaluates products and processes against established standards, plays an important role in this system. It builds confidence in specific attributes such as safety, efficiency, repairability, durability, upgradability, recyclability, and reusability. Together, these qualities strengthen the “circle,” ensuring that products and resources maintain value for as long as possible while minimising environmental impact.
So, what does it do?
By closing loops and rethinking resource flows, the circular economy offers a pathway to long-term prosperity that works in harmony with the planet rather than against it.
As an example, it offers a way to counteract the climate crisis, strengthen our adaptive capacity and make society more sustainable and resilient. Standards and conformity assessment are part of the solution.
The circular economy reduces the need for resources extracted from nature because it ensures that products are reused as many times as possible and materials are recycled. Resources and energy no longer go to waste as the unwanted by-products from one economic process are fed back into another in a never-ending flow.
Standards and Conformity Assessment
When products are passed on from one person to another, and used materials re-enter the value chain, consumers and companies need reassurance that the goods still safe and undamaged and they are designed to last.
That’s where ISO standards and tools to assess conformity come in. While sustainability standards define requirements in line with circular economy principles, such as durability, reusability, upgradability, or repairability, conformity assessment offers tools to demonstrate that these requirements are met.
A key example, a circular economy should lie at the heart of climate action. Today’s unsustainable production and consumption patterns are known to cause environmental degradation, resource depletion and waste, while accentuating the inequalities across countries. There is an urgent need to move towards a more circular model that redefines the economy around principles of designing out waste and pollution and keeping products and materials in use for as long as possible.
Other areas of focus include waste materials produced during the production process and recycling (i.e. reuse and recovery of materials and/or of energy). Also in development is a series of design requirements for product durability, reusability, upgradability and repairability, and for the recyclability of devices such as electronic displays, commercial refrigeration appliances, washing machines and vacuum cleaners.
While standards exist to cover different aspects of a circular economy, conformity assessment offers tools to demonstrate that these specifications are met, and thereby provides trust and confidence to the market, which is needed more than ever.
Source: ISO Newsletter – ISO Insights