INTERNATIONAL STANDARDIZATION
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
February 2024 1
International Organization for Standardization is an independent,
non-governmental international organization
ISO 9001 - Quality management systems — In 167 countries,
From all stakeholder Requirements
representing ISO
ISO 14001 - Environmental management
groups develop systems — Requirements with guidance for - BIS Bureau of Indian Standards,
standards use
India
ISO 13485 - Medical devices — Quality
- AFNOR Association française de
- Academics, management systems — Requirements for
normalisation, France
- Institutions, regulatory purposes
ISO 26000 - Guidance on social - ABTN Associação Brasileira de
- Companies,
responsibility Normas Técnicas, Brazil
- NGOs
ISO 16654 - Microbiology of food and animal - RSB Rwanda Standards Board,
- …
feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the Rwanda
detection of Escherichia coli O157 - JISC Japanese Industrial
Standards Committee, Japan
Etc… - …
Coordinates system, Geneva based
Process to elaborate
international standards
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Why the Circular Economy?
Questioning our modes of production and modes of consumption
The planetary boundaries concept Climate change, biodiversity integrity, novel entities, land-system
change, freshwater change, biogeochemical flows P, N 4
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adh2458
Why the Circular Economy?
Questioning our modes of production and modes of consumption
The circularity gap report Source: The circularity gap report 2023
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Worldwide participation to Circular Economy works
Created in 2019, TC323
produces some transversal
standards related to
Circular Economy.
These standards could be a
100 countries
basis for specific activities.
and numerous international organizations
A PACKAGE TO FACILITATE Circular Economy IMPLEMENTATION
ISO 59000 series
ISO 59 004 – Circular Economy – Vocabulary, principles and guidance for implementation
ISO 59 010 ISO 59 020 ISO 59 040 ISO 59 014
Circular Economy – Circular Economy – Circular Economy – Product Environmental management and
Guidance on the transition of Measuring and assessing Circularity Data Sheet circular economy – Sustainability
business models and value circularity performance and traceability of secondary
networks materials recovery – Principles and
requirements
ISO TR 59 031 – Circular Economy – Performance based approaches
ISO TR 59 032 – Circular Economy – Review of business model implementation
TC323 mindset: promote all countries active participation
● Pairs to lead Working Groups involving countries with different backgrounds,
● An ISO Central Secretariat partnership program to fund experts participation from some countries,
● A training program on standardization for developing countries at each TC meeting.
Flags indicate the countries in charge of the Working Group which manage the standard development 7
Relationship between ISO 59004, ISO 59010 and ISO 59020
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Focus: ISO 59004 - Terminology, principles and guidance for
implementation Final Draft International Standard
Circular economy definition
economic system that uses a systemic approach to
maintain a circular flow of resources, by recovering,
retaining or adding to their value, while contributing to
sustainable development.
Note 1 to entry: Resources can be considered concerning both stocks
and flows.
Note 2 to entry: The inflow of virgin resources is kept as low as possible,
and the circular flow of resources is kept as closed as possible to
minimize waste, losses and release from the economic system
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Focus: ISO 59004 - Terminology, principles and guidance for
implementation
Final Draft International Standard
● Systems thinking ● Resource stewardship
○ life cycle perspective ○ manage stocks and flows of resources to contribute to
○ long-term approach their availability for present and future generations
○ considering the impacts on environmental, social, ○ closing, slowing and narrowing resource flows
and economic systems ○ reduce risks associated with dependence on virgin
resources
● Value creation ○
○ recover, retain, or add value ● Resource traceability
○ provide effective solutions ○ collect and maintain data to enable resource tracking
○ use resources in an efficient way ○ accountable for sharing information with
interested parties
● Value sharing ○
○ collaborate along the value chain or value ● Ecosystem resilience
network in an inclusive and equitable way ○ contribute to the regeneration of ecosystems and
○ share value created with the provision of biodiversity
solutions ○ preventing harmful losses and releases
○ take into account planetary boundaries
Focus: ISO 59004 - Terminology, principles and guidance for
implementation
Final Draft International Standard
Actions that contribute to a circular economy
Refuse
○ Design for circularity ○ Reverse logistics
○ Circular sourcing ○ Cascading of materials Rethink
○ Circular procurement ○ Recycling
○ Waste management Source
○ Process optimization
○ Industrial, regional or urban symbiosis ○ Material recovery Reduce
○ Energy recovery
○ Reduce, reuse, repurpose Repair
○ Maintenance and repair ○ Regenerate ecosystems
○ Performance-based approaches Reuse
○ Sharing to intensify use Refurbish
○ Refurbishing
○ Remanufacturing Remanufacture
Actions to support a circular economy transition Repurpose
● Education and research Cascade
● Innovation
● Collaboration and networks Recycle
● Helping users change their behaviour
● Policy and legal system Recover energy
● Financial services Re-mine
● Digitalization
Focus: ISO 59010 - Guidance on the transition of business models
and value networks Final Draft International Standard
Analyze the current
business models and
value networks
through the circular
economy principles
and actions to
implement
to transition to
circular business
models.
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Focus: ISO 59020 - Measuring and assessing circularity
Final Draft International Standard
Scope: the standard specifies a framework for organizations to measure and assess circularity, enabling those
organizations to contribute to sustainable development.
=> Applicable to multiple levels of an economic system from regional to product level including organizations and inter-organizations levels.
=> Include some requirements regarding indicators to be measured.
Measure and assess your circularity
is key to transition
Based on a circularity measurement taxonomy
● Monitor circular actions
○ Reuse, Reduce, Repair, Recycle,
Remanufacture, etc…
● Measure flows
○ Retain, regenerate, create, etc…
● Assess sustainability impacts
○ Social, environmental and economic
impacts 13
Focus: ISO 59040 - Product Circularity Data Sheet
Draft International Standard
ISO 59040 helps to:
- Provide basic product circularity data about products,
- Improve circularity data sharing efficiency,
- Encourage improved product circularity performance.
● General methodology and format for reporting and exchanging information
about the circular economy aspects of products when acquiring or supplying
products;
● 3 tier system based on picklist concept:
○ Minimum set of circular required statements needed to have a solid
base of statements;
○ Additional optional statements which can be made required;
○ Free form addition linked to a
statement or supplemental
information.
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Focus: ISO 59014 - Environmental management and circular economy –
Sustainability and traceability of secondary materials recovery –
Principles and requirements Draft International Standard
Scope
• Establishes principles, specifies requirements and provides guidance for facilitating the sustainability and
traceability of activities for the recovery of secondary materials.
• Specifies requirements and provides guidance for organizations that engage with individuals involved in
subsistence activities (SAs) within secondary materials recovery with the aim of ensuring their safe and healthy
working conditions and the continual improvement of the well-being, livelihoods and professional practices.
• Is intended for use by organizations seeking to recover secondary materials in a systematic and responsible
manner by using life cycle and circular economy thinking.
• Does not provide quality criteria for specific types of secondary materials recovered. Final treatment such as
energy recovery and disposal do not fall within the scope of this standard.
=> Applicable to any organization, regardless of their size, type and nature of the activities or the
location/region at which they occur.
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Focus: ISO 59014 - Environmental management and circular economy –
Sustainability and traceability of secondary materials recovery –
Principles and requirements Draft International Standard
Operational requirements
• Classification and determination of recovery pathways => to increase recovery based on documented
methodology
• Collection of recoverable resources => separate collection
• Sorting => traceability
• Material recovery processing => select the destructive or non destructive process to maximize the material recovery
with the best environmental and social outcome
• Logistics => prevent environmental and human health risks
Management and organizational requirements
• Social responsibility => consider the value chain, stakeholder engagement, labour practice and decent work conditions
• Risk => inform affected communities and authorities about environmental and health
• Resource use => minimize resource use
• Monitoring, evaluation and continual improvement
• Competences and training
Traceability requirements => upstream and downstream data requirement - value chain vision and interested parties vision
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TIMELINE
Publication of official versions ISO 59004, 59010 and
59020 into 3 languages: English, Spanish and French
ISO DIS 59 040
2023 ISO DIS 59 014
ISO FDIS 59 004
2024 ISO FDIS 59 010
ISO FDIS 59 020
ISO 59 004 – Terminology, Principles and Guidance for implementation ISO 59 040 – Product Circularity Data Sheet
ISO 59 010 – Guidance on business models and value networks ISO 59 014 – Principles, sustainability and
2024 ISO 59 020 – Measuring and assessing circularity traceability requirements of secondary materials’
recovery
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THANK YOU!
Switch to alternative models to decouple the global economy from
the consumption of limited resources…
…Let’s implement Circular Economy within our organizations!
For additional information To join the ISO TC3 23 Circular Economy
[email protected] Contact your national standardization body
[email protected] List on https://www.iso.org/committee/7203984.htm
[email protected] https://www.linkedin.com/company/iso-tc-323-circular-economy/
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