The rise of the circular economy

The rise of the circular economy

BS 8001 - A new standard is available

BS 8001 - A new standard is available
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BS 8001
BS 8001
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Our current economic model is dominated by a linear approach to consumption and production, where materials are grown or extracted, then made into goods which are used and then disposed of. Whilst the circular economy – where resources are recovered at their highest quality and kept in circulation for as long as possible – is not a new concept, it has become increasingly popular in recent years as more businesses seek an alternative to our current ‘take, make, dispose’ economic model.

A more circular approach seeks to decouple economic growth from resource consumption. This could help overcome pressures on resources arising from the estimated growth of the global middle class. Moving to this model could create new economic and employment opportunities and provide environmental benefits through improved resource use.

The circular economy is complex and there’s a lot of technical and theoretical information about it already in existence.  What’s been missing is the practical framework to help guide organizations to simplify and identify what is relevant to them.  

Understanding the standards landscape

BSI carried out research in 2013, with support from BEIS and DEFRA to explore the role of standards and other tools to help organizations develop or improve their understanding of the concept.”  The project discovered more than 200 standards related to specific areas of waste prevention and resource management but no formal standards that defined or focused entirely on the circular economy.

A stakeholder forum in 2014 to discuss the project’s findings concluded that a standard would be beneficial to help businesses turn the circular economy concept into practical action. Discussions with a number of businesses already attempting to take this route also revealed that a standard had the potential to bring multiple benefits. Such benefits were felt to include standardizing the use of certain terms currently open to interpretation and potential misuse, helping businesses identify what their role was, and providing clarity and direction on key issues.

As a result, BSI established a committee (SDS/1/10) in December 2014 responsible for standardization in the field of sustainable resource management. The committee has over 60 members, including representatives from the Green Alliance, Defra, the Scottish Executive, BEIS, the Welsh Government, WRAP, Innovate UK, The Centre for Sustainable Design at the University of Creative Arts, Resource Association as well as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) and a number of organisations belonging to their CE100 Network and other industry bodies and experts.

The original research report and supporting annexes together with the stakeholder forum report are available to download below:

Download Due Diligence Report (PDF)
Download Due Diligence Report Annex A (Excel)
Download Due Diligence Report Annex B (PDF)

If you're interested in collaborating with BSI to further the standardization effort for waste prevention and the circular economy, please contact sustainability@bsigroup.com