Circle Economy "The Circularity Gap Report"

Our world is only 9% circular and the trend is negative. The Circularity Gap is not closing. In the 12 months since the first Circularity Gap Report, the upward trend in resource extraction and greenhouse gas emissions has continued. All the key indicators confirm that the problems of a linear economy are ‘baked in’ to the global economy. Worse still, the engine of our linear global economy is stuck in reverse: we are heading in the wrong direction.

The opportunity is real. Making better use of stocks that last is an opportunity for global collaboration, social justice and systemic change. The combined volume of materials in current use (economic stocks) is 10 times larger than the annual consumption of disposable materials. Better use of existing stock is key to achieving the goals of both the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).