Leading environmental compliance data specialist Ecoveritas has issued an urgent call to action on circularity as research shows more virgin materials have been consumed in six years than the entire 20th century.
The eagerly anticipated Circularity Gap Report 2023 has found that we live in the ‘overshoot era’ where the rising material extraction of over 100 billion tons/year has shrunk global circularity from 9.1% in 2018 to 7.2% in 2023.
And rising material extraction and use means the situation is getting worse each year – around the world, nearly every country has an unsustainable approach to virgin material.
The report highlighted the power of circular materials management and minimising consumption towards sufficiency levels to achieve thriving ecosystems for both the planet and people. It also flags the huge potential to increase the global economy’s use of secondary materials and the global economy’s reliance on new virgin materials.
“We are becoming less circular at a time when we need to accelerate circularity to support climate biodiversity and pollution action,” said Global EPR Director Andrew McCaffery. “For something that is a sphere, our planet is becoming less and less circular each year. We are a long way from decoupling growth from consumption.
“This important and comprehensive study shows that the economy has consumed more virgin materials in the six years of these reports than the whole of the 20th century.
“We are at a critical inflection point to halt global warming. Having been held back by short-termism and poor policymaking, we are now finally evolving to meet the moment.
“One significant sign towards creating greater circularity is the proliferation of Extended Producer Responsibility frameworks. Governments across the region are stepping up to enact regulations with real teeth to support the overall systems we can invest in at scale.”
The report found that a circular economy could not only reverse the overshoot of planetary boundaries, but it could slash the global need for material extraction by about a third.
Currently, more than 90% of materials are either wasted, lost or remain unavailable for reuse for years as they are locked into long-lasting buildings and machinery.
“This further highlights the need to shift away from our focus on unsustainable growth,” said McCaffery. “Shifting behaviours towards circularity is our society’s strategy to boost economic sustainability. A move away from the end of life of packaging being Waste Management and move towards it being Asset Management.
“We must reuse – buy second-hand clothes, educate ourselves on recycling, and reduce food waste, which can be stopped if we control our collective greed. We are surrounded by circular start-ups, professionals, and consultants. We read new reports, playbooks, and roadmaps every day, but we are not changing the reality, the system. We must use this big jump in the wrong direction as an unequivocal catalyst for change.”
To meet the complex challenges of managing environmental compliance reporting, Ecoveritas offers a unique combination of consulting, data and software that helps companies around the globe take the next step in their sustainability journey.
