The global circularity gap is widening—today, the global economy is only 8.6% circular, but just two years ago it was 9.1%. The negative trend overall can be explained by three related, underlying trends: high rates of extraction, ongoing stock build-up, and low levels of end-of-use processing and cycling. These trends are embedded deep within the ‘take-make-waste’ tradition of the linear economy.
The Circularity Gap Report provides on-the-ground examples from across the globe to illustrate the practical implementation of circular economy strategies and solutions. This global groundswell of positive action is happening bottom-up—from waste processing in Nigeria, to a digital solution that empowers informal trash collectors in Brazil.
The objectives of the 2020 Circularity Gap Report are to:
- Report on the progress of global circularity and the gap by applying the Circularity Gap Metric to new data.
- Based on the above, identify key trends and possible levers for transitioning to circularity at a global level by mid-21st century.
- Identify hardwired habits and business-as-usual behaviours with potential to form systemic blockages.
- Analyse how 176 countries perform on their Social Progress and Ecological Footprint to determine their distance to the safe and just operating space for humankind.
- Identify key pathways for three distinct country groups to transition towards the safe and just space.