The annual Global Circularity Gap Report, published by Circle Economy in collaboration with Deloitte, warns the global economy is now only 7.2% circular, down from 9.1% in 2018.
The report finds that circular solutions across four key systems can reverse the current overshoot of planetary boundaries, allowing people to satisfy their needs within the safe limits of the planet. They are: agrifood, mobility and transport, manufactured goods and consumables, and the built environment sector.
Adopting a circular economy could not only reverse the overshoot, but it could slash the global need for material extraction by about one-third – a reduction rooted in removing fossil fuels, especially coal, from the global equation and in lowering demand for high-volume minerals.