Library | ESG issues
Circular Economy
A circular economy is an economic model focused on minimising waste and maximising resource efficiency by reusing, recycling, and regenerating materials. It emphasises designing out waste, keeping materials in use, and regenerating natural systems, offering opportunities for sustainable growth and resilience. Companies that demonstrate circularity can enhance long-term business resilience, resource efficiency and cost-savings.
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Circular economy practice in India: Three case studies
This report examines India’s transition to a circular economy, highlighting policy frameworks like Extended Producer Responsibility and NITI Aayog’s strategic focus areas. Through case studies of Siemens, Tata Steel, and Volvo Construction Equipment, it demonstrates how circular principles drive resource efficiency, waste reduction, and business value.
Employment in the circular economy: Leveraging circularity to create decent work
This report provides a global baseline for circular economy employment, estimating that 121 to 142 million people work in the sector. Produced by Circle Economy, the ILO, and World Bank Group, it highlights the prevalence of informal work and the need for policies ensuring a just, inclusive transition.
Urban planning for the circular economy: A spatial turn in theory and practice
This report examines how urban planning can operationalise the circular economy by addressing spatial dimensions. Drawing on European city experiences, it explores circular developments, infrastructure, land management and multi-level governance. It provides strategic directions for integrating circularity into core planning instruments to support systemic, territorially grounded transitions.
Plastic footprint guidelines
The Plastic Footprint Network's guidance document presents a science-based methodology for assessing corporate plastic footprints. Developed by over 100 professionals from 35 organisations, the framework comprises 11 modules covering macroplastics and microplastics, providing practitioners with a step-by-step process for measuring plastic leakage and reporting results.
Metals-as-a-Service: A strategic and investable circular business model for the wind energy industry and beyond
Metals-as-a-Service (MaaS) proposes a circular business model for the wind energy sector and beyond, in which metal ownership is retained by a Special Purpose Vehicle throughout the asset lifecycle. The model converts metal procurement from capital expenditure into a service-based structure, enabling securitisation, improved supply security, and circular value creation.
Leading the charge: Turning risk into reward with a circular economy for EV batteries and critical minerals
This report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation examines systemic risks in the EV battery value chain and sets out a circular economy framework, identifying five bright spots — battery design, rightsizing, circular business models, regional infrastructure, and data transparency — to build resilience and reduce critical mineral demand.
What a waste 3.0: Global snapshot of solid waste management toward circularity until 2050
What a Waste 3.0 provides a global assessment of municipal solid waste management across 217 countries and economies. It analyses waste generation, collection, treatment, recycling, financing, employment, climate impacts and circularity pathways to 2050, highlighting rising waste volumes, infrastructure investment needs, resource recovery opportunities and policy frameworks for sustainable waste systems.
RIAA Conference Australia 2026 - Companion Resources
Responsible investment has moved well beyond principles and pledges. Today’s challenges require practical capability and informed judgement. The RIAA Conference is a must-attend event for finance, sustainability and industry practitioners who want to focus on the key themes for responsible investment in 2026 and what implementation really looks like. Designed as an immersive, hands-on experience, the program focuses on the systems that underpin strong financial performance, and will help you understand how climate, nature, technology, governance and regulation intersect.
These specially curated companion resources have been recommended by the conference speakers and Altiorem team.
These specially curated companion resources have been recommended by the conference speakers and Altiorem team.
Tackling governance and financing for sustainability transitions
The report argues current financial systems misallocate capital towards resource-intensive activities, hindering sustainability transitions. It recommends policy, governance and financial reforms to redirect investment towards resource efficiency, low-carbon development and equitable transition pathways, particularly in resource-dependent economies.
The circular economy: A 'triple play' solution for achieving China's climate objectives
The report argues that a circular economy can help China meet climate goals by cutting emissions in hard-to-abate sectors, securing critical materials for renewable energy, and improving climate resilience, while outlining policy actions on design, resource management, investment, measurement, and cross-sector collaboration.
Innovation in plastics: The potential and possibilities
This report examines plastic use and waste management, particularly in India, outlining environmental impacts and the need for circular solutions. It reviews bioplastics, packaging redesign, innovation and start-up activity, and proposes policy, business and entrepreneurial opportunities to advance plastics circularity and reduce single-use plastics.
Ecological design thinking for a circular economy: The impact of the forest metaphor for circular business
Evaluates a forest-metaphor learning tool for circular economy education through comparative workshops in 2023 and 2025. Survey results show the tool deepened understanding, generated more concrete insights and increased productive tension with existing business models, supporting conceptual change and more fruitful engagement with circular business thinking.
The visionary CEO's guide to sustainability series
Bain & Company's 2025 sustainability guide for CEOs covering the do-say gap, AI, climate resilience, decarbonization, circular models, and carbon removal markets.
Plastic promises scorecard series
The Corporate Plastic Pollution Scorecard is a benchmark series that assesses how large consumer-facing companies address plastic packaging responsibility. It reviews corporate policies, commitments, disclosures, and practices across key areas of packaging design, reuse, recycled content, transparency, recycling support, and producer responsibility, enabling consistent comparison over time.
Tools for circularity
This report outlines practical tools to help mining and metals companies integrate circular economy principles. It explains business drivers, regulatory context, metrics, and case studies, supporting financial and non-financial business cases for improved resource efficiency, value retention, and responsible production.
How the circular economy can revive the sustainable development goals: Priorities for immediate global action, and a policy blueprint for the transition to 2050
This report argues that embedding circular economy principles within the Sustainable Development Goals could revive stalled progress. It outlines five global policy priorities and proposes a 2050 blueprint linking circularity, inclusive growth, trade, finance and standards to post-2030 development agendas.