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Circular Innovation Lab

How the circular economy can revive the Sustainable Development Goals Report: Priorities for immediate global action and a policy blueprint for the transition to 2050


The Circularity Gap Report 2024, a pivotal analysis of the global state of the circular economy and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is a collaborative effort of the Circular Innovation Lab, Chatham House, and other partners. This report underscores the crucial role that the expansion of the circular economy could play in supporting the SDGs and shaping the future beyond them.


The report emphasizes the potential of the circular economy and its increasing international attention, especially concerning achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The paper argues for speeding up and deepening the shift to circular economic models while considering potential trade-offs and unintended consequences of disruptive innovations.


The paper acknowledges that the circular economy has been marginalized in the sustainable development agenda despite gaining prominence in government thinking. It presents an opportunity to embed circular economy principles more comprehensively and formally within the international system as the multilateral policy community seeks ways to revive SDG progress and considers frameworks beyond 2030.


The circular economy and the SDGs are viewed as complementary, and the paper argues that integrating the circular economy into the SDG framework could help scale and broaden its impact, thereby improving the prospects for achieving many SDG targets. However, it also underscores the crucial need for endorsement from the UN system and other multilateral institutions to establish the circular economy globally, coordinated and scaled up, to address our current challenges and those in the future effectively.


The circular economy offers the prospect of more effective action on pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss, which could benefit the ailing 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To address future challenges, 2030 - 2050 the report presents 5 priority areas for international collaboration up to 2030 and a long-term policy blueprint to consider in the context of revising the SDG framework post-2030. It specifically presents a set of circularity targets in 17 categories, along with corresponding actions.


We want to express our sincere gratitude to the authors of this report, Patrick Schröder, Jack Barrie, and Tim G. Benton, for their invaluable expertise and insights in shaping the arguments and recommendations presented.


We also want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the many partners who have supported the Global Roadmapping Process for an Inclusive Circular Economy since its inception at the World Circular Economy Summit in Kigali in December 2022. The global expert group supporting the process, including representatives from the African Circular Economy Network, African Development Bank, Circular Change, EU Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, Circle Economy, Hanns Seidel Foundation, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Sitra, UNIDO, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, World Economic Forum, and Wyss Academy for Nature, has been instrumental in advancing this initiative.


We would also like to thank the Swiss Missions in Nairobi, Lima, Bangkok, and Delhi for hosting regional consultations from May to July 2024 and the Wyss Academy for Nature, Hanns Seidel Foundation, and Circular Innovation Lab for organizing the roundtables. Special thanks go to Jake Statham for reviewing and editing the paper on behalf of Chatham House and to Johanna Tilkanen for managing the publication process. We appreciate the support provided by Chatham House and the Wyss Academy for Nature in bringing this publication to fruition.


Access the full report here:



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