Circular Economy Solutions

The “Circular Economy” is a concept that represents a shift away from traditional linear economies where take-make-use-discard is the norm to a circular economy that aims to create zero waste by keeping valuable resources in the economy.

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Circular Economy

Global

Countries Covered

1,004

Sources in C2P

What is Circular Economy?

The concept of Circular Economy stems from a growing awareness of the un-sustainability of a linear approach that is based on continual consumption of finite natural resources, producing something out of them and disposing of the product into landfill once its use is complete. In contrast, the Circular Economy aims to keep resources in use for as long as possible so that they can be productively reused and aims to prevent the creation of waste altogether. It looks at measures across the entire lifecycle of products, from design and manufacturing to consumption, repair, reuse, recycling, and bringing resources back into the economy.

Regulations on the “right to repair” are included in the Circular Economy content area in C2P. These laws aim to ensure products have longer lifespans by tackling issues surrounding product obsolescence. They focus on making available spare parts, providing access to repair and maintenance information, ensuring products are designed for easy disassembly, repair tools, and software/firmware updates.

Circular Economy is broad in its remit and dips into many areas of regulation from control of chemical substances and materials, waste to eco-design & energy efficiency. It compliments many of our core Product content areas already covered in C2P: Chemical in Products, Ecodesign, Energy Efficiency, Packaging, and WEEE. This content area is product focussed.

Note: We do not currently cover Circular Economy in the following sectors: building/construction, logistics/ transport, water, or EH&S.

Our Coverage of Circular Economy Global Regulations

Compliance & Risks’ coverage of the Circular Economy includes, but is not limited to:

EU: Framework for Setting Ecodesign Requirements for Sustainable Products (ESPR), Regulation (EU) 2024/1781
Mexico: General Law on Circular Economy, Decree, January 2026
EU: Packaging and Packaging Waste, Regulation (EU) 2025/40
EU: Batteries and Waste Batteries, Regulation (EU) 2023/1542
EU: Critical Raw Materials Act, Regulation (EU) 2024/1252
Ecuador: Approval of the Regulation Implementing the Inclusive Circular Economy Law, Decree No. 844, 2023
France: Anti-waste and Promotion of Circular Economy, Law 2020-105
Brazil: Implementing the National Circular Economy Strategy, Decree No. 12082, 2024
Kenya: Sustainable Waste Management (Extended Producer Responsibility) Regulations, October 2024

We cover standards for our core products that are available from our partner Accuris. These are available through our Product Compliance Solution.