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<Previous Next>
  • About this report
    • Foreword – Ellen MacArthur Foundation
    • Preface – World Economic Forum
    • Executive Summary
    • Company Support
    • Acknowledgements
  • 1. The benefits of a circular economy
    • The limits of linear consumption
    • From linear to circular—Accelerating a proven concept
    • How it works up close—Case examples of circular products
    • An economic opportunity worth billions—Charting the new territory
  • 2. Why the time to act is now
    • Mounting pressure on resources
    • Favourable alignment of enablers
  • 3. What are the leakage points?
    • Losses due to geographic dispersion
    • Leakages due to materials complexity and proliferation
    • Trapped in the linear lock-in
  • 4. What are the solutions?
    • Set up global reverse networks
    • Reorganize and streamline pure materials flows
    • Innovate demand-focused business models
    • Focus on pure materials stock management at the outset
  • 5. Joining forces to make the change
    • Project charter
    • A clear plan of action
  • Back matter
    • Glossary
    • Literature
    • Appendix
    • List of figures
    • List of text boxes
    • References
Towards the circular economy: Accelerating the scale-up across global supply chains Home Previous Next
  • Report Home
  • About this report
    • Foreword – Ellen MacArthur Foundation
    • Preface – World Economic Forum
    • Executive Summary
    • Company Support
    • Acknowledgements
  • 1. The benefits of a circular economy
    • The limits of linear consumption
    • From linear to circular—Accelerating a proven concept
    • How it works up close—Case examples of circular products
    • An economic opportunity worth billions—Charting the new territory
  • 2. Why the time to act is now
    • Mounting pressure on resources
    • Favourable alignment of enablers
  • 3. What are the leakage points?
    • Losses due to geographic dispersion
    • Leakages due to materials complexity and proliferation
    • Trapped in the linear lock-in
  • 4. What are the solutions?
    • Set up global reverse networks
    • Reorganize and streamline pure materials flows
    • Innovate demand-focused business models
    • Focus on pure materials stock management at the outset
  • 5. Joining forces to make the change
    • Project charter
    • A clear plan of action
  • Back matter
    • Glossary
    • Literature
    • Appendix
    • List of figures
    • List of text boxes
    • References

5. Joining forces to make the change

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A multi-stakeholder community of Circular Economy Champions needs to take the lead. The World Economic Forum and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation invite their members to join forces to rapidly scale up the circular economy on a global level.

Accelerating the scale-up of the circular economy promises to deliver substantial macro-economic benefits. New opportunities for corporate growth will also be myriad. The reduction in materials price volatility alone is estimated at over a trillion dollars a year. The job creation potential of remanufacturing globally and recycling in Europe is predicted to exceed 1 million.121 Worldwide, the figure will far exceed this over time.

Concerted action is key. The challenges are not insurmountable, but addressing the leakage points described will require cooperation from players across different industries. In the words of Rudi Daelmans, Desso’s Director of Sustainability, “We cannot do it alone”.122 Collaboration across different stakeholders, industries and geographies will be needed to devise standards and mechanisms for materials use, conversion methods, and reverse setups. 

With their mutually reinforcing comparative advantages in both catalysing global public private collaboration and driving insight and action on the circular economy, the World Economic Forum and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation will provide a unique project platform to help usher in this change at scale quickly. The Forum as a catalyst of global, regional and industry transformation will draw upon its members to convene a multi-stakeholder community of global leaders to shape this agenda. The Foundation’s charitable purpose is to accelerate transition towards the circular economy, making it ideally suited to this task. It will act as a knowledge partner, ensuring quality control of the conceptual framework. Together, the Forum and Foundation will provide companies, governments, civil society and academic experts with a platform for collaboration at a pre-competitive stage across industry, regions and sectors, co-designing a process to enable systemic change. They will take charge of ensuring programme management, execution and delivery within this cross-institutional setup.

121
121 Based on the Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association’s estimate that 500,000 jobs have been created in the remanufacturing industry for products ranging from automotive components and electrical and electronic equipment to furniture and construction equipment, and Sita Group’s estimate that some 500,000 jobs have been created by the recycling industry in the EU.
122
122 Interviews with Rudi Daelmans, Director of Sustainability at Desso.
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