A Framework for Comparing and Selecting Circular Policies and Strategies

Abstract

We present a general framework and simple metric to compare the effects of any set of circular strategies, including those strategies such as servitisation and reduce which are chronically underrepresented in the literature on circular indicators. We use this metric to analyse the results of a Supply Chain Equilibrium study and show that circularity can come from any of the circular strategies, suggesting an evolution of the traditionally-held view that strategies can be ranked on a ladder. We thus enable policymakers to make better-informed decisions and choose circular strategies which best deliver the desired goals. Although the new approach is applied to the case of a plastic bottle reuse scheme, its holistic design makes it broadly applicable to any material and any use-case.

Keywords: circular economy, product lifetimes, recycling, circularity metrics, servitisation