Switching to a circular economy could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 39% and ease pressure on virgin materials by 28%, according to the Circularity Gap Report, published on Tuesday (26 January).
If those principles were applied, 22.8 billion tonnes of carbon emissions could be saved and help avoid climate breakdown, according to the study by Circle Economy.
But the report also contained bad news. Only 8.6% of the world’s economy can be considered circular, down from 9.1% two years earlier.