New Circular Economy 101 guide launched

26 July 2023

The circular economy is a systemic approach that aims to eliminate waste and keep products and materials in use for longer, and goes far beyond recycling.

The ISEP Circular Economy Network Steering Group has published a Circular Economy 101 guide (CE101), to overcome common misunderstandings, demystify the subject matter and give examples to help you to start putting the circular economy principles into practice.

A circular economy approach involves prioritising design choices for reuse, repair, refurbish, remanufacture and repurposing. Keeping materials and products in their higher value form helps reduce our demand on resources, decrease greenhouse gas emissions and keep human activity within the safe limits of our planetary boundaries.

Communicating the circular economy clearly is essential to shift mindsets and enable professionals to set out problems and solutions effectively.

The Circular Economy Network Steering Group held a workshop at the end of May 2023 with the aim of finding the most effective way to communicate the subject. This interactive session tested and gained feedback on content that should be used in a new CE101 guide.

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Building on common principles, key levers and interventions needed to transition to a circular economy, the Steering Group has developed ‘six goals for decision makers’, a key feature of this guide. These goals incorporate additional principles that are aimed at reducing the flow of materials in the system, the need for clean and sustainable materials, and shared value.

Furthermore, the Steering Group identified the need to provide a useful tool to put principles and circular strategies into practice. The CE101 includes a section with example questions you can ask yourself to embed circular economy, with a focus on product design.

The CE101 guide is designed to demystify the circular economy by using clear, accessible and easy to understand language, diagrams and tools to provide the foundations needed to improve understanding and explain the circular economy to non-experts.

ISEP members - download the Circular Economy 101 guide

Non-ISEP members - purchase from the ISEP online shop


Published by:
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Adam Batchelor

Former ISEP Policy and Engagement Lead

Adam is the Policy and Engagement lead for Circular Economy and Environmental Management at ISEP. Adam has 15 years of experience in the environment field, from local government waste and recycling, auditing contracts and implementing improvements into local services; to working for the Greater London Authority/Mayor of London for the last eight years. Adam has been responsible for co-developing and delivering the Mayor of London’s Environment Strategy (Waste and Circular Economy) and has led many circular programmes from plastic reduction in the capital to food waste reduction for small business. Adam joined ISEP in December 2021 and is responsible for leading the circular economy network and environmental management group.