Reconomy calls for ‘laser focus’ on circularity ahead of COP 28

Reconomy, a leading international circular economy specialist providing sustainability technology, data and services to a broad range of industries, has re-iterated its call for global action to accelerate the transition to the circular economy ahead of COP 28 in order to promote sustainability and hit climate change objectives.

The call to action comes ahead of the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) which is to be held from 30 November to 1 December 2023 in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

It follows the UK’s inaugural Circularity Gap report earlier this year which found that the economy in the UK was just 7.5% circular, marginally ahead of the 7.2% global average and much better than Norway’s 2.8% but far worse than the Netherlands’ 24.5%. This means that the vast majority – 92.5% – of all economic activity in the UK requires the consumption of virgin materials and even more concerning from a global sustainability perspective is the fact that 80% of those materials are extracted abroad.

Globally, initiatives aimed at improving circularity – from investment in recycling infrastructure to legislation such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Deposit Return Schemes (DRS) – have been gathering pace.

Diane Crowe, Head of Group Sustainability at Reconomy, commented: The UN’s annual Conference of Parties brings together global leaders to drive forward tangible action on the climate, sustainability and emissions. We need to see greater emphasis on the transition to a circular economy to preserve our finite resources. Doing so can help the UK and global economies manufacture, produce and consumer more efficiently so that we can meet the targets established by the Paris Agreement. Developing a laser focus on circularity at globally collaborative events like COP 28 can provide the trigger we need to embed its importance in economies across the world.