World leaders are looking for solutions that can help them meet ambitious commitments on climate change. One area of discussion is the circular economy and how to make this a much more prominent way of operating.

EU Reporter recently highlighted the release of the first-ever Waste-to-Energy Sustainability Roadmap. The document has been produced by CEWEP, the organisation that represents the operators of Europe’s Waste-to-Energy plants.

CEWEP president Paul De Bruycker presented the proposals at an event where 100 European policymakers, stakeholders and industry representatives were present. Speaking at the event he said that the Waste-to-Energy sector is “at home in the circular economy”.

But he stressed that there are several things that need to be discussed in relation to the circular economy.

He told attendees that it’s not possible to talk about achieving a circular economy by 2035 without “talking about how to keep the material cycles clean, how to make sure that all the waste that cannot be recycled is still treated securely, that all the value inherent in the residual waste, energy and materials is used”.

CEWEP has calculated that, even if the EU hits all the waste targets set under EU law introduced in 2018 by 2035, the continent will still produce 142 million tonnes of residual waste.

What to do with this waste is a challenge, because current treatment facilities do not have the capacity to treat around 40 million tonnes of this waste.

The roadmap that’s been produced encompasses a number of areas. For example, the organisation wants the recycling of the mineral fraction of bottom ash to count towards recycling targets. At present, only the metal content of this bottom ash are used to help meet recycling targets.

It also wants recognition for the heat, electricity and steam that is produced by its plants and supplied to households and businesses in Europe, as this is all energy that doesn’t come from the burning of fossil fuels.

Further expansion of the infrastructure necessary to allow Waste-to-Energy plants to supply a higher level of energy is also required, according to the roadmap.

The services provided by these kinds of facilities are therefore essential if the continent is to meet its carbon reduction targets and truly move towards having a circular economy, Mr De Bruycker stated.

It’s not only in Europe where the value of the circular economy in tackling climate change has been recognised and highlighted.

The Ellen Macarthur Foundation recently published a paper highlighting how global economies need to fundamentally shift their position to allow us to stand a reasonable chance of tackling the current climate emergency.

For instance, the paper stresses that shifting to entirely renewable energy production will only address 55 per cent of global emissions. The circular economy will be vital for tackling the remaining 45 per cent, the paper argues.

This 45 per cent is comprised of five key areas – food, steel, plastic, aluminium and cement. According to the research, adopting a circular economy approach in these five areas could lead to a 9.3 billion tonne reduction of greenhouse gases by 2050.

To put that in context, that’s the same as eliminating all emissions caused by all forms of transport around the world.

Founder of the Ellen Macarthur Foundation Dame Ellen Macarthur commented: “Completing the picture through a transition to a circular economy can enable us to meet the needs of a growing global population, while creating a prosperous and resilient economy that can run in the long term.”

Rather than seeing this obligation as a burden, businesses and governments should view carbon constraints as presenting “huge ingenuity opportunities”, Christina Figueres, former executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and founding partner of Global Optimism, said.

She added: “This paper offers compelling figures to give confidence in our ability to optimise decarbonisation and economic development in mutual support of each other.”

It’s not only businesses that produce and sell products that need to explore how they can positively contribute to the development of a circular economy. Those in the logistics and freight sectors also need to do their part.

A recent article for The Load Star explained that businesses in every part of the supply chain will need to adapt to the circular economy.

Gartner is predicting that a shift from linear to circular economies will take place within many firms in the coming decade, and added that those working in logistics will also need to change the way they work in order to keep up with this.

Consumers are increasingly focused on sustainability, as are corporations, and as a result it’s an area that firms of all sizes and across all industries should explore and embrace.

Steven Steutermann, managing vice president at Gartner’s supply chain practice, told the news provider that it’s important for supply chain managers to start thinking about how they can contribute to the circular economy now, rather than waiting.

He said that the supply chain will play “a key role in this process” and noted that it will have decision making authority in terms of an organisation’s circular economy strategies and initiatives.

But it’s not as simple as making changes only in the supply chain, Mr Steutermann stressed. He said that supply chain managers will need to work closely with the likes of product designers and suppliers to gain a better understanding of how products are used and disposed of.

“Chief supply chain officers should deploy change management programmes and start pilots now to provide valuable learning and help build momentum for further circular economy initiatives,” he told the publication.

Depending on the type of business you work for, looking at recycling station hire in the UK may be a viable first step to helping your firm focus more on creating a circular economy in your industry.

Companies operating in the demolition and construction sectors, for instance, will find that they’re able to recycle a considerable amount of the material from a construction site. However, due to the nature of demolitions, sorting and screening the waste is essential to ensure that the right waste products are separated to be reused.