Circularity challenges the current economic model towards a sustainable future

Circular processes contributing to circularity can be grouped into 4 categories, from the most impactful to the least:
1. Reduce by design: reducing the amount of material used, particularly raw material, should be applied as an overall guiding principle from the earliest stages of design of products and services
2. From a user-to-user perspective: Refuse, Reduce and Re-use
3. From a user-to-business intermediary perspective: Repair, Refurbish and Remanufacture
4. From business-to-business: Repurpose and Recycle.

Read more about circularity at UNEP's Building Circularity platform.

Circularity diagram

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Chemicals in products

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Ran Xie
I am working on sustainable consumption and production and circularity in sectors such as plastics, electronics and textiles.Through my work I aim to ensure chemicals of concern are taken into consideration along the value chains of these sectors, which is also one of the pillars of UNEP's approach to promote circularity.I provide technical support to the GEF-funded project "Circular Economy approaches for the electronics sector in Nigeria". Under this project, I work with Nigerian partners and international stakeholders to promote environmentally sound treatment of hazardous chemicals in e-waste, as well as advocate best practices on the eco-design of electronic products.
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Valerie Daniela Murcia Rojas

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has great potential for use and generation, taking into account the technological progress of recent decades, but also the implementation of concepts such as obsolescence.

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Ndeye Fatou NDIAYE
As Chemical Waste Manager I am working on Chemicals and Hazardous Waste Management problem solving skills. I determine the compliance obligations of the environmental business and health -safety at work; I also provide to companies the managerial,
Llorenc Mila I Canals
I am a generalist environmental scientist passionately driven to reduce the environmental impacts of consumption and production systems. This includes driving the development of tools enabling the comprehensive assessment of environmental impacts of chemicals as they are used in products, over their entire life cycle (i.e. from the extraction of their raw materials, processing and manufacturing into products, their use, maintenance and operation phase, and finally at the end of use their repurposing into new products, or disposal).This kind of assessment helps us guide the selection of suitable alternatives to chemicals of concern while avoiding regrettable substitutions. With a PhD
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Dhrumil Soni

As we strive towards a better world, we work to ensure chemistry’s contributions are realized. Chemistry can help us to understand, monitor, protect and improve the environment around us.

Bettina Heller
I am coordinating UNEP’s work on eco-innovation and circularity in different sectors. Through this work I aim to help governments and businesses to identify key strategic actions and implement those – be it through integrated policy frameworks or through novel business strategies. A ground rule for the circular practices I promote through my work is that they should be implementing sound management of chemicals, and pay particular attention to chemicals of concerns, with the objective to reach a non-toxic, circular model. The end goal is that companies are able to offer more sustainable, non-toxic products and services to consumers –
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Robert J. Reinhardt
I am a sustainable business consultant, researcher & cross-disciplinary strategist focusing on establishing the business case for sustainability by driving sustainable innovations in businesses and international organisations through a science based approach. With a PhD in Environmental Engineering on sustainable business model innovation perspectives (going beyond the circular economy) for the emerging electric vehicle battery second use industries, I was able to highlight shared sustainable value creations for multiple-stakeholders and thus I was able to prove the economically viable business case for sustainability in the electric vehicle industry. I apply my academic and industry background in business, environmental science, and
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Report

Regional Electronics Study and Circularity Roadmap in the LAC Region: Mapping of Existing Initiatives

by
SAICM Universidad El Bosque
|
September 2021
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Technological development has made electrical and electronic equipment (EEE1) essential parts of contemporary life and indispensable products in today’s societies. Information technology (IT) combined with the technological advances in recent decades, has resulted in EEE having a great influence on the daily life of consumers in aspects such as health, safety, knowledge, comfort information, among others. The global consumption of electronics is growing 2.5 million metric tons per year (Forti, Baldé, Kuehr, & Bel, 2020), because technology increases the living

Emerging Policy Issues: Hazardous chemicals in electronics
Topics: Chemicals in electronics Circularity E-waste
Report

Mapping of Stakeholders for the Regional Electronics Study and Circularity Roadmap in the Latin America and The Caribbean

by
UNEP Universidad El Bosque
|
July 2021
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This document has been developed within the framework of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) project ID: 9771 on Global Best Practices on Emerging Chemical Policy Issues of Concern under the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM). This project is funded by the GEF, implemented by UNEP and executed by the SAICM Secretariat.Under the project, UNEP is partnering with Universidad El Bosque to develop a Regional Electronics Study and Circularity Roadmap in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Region

Emerging Policy Issues: Hazardous chemicals in electronics Chemicals in products
Topics: Chemicals in electronics Circularity
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