Circular economy
Imagine a regenerative economic model, designed to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges. This is the circular economy, where products and materials, energy and water stay in a closed-loop system, circulating for as long as possible. It is a redesign of the “take-make-use-dispose” linear economy to a new economy where waste is eliminated.
This approach requires changes to the way we plan, design and operate to eliminate the concept of waste, recognise the value of resources and retain them in our economy. In turn, this will create a net environmental and social benefit through regenerative economic activity.
Reducing costs and waste benefits businesses, governments and communities by driving sustainable economic growth, which is essential for progressing towards net-zero goals. This reduction also mitigates supply chain risks, enhances Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance, and fortifies the social license to operate. These collective benefits underscore the value of embracing sustainable practices across all sectors.
Our approach to achieving circularity
Implementing practical circular economy strategies and solutions is key to creating efficient, resilient and productive businesses and communities that can thrive in climate-constrained environments.
We partner with our clients to establish strategies, plans and implement projects to enhance business performance through innovation while eliminating all types of waste with a focus on positive environmental and economic outcomes.
Our approach combines the capabilities of experienced circular economy and industrial ecology specialists with our technical expertise as a globally integrated solutions provider.
We use systems and design thinking to create future-proofed plans for the needs of our clients. Our commercial decision-making perspective means that we understand business risks and constraints and develop pragmatic action plans to implement opportunities. We collect and analyse data and material flows and recognise the importance of deep engagement with key stakeholders to support recommendations that can provide meaningful circular outcomes for our clients.
We can help you apply the three principles of circular economy to unlock value and reduce impacts:
- Identify and design out waste across the project lifecycle. By avoiding the creation of waste in the first place, we can solve many problems that our clients and our planet face.
- Retain products and materials at their highest value for as long as possible. This means actively maintaining, reprocessing, remanufacturing or refurbishing products and materials to keep them in our economy for the long term, allowing them to serve as secondary inputs for other processes or requiring waste management solutions.
- Regenerate nature, ensuring that the projects our clients are implementing consider how to go beyond “doing less harm” to consider nature-positive outcomes.
Using a proven framework, shown in the diagram above, we unlock solutions that set the context, assess requirements, identify opportunities and implement projects that move towards more circular outcomes.
Innovative solutions across all sectors
Our team offers a wide range of circular solutions across a range of scales and sectors, including the built environment, transport, waste and resource recovery, water, energy and resources, food and agriculture.
We offer:
- Circular economy strategy, business case and opportunity analysis
- Material flow and lifecycle assessment
- Circular design and implementation including system modelling and mapping
- Technology review, selection and business case
- Circular measurements and metrics
- Material tracking and asset management
- Stakeholder engagement
- Client education and behavioural change
- Verification and audit processes
- Circular procurement
- Circular precinct design and strategy