Did you know that in 2023, our world was still more than 90% linear, with a staggering 100 billion tonnes of materials consumed annually, while our global circularity metric stagnated at a mere 7.2%?
Key Takeaways
- Global circularity metric reached only 7.2% in 2023
- The world economy is more than 90% linear
- Global resource extraction has tripled since 1970
- Textile production uses 93 billion cubic meters of water annually
- Fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
- Less than 1% of used clothing is recycled into new clothing
- Global recycling rate for MSW (Municipal Solid Waste) is approximately 19%
- Landfilling remains the dominant waste management method in 40% of countries
- Only 2% of plastic packaging is recycled into a similar quality product (closed-loop)
- The EU Circular Economy Action Plan targets 50% less residual waste by 2030
- 64 countries have implemented Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws
- The French Anti-Waste Law bans destruction of unsold non-food products
- Global smartphone ownership reached 6.8 billion in 2023
- 50% of consumers would pay more for sustainable products
- Usage of repair cafes in Europe has tripled since 2015
Despite alarmingly low global circularity, transitioning from our wasteful linear economy offers massive environmental and economic benefits.
Consumer Behavior and Tech
- Global smartphone ownership reached 6.8 billion in 2023
- 50% of consumers would pay more for sustainable products
- Usage of repair cafes in Europe has tripled since 2015
- 60% of Gen Z consumers prefer to buy from sustainable brands
- The sharing economy market is projected to reach $335 billion by 2025
- 45% of European consumers bought second-hand apparel in 2022
- Digital product passports could increase material recovery rates by 30%
- Smart homes reduce energy waste by up to 15% via circular optimization
- Average car sits idle 95% of the time
- Rental of household tools has grown by 20% in urban centers
- 30% of fashion shoppers claim to use resale apps like Depop or Vinted
- Subscription business models have grown 4x faster than the S&P 500
- AI-driven waste sorting is 99% accurate compared to 60% manual sorting
- Use of blockchain for material traceability increased by 40% in 2022
- 70% of people believe companies are responsible for their waste post-consumption
- Product lifespan of laundry machines has decreased by 3 years since 2000
- Only 20% of consumers globally know how to properly recycle e-waste
- 80% of environmental impact is determined at the design phase
- 1 in 4 consumers used a "subscription-as-a-service" for physical goods in 2023
- Use of QR codes for recycling info grew by 150% in Japan
- 54% of manufacturers are using IoT to monitor asset longevity
- Circular product labels increase purchase likelihood by 18%
- Global repairable laptop market share is expected to reach 10% by 2026
- Average age of a used car at resale has increased to 12.2 years
- Peer-to-peer rental reduces CO2 by 50kg per transaction on average
- 40% of consumers avoid products with excessive packaging
- Online searches for "circular economy" increased by 300% since 2018
- Wearable smart tech usage for health monitoring grew 24% in 2022
- 15% of all sneakers sold by 2025 are projected to be from recycled materials
- Refurbished phone sales grew 15% globally in 2021
- Global food waste in households is 74kg per person per year
- 17% of total global food production is wasted by consumers and retailers
Consumer Behavior and Tech Interpretation
Despite widespread ownership and waste, a powerful shift toward sustainability is emerging as consumers demand responsibility, embrace sharing, and wield technology to turn our throwaway culture into a circular one.
Global Metrics
- Global circularity metric reached only 7.2% in 2023
- The world economy is more than 90% linear
- Global resource extraction has tripled since 1970
- Material extraction is projected to rise by 60% by 2060
- Over 100 billion tonnes of materials are consumed annually
- China consumes nearly 25% of global raw materials
- Only 8.6% of the global economy was circular in 2020
- Annual waste generation is expected to increase by 73% by 2050
- High-income countries generate 34% of the world’s waste despite having 16% of population
- The EU circular material use rate was 11.5% in 2022
- Netherlands has the highest circularity rate in the EU at 27.5%
- Romania has the lowest circularity rate in the EU at 1.4%
- Global greenhouse gas emissions from material extractions account for 50% of total
- Transition to circular economy could reduce global GHG emissions by 39%
- The global circular economy could unlock $4.5 trillion in economic growth by 2030
- Circular economy could create 700,000 new jobs in the EU alone by 2030
- Average global per capita material footprint is 12.2 tonnes
- Biomass extraction accounts for 25% of total global domestic material consumption
- Fossil fuel extraction makes up 15% of annual material use
- Non-metallic minerals account for nearly 50% of global resource extraction
- Metals extraction has an annual growth rate of 2.7%
- Recycling rates for aluminum reach nearly 70% in some regions
- Less than 10% of total plastic produced since 1950 has been recycled
- Circular economy could prevent 100 million tonnes of waste annually by 2030
- Global demand for steel is expected to increase by 30% by 2050
- Transitioning to circularity in 4 key sectors could save 9.3 billion tonnes of CO2
- Circular economy models could increase EU GDP by an additional 0.5% by 2030
- Electronic waste is growing at a rate of 2 million metric tonnes per year
- Only 17.4% of global e-waste was documented as collected and recycled in 2019
- Earth Overshoot Day occurred on August 2 in 2023
- 80% of a product's environmental impact comes from the material extraction stage
- The world is currently on a path to a 3-degree temperature rise due to linear consumption
- Average global recycling rate of critical minerals is under 1%
- Circular economy could reduce 45% of emissions related to products
Global Metrics Interpretation
We are running a spectacularly wasteful and suicidal "take-make-waste" marathon at a sprinter's pace, with the finish line being our own resource depletion and climate collapse, all while the circular economy solution sits in the wings like an understudy who knows all the lines but can't get on stage.
Industry Sector Performance
- Textile production uses 93 billion cubic meters of water annually
- Fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
- Less than 1% of used clothing is recycled into new clothing
- Construction sector generates 36% of all waste in the EU
- Cement production accounts for 8% of global CO2 emissions
- Circular buildings could reduce CO2 emissions by 60% in the built environment
- 30% of global food produced is wasted or lost
- Food waste accounts for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions
- Regenerative agriculture could sequester 1 ton of carbon per acre per year
- Global plastics production reached 390 million metric tonnes in 2021
- 40% of plastic produced is for single-use packaging
- Plastic packaging circularity in the EU sits at 35.9%
- Automotive sector could reduce material costs by $170 billion through circularity
- Up to 95% of a vehicle's materials can be recycled or recovered
- Remanufacturing currently represents only 2% of total US manufacturing output
- Reusing smartphones could reduce their climate impact by 30%
- Mining sector generates over 100 billion tonnes of solid waste per year
- The pharmaceutical industry generates 55% more CO2 emissions than the automotive industry per million dollars
- Chemical recycling capacity is expected to triple by 2030
- Global bio-based plastic market is growing at a CAGR of 15%
- The luxury second-hand market grew 12% in 2021 compared to new goods
- Circular business models in the electronics sector could reduce costs by 12% by 2030
- Circularity in the heavy industry (steel, aluminum, chemicals) could save 2 billion tonnes of CO2 per year
- Use of recycled plastics in new products reduces energy consumption by 80%
- European paper industry uses 52.5% recycled fiber
- The global repair market is estimated to be worth $25 billion
- Commercial aircraft recycling rates have reached 85%
- Furniture waste in the EU amounts to 10 million tonnes annually
- Refillable packaging systems could reduce plastic waste by 80% in personal care
- Vertical farming uses 95% less water than traditional farming
- 91% of luxury brands now offer some form of circular service (repair or resale)
- Modular construction reduces material waste by 90%
- Global second-hand clothes market will be 2x size of fast fashion by 2030
- 40% of the world's copper production comes from recycled scrap
- 20% of global water pollution is due to textile dyeing and treatment
- 33% of the world’s soil is moderately to highly degraded due to linear agriculture
- Reusing 1kg of clothing saves 25kg of CO2
- 14% of the world's food is lost between harvest and retail
- Recycling 1 ton of lithium costs $5,000 compared to $10,000 for mining
Industry Sector Performance Interpretation
These staggering statistics reveal that humanity has perfected the art of mining, making, and wasting things, but now we must master the urgent and far more clever arts of preserving, repairing, and regenerating them.
Policy and Economics
- The EU Circular Economy Action Plan targets 50% less residual waste by 2030
- 64 countries have implemented Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws
- The French Anti-Waste Law bans destruction of unsold non-food products
- Circular economy investment in Europe reached €17.5 billion in 2021
- China’s 14th Five-Year Plan aims to increase resource productivity by 20%
- Over 100 cities globally have formally joined the Circular Cities Network
- The EU Taxonomy includes Circular Economy as one of six environmental objectives
- Global sustainable investment reached $35.3 trillion in 2020
- 70% of companies say the circular economy is key to their competitive strategy
- Circular economy start-ups received $10 billion in venture capital in 2022
- The Right to Repair Act is now active in 30 US states
- Italy provides a 36% tax credit for purchase of recycled products
- Brazil’s National Waste Policy mandates reverse logistics for 30% of packaging
- Chile’s Roadmap for Circularity aims for 65% recycling of MSW by 2040
- 12% of the EU workforce is employed in circular-related sectors
- Circular public procurement accounts for 14% of EU GDP potential
- The Plastic Waste Fund in the UK charges £200 per tonne for non-recycled plastic
- Finland was the first country to create a National Roadmap to a Circular Economy
- 60% of Fortune 500 companies have circular economy commitments
- The African Circular Economy Alliance includes 8 member nations
- Japan’s Sound Material-Cycle Society goal aims for a 92% recycling rate for metals
- San Francisco saved $5 million annually through circular waste management
- Sustainable supply chain adoption could reduce corporate costs by 10%
- The World Bank has invested $4.7 billion in waste management projects
- New Zealand’s Waste Minimization Act generates $40 million for circular projects annually
- 25% of commercial buildings in Amsterdam are using circular leasing models
- The ASEAN Circular Economy Framework targets zero waste growth by 2040
- Resource taxes contribute 2.3% of total tax revenue in the EU
- Indian circular economy initiatives could add $624 billion to GDP by 2050
- 40 countries have implemented plastic bag bans at the national level
- Plastic recycling creates 6 times more jobs than landfilling
- Waste-to-Energy global market is valued at $35 billion
- Global circular economy adoption could lead to a 7% increase in global GDP
Policy and Economics Interpretation
The evidence is clear: from boardrooms to parliaments, the world is finally pivoting from a linear 'take-make-waste' hangover to a circular 'repair-reuse-return' renaissance, proving that saving the planet is not just an ethical imperative but a staggeringly profitable one.
Waste and Recycling
- Global recycling rate for MSW (Municipal Solid Waste) is approximately 19%
- Landfilling remains the dominant waste management method in 40% of countries
- Only 2% of plastic packaging is recycled into a similar quality product (closed-loop)
- 50 million metric tonnes of e-waste are generated globally each year
- Value of raw materials in global e-waste is estimated at $57 billion
- Paper and cardboard recycling rates in the US reached 68% in 2021
- Glass recycling saves 30% of the energy used to make virgin glass
- Steel is the most recycled material in the world by weight
- Lead-acid batteries have a recycling rate of 99% in North America
- Composting rates in San Francisco reached 80% due to local mandates
- Incineration with energy recovery accounts for 27% of EU waste management
- 8 million tonnes of plastic leak into the ocean every year
- PET bottles have a global collection rate of 48%
- Average recycling rate in Germany is 67%, the highest in the world
- Recycled aluminum requires 95% less energy than primary aluminum
- Circular economy can reduce the total volume of plastics entering oceans by 80% by 2040
- South Korea recycles 95% of its food waste
- Tires have a recovery rate of 88% in the United Kingdom
- 75% of all aluminum ever produced is still in use today
- Lithium-ion battery recycling capacity is expected to grow by 25% annually
- Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees
- The informal recycling sector provides livelihoods for 15 million people worldwide
- Only 9% of plastic waste is recycled in Canada
- Japan’s recycling rate for plastic packaging is 84%
- Plastic waste exports from G7 countries have dropped 70% since 2017
- Hazardous waste generation has increased 500% over the last 50 years
- Recycling 1 million laptops saves energy equivalent to 3,500 US homes
- Global sorting technologies market for recycling is worth $2.1 billion
- Textile waste in US landfills increased by 80% since 2000
- Copper recycling meets 35% of global copper demand
- Plastic waste in the US increased by 263% between 1980 and 2018
- The global e-waste recycling market is expected to reach $110 billion by 2030
- Lead recycling from batteries uses 75% less energy than mining lead
- Glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled endlessly
- 27 million tonnes of construction waste are recycled in the UK annually
- Recycled steel reduces air pollution by 86%
- 1 billion tires are scrapped annually worldwide
- Global paper recycling rate is 58%
- Recycling 1 ton of plastic saves 5,774 kWh of energy
- EU circularity of municipal waste is 49.6%
- Aluminum recycling avoids 100 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually
- 70% of silver in the US comes from recycled sources
Waste and Recycling Interpretation
We are a planet of brilliant contradictions, where we can recycle a car battery with near-perfect efficiency yet still drown the oceans in plastic, proving that our waste crisis isn't a failure of technology but a staggering lack of consistent will.
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