Ellen MacArthur Foundation unveils digital tool for comprehensive circularity picture

15 Jan 2020 --- The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has introduced Circulytics, a digital measuring tool that gives companies a fully comprehensive picture of their circularity across all operations. Developed and tested by more than 30 companies from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s network, Circulytics informs strategy, allows users to see where they lie in relation to their industry and provides quick understanding for those actively moving away from the current “take, make, waste” linear economy.

Going way beyond simply measuring products and material flows, Circulytics has arrived at a crucial time. Companies around the globe are adopting the circular economy as an opportunity to create thriving businesses that meet the challenges of global issues such as climate change and pollution.

Using company-level data, with applied insights and analysis from the Foundation’s Data and Metrics team, Circulytics highlights and inspires opportunities for innovation, while allowing companies to track their progress. 

Circulytics also provides the option to have informed interactions about circular economy adoption, should businesses wish to do so with investors and customers. Meanwhile, the Foundation plans to engage with companies that generate outstanding scores to create inspirational case studies.

The digital measuring tool supports a company’s transition towards the circular economy, regardless of industry, complexity and size. Going beyond assessing products and material flows, Circulytics reveals the extent to which a company has achieved circularity across its entire operations. It does this by using the widest set of indicators currently available: enablers and outcomes. Circulytics:

• Measures a company’s entire circularity, not just products and material flows;
• Supports decision making and strategic development for circular economy adoption;
• Demonstrates strengths and highlights the areas for improvement;
• Provides optional transparency to investors and customers about a company’s circular economy adoption;
• Delivers unprecedented clarity about circular economy performance, opening up new opportunities to generate brand value with key stakeholders.

The Circulytics indicators have been developed by the Foundation in collaboration with 13 Global Partners and CE100 member companies and have been tested by over 30 companies during 2019.

When creating Circulytics, the Foundation sought alignment with other circular economy-related initiatives, which will become available in “other tools.”

Now a freely available resource, Circulytics is providing global capacity for every organization that wants to accelerate the adoption of circular economy practices.

On 29 October 2018, The Ellen MacArthur Foundation announced that more than 290 organizations comprising 20 percent of all plastic packaging produced globally had signed a Global Commitment to eradicate plastic waste at source and work collaboratively towards the development of a circular plastics economy. PackagingInsights spoke to Sander Defruyt, Lead of the New Plastics Economy project, about this landmark agreement, increased company transparency, effective consumer recycling, the role of bioplastics and more.

Signatories to the Global Commitment include well-known consumer businesses such as Danone, H&M group, L’Oréal, Mars, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and Unilever, major packaging producers such as Amcor, plastics producers including Novamont, and resource management specialist Veolia.

Edited by Joshua Poole