The Context: Aligning Ambition with Implementation in the Circular Economy
The global economy continues to rely heavily on a linear model of production and consumption—extract, produce, consume, discard. This model is driving unsustainable levels of resource depletion and accelerating environmental degradation. According to the European Environment Agency (2023), it accounts for over 90% of biodiversity loss and contributes directly to the crossing of key planetary boundaries.
In response, the circular economy has emerged as a systemic alternative. It promotes the continual use of resources, minimizing waste and regenerating natural systems. More than just a technical fix, the circular economy offers a pathway to meet material needs while enhancing environmental resilience and social equity. However, making this transition at scale requires more than ambition—it demands shared language, methodologies, and systems of accountability.
This is where international standards play a pivotal role in operationalizing the circular economy. The ISO 59000 series provides a structured framework to help organizations design, implement, and evaluate circular practices. Among these, ISO 59014 focuses on the sustainability and traceability of secondary materials—ensuring that reused or recycled materials can be tracked, verified, and integrated in ways that support environmental and social goals. These standards offer clear guidance to companies seeking to move from high-level commitments to concrete, measurable actions. They enable comparability across sectors, foster transparency in value chains, and provide tools to assess impacts over time.
Purpose and Goals
The panel aims to deepen understanding of how international standards can align business practices with circular economy principles—offering scalable, credible, and accountable tools for organizations striving to reduce their environmental footprint and build more resilient supply chains.
Topics for Discussion
The role of ISO 59000 standards in supporting circular economy transitions
How ISO 59014 enables traceability and sustainability of secondary materials
Lessons from the construction and electronics sectors on standard implementation
The contribution of standards to climate mitigation, waste reduction, and social responsibility
The need for inclusive approaches that consider informal and subsistence sector actors
As new circular standards emerge and companies seek to operationalize them, it is crucial to ask:
Can shared frameworks and traceability tools accelerate a truly circular and inclusive transition—or will they risk reinforcing existing barriers?
About the Panel
This session will bring together senior representatives from industry, standardization bodies, and research to explore how standards can serve as levers for systemic change. The discussion will examine real-world experiences with the implementation of ISO 59000, focusing on the enabling conditions, opportunities, and barriers encountered in practice.
Panelists:
Catherine Chevauché, Circular Economy Director, Veolia,
Monja Korter, Technical Program Manager, ISO
Martin Gasser, Site Manager Recycling Plant Zurich, Spross
Roger Mori, Co-founder, CICLO
Mimoun Batou, Co-Owner, ARGO360
Dea Andrea Wehrli, Board of Management, E[co]work
Moderated by:
Sonia Valdivia, World Resources Forum Scientific Director and ISO 59014 Convenor
Join us at WRF25 for an in-depth dialogue on how circular economy standards are shaping the future of sustainable production and consumption.