
Appendix 2: Selected Circular Economy Initiatives Across Time
This table is a more extensive version of Figure 2 in the main body of the paper. These selected initiatives are taken from the authors’ analysis and are not intended to represent the full spectrum of CE initiatives across time; instead, this list is intended to illustrate the increase in the number of initiatives across time.
Year |
Month |
Name of initiative |
Label in Figure 2 |
Origin |
Level |
Type |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2000 |
May |
Law for the Promotion of Effective Utilization of Resources |
Japan’s Law on Resource Efficiency |
Japan |
National |
Law |
June |
Basic Act for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society |
Japan’s Act for a Sound Material-Cycle Society |
Japan |
National |
Law |
|
2002 |
June |
Law of the People’s Republic of China on Promotion of Cleaner Production |
China’s Law on Cleaner Production |
China |
National |
Law |
2007 |
April |
Wastes Control Act |
South Korea’s Wastes Control Act |
South Korea |
National |
Law |
2008 |
March |
Recommendation of the Council on Resource Productivity |
OECD Recommendation on Resource Productivity |
OECD |
Multilateral |
Policy |
Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of Resources |
South Korea’s Law on Recycling Resources |
South Korea |
National |
Law |
||
May |
Kobe 3R Action Plan |
Kobe 3R Action Plan |
G8 |
Multilateral |
Policy |
|
August |
Circular Economy Promotion Law of the People’s Republic of China |
China’s Law on CE Promotion |
China |
National |
Law |
|
2011 |
July |
Greenest City Action Plan |
Vancouver’s Greenest City Action Plan |
Vancouver |
City |
Policy |
August |
Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe |
EU Roadmap on Resource Efficiency |
European Commission |
Multilateral |
Policy |
|
2012 |
February |
Reorganising the Law on Closed Cycle Management and Waste |
Germany’s Law on Closed Cycle Management and Waste |
Germany |
National |
Law |
July |
Circular Economy Task Force |
UK CE Task Force |
UK |
National |
Dialogue |
|
2013 |
January |
Circular Economy Development Strategies and Action Plan |
China’s CE Development Strategies Plan |
China |
National |
Policy |
March |
Ha Noi 3R Declaration |
Ha Noi 3R Declaration |
Regional 3R Forum in Asia and the Pacific |
Multilateral |
Policy |
|
June |
10 Year Framework of National Programme on SCP (10Y SCP Indonesia) |
10Y SCP Indonesia |
Indonesia |
National |
Policy |
|
2014 |
December |
Commission Regulation (EU) No 1357/2014 replacing Annex III to Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on waste and repealing certain Directives |
EU Revised Waste Directive |
European Commission |
Multilateral |
Policy |
2015 |
June |
G7 Alliance on Resource Efficiency |
G7 Alliance on Resource Efficiency |
G7 |
Multilateral |
Policy |
July |
The US BCSD Materials Marketplace |
US BCSD Materials Marketplace |
US |
National |
Private-sector initiative |
|
September |
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development |
2030 Agenda for SDGs |
UN |
Multilateral |
Policy |
|
October |
U.S. EPA Sustainable Materials Management Program Strategic Plan |
US’s Sustainable Materials Management Plan |
US |
National |
Policy |
|
December |
Closing the loop – An EU action plan for the Circular Economy |
EU Action Plan for CE |
European Commission |
Multilateral |
Policy |
|
2016 |
March |
Brussels Regional Program for a Circular Economy 2016–2020 (BRPCE) |
Brussels’s CE 2016–2020 Plan |
Brussels |
City |
Policy |
Circular Amsterdam: A vision and action agenda for the city and metropolitan area |
Amsterdam’s CE Agenda |
Amsterdam |
City |
Policy |
||
April |
Circular Economy Mission to Chile |
EU CE Mission to Chile |
European Commission |
Multilateral |
Dialogue |
|
May |
Toyama Framework on Material Cycles |
Toyama Framework on Material Cycles |
G7 |
Multilateral |
Policy |
|
June |
Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act |
Ontario’s CE Act |
Ontario |
City |
Law |
|
July |
Long Term Waste Management Strategy |
Toronto’s Waste Management Strategy |
Toronto |
City |
Policy |
|
November |
Circular Economy Mission to China |
EU CE Mission to China |
European Commission |
Multilateral |
Dialogue |
|
Finnish road map to a circular economy 2016–2025 |
Finland’s Roadmap for CE |
Finland |
National |
Policy |
||
Turkey Materials Marketplace |
Turkey Materials Marketplace |
Turkey |
National |
Private-sector initiative |
||
2017 |
March |
Circular Economy Capital Investment Fund |
Wales’s CE Investment Fund |
Wales |
National |
Fund |
May |
South Africa – EU Dialogue on the Role of the Circular Economy in Sustainable Transition |
South Africa’s Dialogue on CE |
South Africa |
National |
Dialogue |
|
June |
London’s Circular Economy Route Map |
London’s Roadmap on CE |
London |
City |
Policy |
|
Factor10 |
WBCSD’s Factor10 |
WBCSD |
Multilateral |
Private-sector initiative |
||
World Circular Economy Forum 2017 |
World Circular Economy Forum 2017 |
Sitra |
Multilateral |
Dialogue |
||
Sustainability and Circular Economy Summit |
US Circular Economy Summit |
US |
National |
Dialogue |
||
July |
Paris Circular Economy Plan |
Paris Circular Economy Plan |
Paris |
City |
Policy |
|
G20 Resource Efficiency Dialogue |
G20 Resource Efficiency Dialogue |
G20 |
Multilateral |
Policy |
||
September |
Primer Foro de Economía Circular |
Primer Foro de Economía Circular de Latinoamérica |
UNIDO and government of Uruguay |
Multilateral |
Dialogue |
|
Circular Economy Strategies for Lao PDR |
Lao PDR’s CE Strategies |
Laos |
National |
Research |
||
October |
Circular Economy Mission to Colombia |
EU CE Mission to Colombia |
European Commission |
Multilateral |
Dialogue |
|
Circular Economy Investment Fund |
Scotland’s CE Investment Fund |
Scotland |
National |
Fund |
||
November |
African Circular Economy Alliance |
African Circular Economy Alliance |
Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa |
Multilateral |
Dialogue |
|
The UK’s Industrial Strategy |
UK’s Industrial Strategy |
UK |
National |
Policy |
||
2018 |
January |
A European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy |
EU Strategy for Plastics in a CE |
European Commission |
Multilateral |
Policy |
March |
Public Consultation on the Circular Economy Strategy |
Spain’s Public Consultation on CE Strategy |
Spain |
National |
Dialogue |
|
April |
Circular Economy Opportunities Programme |
UNIDO’s CE Opportunities Programme |
UNIDO |
National |
Dialogue |
|
France’s Roadmap for the Circular Economy |
France’s Roadmap for CE |
France |
National |
Policy |
||
Roadmap towards the Circular Economy in Slovenia |
Slovenia’s Roadmap on CE |
Slovenia |
National |
Policy |
||
UK Plastics Pact |
UK Plastics Pact |
UK |
National |
Dialogue |
||
May |
Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on Minimum Requirements for Water Reuse |
EU Proposal on Water Reuse |
European Commission |
Multilateral |
Policy |
|
Catalunya Circular |
Catalunya Circular |
Spain |
National |
Dialogue |
||
July |
Strategy for the Transition to Circular Economy in the Municipality of Maribor |
Maribor’s CE Strategy |
Maribor |
City |
Policy |
|
Memorandum of Understanding on Circular Economy Cooperation |
EU’s Memorandum on CE Cooperation |
European Commission and China |
Multilateral |
Dialogue |
||
UKGBC Circular Economy Programme |
UKGBC Circular Economy Programme |
UK |
National |
Private-sector initiative |
||
September |
Circular Charlotte: Towards a zero waste and inclusive city |
Charlotte’s CE Plan |
Charlotte |
City |
Policy |
|
Circular Economy Mission to India |
EU CE Mission to India |
European Commission |
Multilateral |
Dialogue |
||
Strategy for Circular Economy |
Denmark’s CE Strategy |
Denmark |
National |
Policy |
||
October |
Circular Economy Mission to Japan and Indonesia |
EU CE Mission to Japan and Indonesia |
European Commission |
Multilateral |
Dialogue |
|
New Plastics Economy Global Commitment |
New Plastics Economy Global Commitment |
New Plastics Economy |
Multilateral |
Private-sector initiative |