Circular Economy

The circular economy is gaining attention for having the potential to address two of the most well-understood, global environmental impacts of our current economic practices—the volume of single-use plastics ending up in the environment and the release of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions resulting in global climate change and local weather extremes.

Organisations face continued supply chain insecurity, tightening regulations on GHG emissions, and the pressures of evolving societal values. With all these factors at play, the traditional linear business model of “take-make-waste” is inefficient and not sustainable.

Within the vision of a circular economy, businesses can create value and jobs by using sustainable materials, minimising waste, and introducing business practices that support product longevity, emphasise designing products for end of life, and expand recycling and reuse.

How Deloitte helps clients

Deloitte assists organisations with minimising system risks and introducing social innovations across their supply chains. We work with our clients to help optimise value circulation by reusing byproducts, using renewable energy sources, and using recycled materials as we bring products to market. By applying our innovative technologies and deep knowledge of the recycling ecosystem, we help organisations transition their operations to the circular economy model. Our clients benefit from the breadth, depth, and years of Deloitte’s hands-on experience.

Transforming from a linear to the circular economy model can help organisations uncover new value and opportunities to improve their businesses through:

Growth and innovation

• Developing new paths to growth
• Disrupting market through innovation

Security and costs

• Lowering costs
• Ensuring supply chain continuity
• Securing early access to high-quality recycled materials

Reputation and retention

• Building brand reputation
• Attracting talent and employee retention

Customer loyalty

• Reaching new customers
• Engaging and retaining customers

Materiality & Vision

• Scenario modeling (including stress testing)
• Economic impact assessments and market studies (including renewables)
• Environmental and social policy scanning and tracking

Planning & Targets

• Sustainability and decarbonisation strategy
• Financing plans for sustainability initiatives or programmes
• Product design and pricing

Mitigation

• Environmental and social footprint analytics
• Emissions reduction advisory (implementation - direct and indirect)
• Sustainable supply chain advisory (restructuring/collaboration)

Adaptation

• Resilient operating model design – new recycling schemes (operational implementation of strategy)

Value creation

• Business model transformation
• Circular systems and value chain advisory including waste management and product research
• Technology and business scouting and identification of innovative options
• Tax, grants and incentives advisory for sustainable R&D

Governance & Sustainment

• Enterprise resource planning

Measurement, Assurance & Reporting

• Blockchain and internet of things (IoT) for supply chain traceability and reporting
• Green bond assurance

Why Deloitte?

Deloitte has extensive sustainability experience and technology to build sound climate transition
strategies to help reduce waste and create new value for our clients.

Through our culture of collaboration and extensive partnership network, we bring together industry leaders and experts, including the WBCSD Circular Economy Plastics & Packaging project, to bridge the gap between business and academia, technology and science to provide answers and guidance our clients need.

By transitioning from linear to circular models, we help lead companies down new paths to growth. We help build brand reputation while delivering against sustainability targets and commitments. We disrupt the market through innovation, helping to secure supply chain continuity in a rapidly evolving marketplace.

We leverage our extensive and rapidly expanding network of sustainability practitioners in more than 162 countries to provide our global clients with localised support to navigate their linguistic, cultural, and geopolitical complexities.