Implications of developing a tool for sustainability screening of circular economy initiatives

Abstract Circular economy seems to offer abounding opportunities for companies that are seeking to optimize their business practices while reducing the environmental burden. Circular economy therefore is often seen as a stepping-stone towards sustainability. However, to ensure the transition from linear to circular economy in a sustainable way, a shift requires implementation of not only financially beneficial circular strategies, but also environmentally and socially valuable ones. The challenge for companies is to understand how a particular circular initiative in their business context contributes to sustainability and what elements of sustainability have to be assessed prior to the initiative implementation. This paper illustrates how an indicator-based sustainability screening tool for circular economy initiatives can guide companies in their decision making towards a more sustainable circular initiative choice. In addition, the paper highlights challenges of measuring sustainability in a circular economy context.

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