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The Circular Economy Handbook

March 2, 2018 Order now
#Circularadvantage

Circularity: The transformative model for competitiveness and sustainable prosperity.

Overview

Our inaugural book Waste to Wealth (2015) identified a 4.5 trillion dollar value at stake by 2030 through a radical departure from traditional 'take, make, waste' production and consumption systems. Now, The Circular Economy Handbook, featuring insights gained from years of experience and an analysis of 1,500 case studies - 300 of which are included in the book - offers a practical view on how organizations can take transformative steps toward circularity and create new opportunities for competitiveness and sustainable prosperity.

 

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Industry perspectives

We examine the role that 10 different industries can play in the circular transition and how they can realize significant value through large-scale adoption of circular principles.


Waste Analysis Diagram:

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Watch

Can we align global production and consumption systems with sustainability? Can business growth lead to a healthier planet? Can companies innovate through the circular economy to create competitive advantage and genuine impact? Watch the videos below to find out.

Realizing the Circular Advantage | Accenture

WEF 20 | Accenture: Circular Economy Handbook

Endorsements

The climate emergency makes the switch to a circular economy ever more urgent. The circular economy is happening, but not quickly enough. This practical handbook can accelerate the transition by helping business leaders to rethink their propositions and scale-up their circular solutions. It’s also a call to action – the systems change we need is only achievable if we all contribute. This book will hopefully inspire many to move forward on the path to true impact.

- ­Ralph Hamers, CEO, ING Group

Our generation has the unique opportunity to reconcile the paradox between progress for all and a sustainable future for our planet, thanks to a step change in efficiency. Digital technologies are there to help, to shift the way we manage energy, provided we rethink the way we design buildings, industries, cities. The Circular Economy Handbook demonstrates how digitization and circular models go hand in hand to enable this efficiency.

-­ Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Chairman and CEO, Schneider Electric

Climate change is on everyone’s lips. But given material and land use account for close to half of global emissions, we cannot solve the climate crisis without a clear focus on the circular economy. Circularity is the tool needed to deliver real decoupling of economic growth and resource usage. In The Circular Economy Handbook, the authors demonstrate there is a path forward for sustainable business by providing actionable insights and practical strategies for making a successful circular transition.

- ­Ida Auken, MP, Chairman of the Parliament’s Energy and Climate Committee, Former Minister for The Environment, Denmark

The need to develop new business models to adapt to climate urgency, resource constraints and social imperatives is at the top of my personal agenda. The circular economy reinvents the way we create and share value for society at large, by extracting the highest possible value from materials. The Circular Economy Handbook represents a major contribution, helping us to move from concept to action, by scaling up and mainstreaming new business models in a pragmatic way.

- ­Ilham Kadri, CEO, Solvay

The Fourth Industrial Revolution will impact every aspect of our lives. In order to thrive within this new global dynamic, we need to adopt new business models and norms. The circular economy is one approach that can enable us to keep pace with technological innovation, support integrated and sustainable ecosystems, and move us towards a brighter future. The Circular Economy Handbook is an essential guide for organizations of all types looking to capitalize on the circular opportunity.

- ­Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum

The ‘take, make, waste’ mindset is difficult to break away from, but we are fast approaching a point of no return. The Circular Economy Handbook offers concrete direction for how to make the transition circular. It calls out that retrofitting small-scale circular initiatives into business–as-usual environments simply won’t deliver the change we need to see. I hope the Handbook becomes a practical companion for senior executives on their change journey. The time to act is now.

- ­Lise Kingo, CEO and Executive Director, United Nations Global Compact

About the authors

Peter Lacy

Global Sustainability Services Lead & Chief Responsibility Officer

Peter advises leaders of Fortune 500 companies on strategies related to growth, technology, innovation and sustainability.

Wesley Spindler

Managing Director – Accenture Strategy, Sustainability Services

Wesley is a strategist with a passion for sustainability and purposeful business and co-author of The Circular Economy Handbook.

Jessica Long

FORMER MANAGING DIRECTOR – ACCENTURE STRATEGY

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The Circular Economy Handbook
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