Building the Future through Circular Economy. How ISO Standards can make it real

Nov 18
3 min read

For decades, our economy has followed a simple path: take, make, use, dispose. It’s an efficient system but also one that depletes resources, creates waste, and undermines planetary resilience. Today, there is a new playing field within business. The world is shifting to a Circular Economy, a model designed to keep materials and products in use for as long as possible, eliminate waste by design, and regenerate natural systems.

To turn this ambition into action, organizations around the world are adopting a new global framework: the ISO 59000 family of Circular Economy standards.

From linear to circular. Rethinking how we create value

In a linear economy, resources flow one way: extraction, production, consumption and disposal. The Circular Economy flips this logic.

According to ISO 59004:2024 – Circular Economy: Vocabulary, principles and guidance for implementation, a circular economy is an economic system that maintains a circular flow of resources by recovering, retaining, or adding value, while contributing to sustainable development.

In practice, this means:

Designing out waste and pollution from the start.
Keeping materials and products in circulation through reuse, repair, refurbishment, remanufacturing, and recycling.
Regenerating ecosystems and natural resources rather than depleting them.
Creating value not only economically, but also socially and environmentally.

Circularity isn’t just about recycling, it’s about redesigning systems, supply chains, and business models to keep value flowing.

The ISO 59000 Family. A framework for real transformation

The ISO 59000 family of standards, developed by the ISO Technical Committee 323 (Circular economy) offers a coherent global framework for understanding, implementing, and measuring circularity.

Here’s how the three core standards work together:

ISO 59004:2024: Vocabulary, principles, and guidance for implementation

This is the foundation. It defines key terms, principles, and system boundaries for circular economy, helping organizations of any size or sector establish a shared understanding and roadmap.It provides practical guidance for implementing circular thinking into governance, product design, procurement, and operations.

Use it to:

Build a common language internally and across your supply chain.
Align strategy and goals with circular principles.
Identify opportunities for value retention and regeneration.

ISO 59010:2024 – Guidelines for the transition of business models and value networks. This standard focuses on business transformation. It helps organizations assess their current value creation models and map out how to transition to circular ones, both within the company and across interconnected networks.

Use it to:

Analyze your value chain and value network.
Redesign business models (e.g., product-as-a-service, leasing, take-back systems).
Identify synergies and dependencies among partners.
Create incentives for collaboration and circular innovation.

ISO 59010 turns the abstract idea of “being circular” into a strategy for how your business operates and delivers value.

ISO 59020:2024 – Measuring and assessing circularity performance

This is the metrics and assessment standard. It sets out requirements and guidance for measuring circularity performance within defined systems — whether at the product, organizational, inter-organizational, or regional level.

Use it to:

Define the system boundaries (what you’re measuring).
Select appropriate indicators (e.g., resource inflow/outflow, waste, energy, and recovery rates).
Collect and calculate data in a standardized way.
Report and compare performance transparently.

ISO 59020 helps organizations quantify progress, build trust with stakeholders, and avoid greenwashing by grounding claims in verified data.

Why these standards matter

The ISO 59000 family gives structure and credibility to the circular transition. Together, they help organizations to:

Speak the same language across industries and borders.
Integrate circularity into strategy and operations, not just CSR reports.
Measure what matters and make results comparable.
Collaborate effectively across value chains and networks.
Support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and global sustainability frameworks.

For policymakers and industry alike, these standards serve as a bridge between sustainability ambitions and measurable, scalable action.

How to get started

Understand and align. Use ISO 59004 to define your circular principles, terms, and goals.
Redesign your business model . Apply ISO 59010 to evaluate your value chain and identify circular opportunities.
Measure your impact. Implement ISO 59020 to track circularity performance and communicate results.
Collaborate and scale. Engage partners, suppliers, and customers in your circular value network.
Improve continuously. Treat circularity as a process of learning, innovation, and evolution.

The bottom line

The circular economy is no longer just an environmental ideal. It’s a strategic necessity. It’s about designing resilience into our economies, creating more with less, and ensuring that value never ends it evolves. By following the ISO 59000 family, organizations can make that vision real: 59004 provides the principles, 59010 shows how to transform business, and 59020 helps measure success.