Circular Economy

What are the latest developments? We’ve picked out some highlights for June 2025:

Two reports highlight need to increase the circular economy
Right to Repair: how laws are reshaping producer responsibility for e-waste

Two reports highlight need to increase the circular economy

At the World Circular Economy Forum 2025, from 13 to 16 May in Brazil, the newly released Circularity Gap Report underscored the urgent need to improve circularity in the global economy.

The report reveals that only 7.2% of the global economy is circular – down from 9.1% in 2018.

The report emphasises that resource extraction and consumption continue to rise, while reuse and recycling stagnate.

It calls for systemic transformation across core sectors, including housing, mobility and food, highlighting the need to address material overuse and its link to global emissions.

The report also advocates for a shift in policy, business models and consumer behaviour to reduce material demand and accelerate reuse and recycling.

Also released in May, the annual OECD update on the effects of international regulations on trade in plastic waste and scrap paints a similar picture.

According to the paper, global trade in plastic waste declined by 3.4% between 2022 and 2023.

Although intra-OECD trade increased, exports from OECD to non-OECD countries – particularly Southeast Asia – remain significant.

This raises environmental and equity concerns as some receiving countries may lack adequate recycling infrastructure.

The report also stresses the value of multilateral controls under the Basel Convention in curbing problematic exports.

Right to Repair: how laws are reshaping producer responsibility for e-waste

Right to Repairs laws are fundamentally reshaping producer responsibility for e-waste, placing greater accountability on original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for the lifespan of their products.

These laws are driven by environmental concerns, consumer frustration and economic benefits.

The core principle of Right to Repair is simple: consumers and independent repair providers should have access to the parts, tools, software and information needed to repair electronic devices.

This movement is gaining momentum globally with legislation enacted or under consideration in various jurisdictions.

Traditionally, producer responsibility for e-waste largely focused on the end-of-life management of products, including establishing takeback programmes, setting recycling targets, and financing the proper treatment and disposal of discarded electronics.

However, Right to Repair laws are expanding this responsibility upstream, compelling manufacturers to consider the repairability of their products from the design stage.

Landbell Group company, H2 Compliance has published this detailed article, summarising what producers need to know.