By Catherine Chevauché,
Circular Economy Director, Veolia,
Chair of ISO’s technical committee on circular economy
LinkedIn
In 2009, a group of leading scientists introduced a new framework that has since reshaped global environmental discourse: the Nine Planetary Boundaries. Each boundary represents a quantitative threshold – a safe operating limit for human activity. Yet when these boundaries were reassessed in 2023, six had already been breached.
These aren’t distant academic concepts. They’re vital natural systems that govern the air we breathe, the water we drink and the ecosystems that sustain us. And they are failing. Microplastics are now found in our bloodstream. “Forever chemicals” contaminate our water. Without urgent action, ecological collapse and global health crises become more likely with every passing year.
The root cause is the linear “take-make-dispose” economic model, which extracts natural resources and generates waste much faster than Earth can sustain. But the same threat is also driving innovation. From circular materials to nature-based solutions, we’ve developed the technical know-how to transform supply chains and bring the world back from the brink.
As someone working daily with policymakers, businesses and civil society, I believe the challenge now is not invention, but integration. To make circularity the global mainstream, we must align policies, business models and consumer behaviour – bound by shared standards and a long-term sense of responsibility.
Connecting the dots
We’re seeing encouraging steps. Peru has launched a set of initiatives to fund circular innovation and industrial transformation. In France, the Senate has adopted a bill taxing and even banning advertising for fast-fashion brands. The EU has also begun mandating 25 % recycled content in certain plastic products and introduced digital product passports to increase transparency and sustainability in supply chains.
These are important signals, but they remain fragmented. The real test is scaling them internationally without making so many compromises that it sacrifices their ambition. Countries vary widely – in culture, in political priorities, in infrastructure and in economic development. This makes finding consensus difficult, particularly when planning long term. Without coordination, even our brightest initiatives risk fading before they can spread.
Shared foundations for progress
Three groups are key to driving the circular economy: governments, industries and citizens. Governments face a delicate balance – to regulate without stifling business, damaging the economy or harming citizens’ lives. Too often, the result has been a status quo that puts industry first, at everyone else’s expense.
International Standards are central to forging global consensus on the circular economy. They provide a common language, a shared purpose, and a solid foundation on which progress can be built. Standards help companies design products that are durable, reusable, repairable and recyclable, and they give consumers confidence in choosing shared, recycled or upcycled goods and services. Above all, they enable collaboration between economic partners – essential for scaling circularity worldwide.
As the Chair of ISO’s technical committee on circular economy (ISO/TC 323), I’ve seen first-hand the power of cooperation. Today, 104 countries are working together through our committee to develop new International Standards and update existing ones.
In partnership with organizations like the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, we have defined core terminology, such as “refuse”, “reduce”, “recycle”, harmonized data collection and refined indicators to measure progress. These shared foundations make it possible for national and regional innovation to interconnect, scale and inspire global change.
Cooperation at the global scale
Yet the world economy is still only 6.9 % circular, according to the Circularity Gap Report 2025. We must move much faster. That means embedding circularity across all policy areas – not just in waste management, but in industrial strategy, trade, urban planning and finance.
High-income countries, with just 16 % of the world’s population, account for 74 % of excess resource use. We need to start looking at sectors where overproduction and overconsumption are highest, asking the difficult question: How do we create less and make resources go further? For societies shaped by centuries of relentless growth, this is deeply uncomfortable – yet it’s something we must now confront.
Our committee is also working to broaden standards beyond environmental criteria to support a “just transition”. Social justice must be at the heart of circular strategies: protecting workers as industries evolve, creating fairness and opportunity for the Global South, and developing metrics to track these outcomes. Crucially, it means fostering behavioural change that endures across generations.
This year, our work was honoured with the Lawrence D. Eicher Award for excellence in standards development. While it recognizes technical achievement, I see it as a tribute to the spirit of collaboration: countries sitting at one table to shape their futures together, despite an increasingly divided world.
From precedent to promise
Of the nine planetary boundaries, only one is actually improving: the ozone layer. Why? Because in 1989, the Montreal Protocol banned the gases responsible. Today, 99 % of them are gone. This incredible achievement shows what is possible when science, policy and collective will align.
We need that same level of cooperation for the circular economy. The tools are here. The knowledge is here. The standards are here. What is needed now is the global commitment to act – to embed circularity into every sector and every society.
If we succeed, we will not only restore balance to Earth’s systems, but also create a fairer, more resilient world for future generations.