Do more and better, with less, in a loop, and on a local scale. This is the ambition of the circular economy. This anti-waste approach rethinks our modes of production and consumption to optimize the use of resources, if possible in short circuits.
Low in carbon, energy and non-renewable natural resources, the circular economy is based on the eco-design and eco-efficiency of products and services. But it goes beyond that. It advocates responsible consumption (a third of the world’s food production is wasted!) and establishes the principle of the economy of functionality: a company no longer sells photocopiers or kitchen appliances directly, but rents them out to its customers, making them last as long as possible.
Aware of the importance of this approach, the government pushed through the AGEC law of February 10, 2020 on the fight against waste and the circular economy. The text’s main ambitions include :
- halving food waste by 2030 compared to 2015;
- the end of single-use plastic packaging by 2040;
- a reparability index ;
- more precise labeling.
XP X30-901: a voluntary standard for doing things right
By thinking in terms of the circular economy, a company or local authority is invited to rethink its entire activity, to reform the linear “extract-produce-consume-throw away” model. This is an opportunity for us to develop our professions and skills requirements, reorganize our organization, and modify our production and consumption patterns, all of which calls for new forms of innovation at every level of our value chain.
This transition to the circular economy calls for method, project-based thinking and, above all, a collective dynamic within the company and on a local level. To this end, organizations can rely on the
experimental voluntary standard XPX30-901
circular economy project management system”. It is currently being transposed internationally by ISO technical committee 323, under the French presidency. The document proposes a 3×7 approach to the subject: cross-referencing the 3 dimensions of sustainable development with the 7 action areas of the circular economy:
- Sustainable procurement
- Ecodesign
- Industrial and territorial ecology or industrial symbiosis
- Economy of functionality
- Responsible consumption
- Extended useful life
- Efficient management of end-of-life materials and products
You can download free of charge a collection of testimonials from several organizations that have used the standard to successfully implement their circular economy projects. You can also seek to have the rigor of your approach recognized with an objective sign, by submitting to AFNOR Certification’s AFAQ Circular Economy assessment, based on the standard in question.
