BS 8001 Developed with Chartered Institution of Wastes Management : BSI Launches ‘World First’ Industry Standard for Circular Economy

A new standard for the ‘circular economy’ has been launched by BSI - BS 8001: 2017: Framework for implementing the principles of the circular economy in organizations – guide.

BSI, the business standards company, explained that the ‘circular economy’ is a concept which challenges organizations to re-think how their resources are managed to create financial, environmental and social benefits.

It said that BS 8001 was developed to meet these mutually beneficial goals, by providing guiding principles for organizations and individuals to consider and implement more sustainable practices. It is said to be the first standard of its kind, both in the UK and globally.

One of the key aims of the circular economy is to keep products, components and materials at their highest utility and value at all times, in keeping with the mantra of the circular economy as being restorative and regenerative by design. BS 8001 outlines what the circular economy is and how an organization can transition from a linear to a circular, and more sustainable, day-to-day operation.

Practical implementation of the six principles of the circular economy – innovation; stewardship; collaboration; value optimizations; transparency; and “systems thinking” – is the bedrock of the standard, and step-by-step guidance on how an organization can navigate through the different stages of implementation is provided.

“Systems thinking” is defined in the standard as an understanding of how organizations, individual decisions and activities interact within the wider systems they are part of.

Input

BSI said that extensive input from business went into the development of the standard which has ensured that it is useable in real-world scenarios, and that the language used in the document is not overly technical.

“As members of the Drafting Group for the standard, we are delighted that it is now available for businesses of every size and type to use. Resource efficiency and circular economic practices are not just CSR buzzwords, they make real bottom line business sense,” said Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) chief executive, Dr Colin Church.

Francois Souchet, Project Manager for Insight and Analysis at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, added: “This standard provides a valuable introduction to the practical action organizations can take to accelerate their transition to a circular economy.”

More information about the new standard is available HERE

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