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The Circularity Gap Report is coming to Denmark
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Acknowledged Report to Shed Light on Denmark's Circular Transition

19. Dec 2022

In the summer of 2023, Denmark will get its first Circularity Gap Report. The well-known report will tell us how circular Denmark really is

Quick insight

If we are to succeed with designing an irresistible circular society, we must be fully aware of how circular Denmark is as a society.

“Identifying a country’s Circularity Gap number is a crucial stepping stone in benchmarking national circularity and in identifying the necessary next steps for how we make better use of our resources and waste,” says Julie Hjort, Director of Sustainable Transition here at DDC – Danish Design Center.

She represents us in the group of ambitious partners (Industriens Fond, Dansk Industri, DTU Sustain, Technological Institute, Lifestyle & Design Cluster, and IDA – The Danish Society of Engineers) that have been working with the Dutch consulting company Circle Economy, to bring the Circularity Gap Report to Denmark.

The private sector needs data to act

The partners have an ambition for Denmark to be the world’s leading circular economy. But to fulfill that mission, it is necessary to get a comprehensive overview of Denmark’s current waste and resource consumption.

“Getting the correct numbers and data are key for policy investments and for governments to set binding goals on this agenda. I meet companies that are willing to make a change, but they are struggling with implementation and scaling. A report like this can change that,” says Julie Hjort.

With a Danish report, we are one step closer to a common Nordic benchmark on circularity, and the many Nordic circular economy initiatives will have a shared and stronger starting point. Circle Economy has already carried out similar analyses for several countries, including Norway, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

Design methods key to the circular transition

Around 80 percent of a product’s environmental footprint is determined in the design phase. So working with the circular transition, we use design methods and thinking to initiate and implement circular change in our society.

A recent study we conducted in collaboration with The Confederation of Danish Industry, Design Delivers Green, shows that a majority of Danish companies say that they have taken steps to become more circular but lack the design competencies to move forward.

“Many companies ask for core design competencies like material understanding, user needs, and developing circular business models. Our role in this Circularity Gap Report partnership is to communicate the report’s results to the private sector and develop tools and actions that companies can use and implement,” explains Julie Hjort.

The report will be published in the summer of 2023.

The Circularity Gap Report

In January 2018, the first Circularity Gap Report was published during the World Annual Forum in Davos. This first report established that our world is only 9,1 percent circular, leaving a massive circularity gap. It also provided a framework and fact base to measure and monitor progress in bridging the global circularity gap.

The Danish initiative is launched in a collaboration between Industriens Fond, DI – Dansk Industri, DTU – Technical University of Denmark Sustain, Teknologisk Institut, DDC – Danish Design Center, Lifestyle & Design Cluster, and IDA.

Read more about the report and the Circularity Gap Reporting Initiative here.

Julie Hjort

Director of Sustainable Transition

Mail jhj@ddc.dk
Phone +45 2575 8933
Social LinkedIn

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