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22 April 2025

The circular economy is emerging as a transformative solution to address the environmental and economic challenges posed by traditional production and consumption patterns. Contrary to the linear economy, which follows a “take, make, dispose” model, the circular economy seeks to design out waste and pollution, and keep products and materials in use for as long as possible. By promoting recycling, reuse, and resource efficiency, this approach not only reduces environmental degradation but also fosters innovation, job creation, and long-term economic resilience.

The upcoming World Circular Economy Forum, from 13-16 May in Brazil, presents an opportunity for PAGE to engage in global dialogues and exchanges with global leaders, innovators, and policymakers on circular economy initiatives. In 2024, PAGE rolled out its updated Strategy with the ambition to shift finance and investments for a just, circular and green economic transformation that improves human well-being. This blog explores ways in which PAGE contributes to fostering a more sustainable and circular economic framework across the globe.

To accelerate the transition towards a circular economy, PAGE is also focused on modelling and measuring circular economy progress, ensuring that data-driven strategies guide policy decisions. In 2024, PAGE and its partners, including the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Bank Group (WBG), released the report “Measuring and Modelling Circular Jobs: Definitions and Methods – A Technical Review”. This report provides a comprehensive framework for defining and assessing circular jobs, emphasizing how employment shifts towards sustainability-driven sectors. In an interview, Esther Goodwin Brown, Circular Jobs Programme Lead at the Circle Economy Foundation and Casper Nicholas Edmonds, ILO Head of the Extractives, Energy and Manufacturing Unit, tell us about the report, which emphasizes the importance of data in understanding people’s contributions to facilitate a just transition through circular economy strategies.

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A standout example of PAGE’s impact is Uruguay’s commitment to embedding circular economy principles into its national policies. According to Manuel Albaladejo, head of UNIDO’s Regional Office in Montevideo, PAGE has played a vital role in shaping Uruguay’s National Development Strategy 2050, ensuring that green policies and circular economy principles become core components of long-term planning. The strategy sets the path for an improved institutional landscape to enable policies for circular production and consumption and encourage circular initiatives and business models.

Interview Manuel Albaladejo

Manuel Albaladejo portrait

PAGE collaborates with governments, businesses, and stakeholders worldwide to embed circular economy strategies into national development plans. The focus lays in supporting policy reforms, capacity-building initiatives, and economic transformation efforts that align with sustainability goals. Key examples include Argentina, where PAGE has played a crucial role in developing the National Plan for the Promotion of Circular Economy by developing a technical feasibility study in 2021, as well as the Information System for the Circular Economy in 2023, promoting resource efficiency and transparency of material flows. These initiatives are expected to foster the quality of jobs as well as the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises and generate a mechanism for promoting recycling and circular economy. Similarly, in Uruguay, PAGE has been instrumental in integrating circular economy concepts into national programs, culminating in the launch of the country’s National Circular Economy Strategy in 2024. Furthermore, PAGE has supported South Africa in developing policies to improve waste management and circular business models, Ghana in advancing sustainable waste management initiatives, and Indonesia in promoting circular approaches in manufacturing and agriculture. These initiatives highlight how PAGE advances circular economy transitions across diverse regions and economic contexts.

A group of people sitting on a stage at the Thai Zero Waste event

Through a holistic approach combining policy reform, knowledge sharing and capacity building, PAGE continues to lead the way by helping nations integrate circular economy principles into economic planning and governance. With growing international recognition of the circular economy’s potential, PAGE’s work becomes more pertinent in ensuring that economies remain competitive, sustainable, and inclusive. Moving forward, PAGE will focus on scaling up successful models, fostering multi-stakeholder collaborations, and ensuring that circular economy strategies contribute to social equity and economic resilience.

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