{"id":3556,"date":"2025-10-31T15:26:01","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T15:26:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/positiveimpakt.eu\/?p=3556"},"modified":"2025-10-31T15:46:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T15:46:04","slug":"circularity-is-just-a-buzzword-unless-you-have-this","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/positiveimpakt.eu\/fr\/circularity-is-just-a-buzzword-unless-you-have-this\/","title":{"rendered":"Circularity Is Just a Buzzword – Unless You Have This"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most \u201cgreen\u201d claims are vague or false. ISO 59040 is the only thing standing between real progress and endless greenwashing.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

JEANNOT SCHROEDER<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back in time, before ISO 59040<\/strong> even had a name, we faced a familiar frustration: products labeled eco-friendly<\/em> or 100% recyclable<\/em>, yet impossible to prove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together with a small group of experts, I decided this had to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That decision marked the beginning of the Product Circularity Data Sheet (PCDS)<\/strong> initiative. Our goal was clear: to create a system that made product circularity<\/strong> measurable, comparable, and verifiable. Years later, that initial effort evolved into what is now known as ISO 59040<\/strong> – the international standard for circular economy defining how circular characteristics<\/strong> are described and shared across industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But still now, the question of how we can measure circular economy<\/em> remains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, everyone in the circular economy<\/strong> speaks about recycling<\/em>, reuse<\/em>, or low-carbon products<\/em>. Yet, without a universal method to measure circularity<\/strong>, these discussions remain inconsistent and often misleading. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of us have experienced the frustration of buying a \u201c100% recyclable\u201d product, only to discover that local facilities cannot process it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is precisely what a world without ISO 59040<\/strong> looks like: claims without proof, and promises without delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The turning point in the circular economy<\/strong> was not new materials or business models, but the creation of ISO 59040<\/strong>, the Product Circularity Data Sheet standard<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without it, circularity would still be just another buzzword, and measuring product circularity would be impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visionary Perspective<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The success of the circular economy<\/strong> depends on a single principle: trust in data. Just as the kilogram<\/strong> created consistency in global trade and the shipping container<\/strong> standardized logistics, ISO 59040<\/strong> establishes a universal method for measuring and communicating product circularity<\/strong>. It transforms sustainability from subjective claims into verifiable, data-driven accountability<\/strong>. Without it, progress in the circular transition would remain fragmented and too slow to scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professional Perspective<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For companies, policymakers, and investors<\/strong>, ISO 59040<\/strong> cannot just be considered a minor technical specification<\/em>. It is the data infrastructure<\/strong> enabling transparent and comparable circularity reporting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without this shared standard\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n