The Circularity Radar: A Framework for the Circular Economy in Retailing and Manufacturing

In the traditional linear economy, materials and goods are extracted, consumed, and discarded, without significant attention to the wide range of negative environmental and social externalities that this unsustainable production and consumption model creates.

Evaluating the expected environmental impact of more sustainable business practices becomes challenging without effective ways to measure the adoption and evolution of Circular Business Models (CBMs) in the economy.
This report, based on research undertaken by a team led by Professor Regina Frei from the University of Surrey, examines how Circular business models (CBMs) can provide a means to tackle the environmental problem of product returns within the clothing manufacturing and retail sector.

It proposes a tool, the Circularity Radar, for retailers and manufacturers to conduct a self-assessment of their CBM’s by exploring and assessing their transition to more sustainable and circular business models identifying opportunities for increasing their sustainability.