{"id":6069,"date":"2025-12-23T09:55:44","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T08:55:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sweco.lu\/?p=6069"},"modified":"2026-01-14T13:50:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T12:50:27","slug":"circularity-is-just-a-buzzword-unless-you-have-this","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sweco.lu\/en\/actualites\/autres-en\/circularity-is-just-a-buzzword-unless-you-have-this\/","title":{"rendered":"Circularity Is Just a Buzzword \u2013 Unless You Have This"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Circularity Is Just a Buzzword \u2013 Unless You Have This<\/h1>\n

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Most \u201cgreen\u201d claims are vague or false. ISO 59040 is the only thing standing between real progress and endless greenwashing.<\/h2>\n

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

Back in time, before\u00a0ISO 59040\u00a0even had a name, we faced a familiar frustration: products labeled\u00a0eco-friendly<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0100% recyclable<\/em>, yet impossible to prove. Together with a small group of experts, I decided this had to change. That decision marked the beginning of the\u00a0Product Circularity Data Sheet (PCDS)\u00a0initiative. Our goal was clear: to create a system that made\u00a0product circularity\u00a0measurable, comparable, and verifiable. Years later, that initial effort evolved into what is now known as\u00a0ISO 59040\u00a0\u2013 the international standard for circular economy defining how\u00a0circular characteristics\u00a0are described and shared across industries.<\/p>\n

But still now, the question of\u00a0how we can measure circular economy<\/em> remains. Today, everyone in the\u00a0circular economy\u00a0speaks about\u00a0recycling<\/em>,\u00a0reuse<\/em>, or\u00a0low-carbon products<\/em>. Yet, without a universal method to\u00a0measure circularity, these discussions remain inconsistent and often misleading.\u00a0 Many of us have experienced the frustration of buying a \u201c100% recyclable\u201d product, only to discover that local facilities cannot process it. That is precisely what a world without\u00a0ISO 59040 looks like: claims without proof, and promises without delivery. The turning point in the\u00a0circular economy\u00a0was not new materials or business models, but the creation of\u00a0ISO 59040, the\u00a0Product Circularity Data Sheet standard. Without it, circularity would still be just another buzzword, and measuring product circularity would be impossible.<\/p>\n

Visionary Perspective<\/h2>\n

The success of the\u00a0circular economy\u00a0depends on a single principle: trust in data. Just as the\u00a0kilogram\u00a0created consistency in global trade and the\u00a0shipping container\u00a0standardized logistics,\u00a0ISO 59040\u00a0establishes a universal method for measuring and communicating\u00a0product circularity. It transforms sustainability from subjective claims into\u00a0verifiable, data-driven accountability. Without it, progress in the circular transition would remain fragmented and too slow to scale.<\/p>\n

Professional Perspective<\/h2>\n

For\u00a0companies, policymakers, and investors,\u00a0ISO 59040\u00a0cannot just be considered a\u00a0minor technical specification. It is the\u00a0data infrastructure\u00a0enabling transparent and comparable circularity reporting.<\/p>\n

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