The Circular Economy: What’s in Your Toolbox?

May 23, 2017 – Today, RILA, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Corporate Citizenship Center and The Sustainability Consortium (TSC) launched the Circular Economy Toolbox, an online platform to help companies incorporate circularity into their core principles and business practices.

For retailers, the business community and the public at large, the term “circular economy” might seem like a reference to high school geometry. In reality, the concept is really quite simple. The circular economy moves beyond sustainability to emphasize longevity, reuse, and recycling within business operations. This concept is a transformation of the traditional linear economy which focuses on a ‘take, make, waste’ model of production. As businesses look to innovate their supply chains and focus on sustainability, the circular model can help them stimulate development and growth.

All three organizations teamed up to create the toolbox as a resource for brands looking to learn more and participate in this growing concept.

The toolbox assists organizations in the development of programs that capitalize on the business value of the circular economy, providing actionable tools and steps for companies to adjust their practices and take advantage of the long-term benefits of becoming more circular.
It features a repository of projects that profile companies’ circular activities and also provides useful information for businesses, including: Overview of the circular economy; Background on the differences between circularity and sustainability; Glossary of terms and keywords; and List of circular economy resources.

As America’s retailers focus on promoting sustainability from shore to shelf, we want to help them every step of the way. This toolbox is a new way to help move industry forward.