Doing more and better, with less

Resource management and circular economy

Transitioning to circular economic approaches can help minimise environmental degradation and resource use, while improving waste management. Here’s how we help our clients and partners in businesses and government to apply circularity and reduce whole life carbon and material waste, while creating economic opportunities.

Why do we need a global circular economy?

Traditional linear economic models of “take-make-dispose” create about two billion tonnes of municipal waste globally every year. In the past 20 years, the global material footprint has increased by 70%.

It is clear that transitioning to a circular economy is urgently needed. Moreover, circularity can play a crucial role in combating climate change and biodiversity loss, while delivering positive impacts on the environment, human health, as well as on air and water quality.

At Ramboll, we help partners decouple their economic growth from the unsustainable management of natural resources by applying principles in circular design, optimised use, and value recovery including reuse and recycling.

Recent estimates put the global economy today at around 9% circular. In the EU alone, the net gain for business from waste prevention, materials recovery, and changing procurement practices is over EU 600 billion. With the adoption of the Paris Rulebook and the EU Taxonomy, the case for adopting a circular approach is growing stronger.

But it will not come by itself. The circular transition requires policy makers to establish circular regulations and incentives, for private sector actors to develop circular business models, and for consumers to change consumption patterns.

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Keys to circularity

Resource efficiency

Durability and repairability

Reduce and substitute materials

Prevent and reduce waste

Recycling

Start your journey towards a more circular economy

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This handbook provides instructions on how to concretely apply circular economy principles in each phase of a construction project (published August 2023)

Download here Start your journey towards a more circular economy

Circular practices help businesses to protect natural capital and minimise resource use in their value chains

Ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns

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Circular design
At Ramboll, we help partners decouple their economic growth from the unsustainable management of natural resources by applying principles in circular design, optimised use, and value recovery including reuse and recycling.

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Scientific, economic, and engineering expertise
We combine scientific, economic, and engineering expertise to understand the best ways to apply circular principles to fit the operations and dynamics of cities, buildings, industry, manufacturing, energy, water, and commodities.
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New revenue streams
By working across our clients’ value chains, we identify new revenue streams, cost efficiencies, and competitive differentiators, whilst mitigating against risks such as supply chain shortages and price volatility.

Explore the ways we help clients and society become more circular

Key drivers and disruptors for circular economy in 2023

view of Amager Bakke waste-to-energy plant with harbour and boats in the foreground

Amager Bakke: leader in waste-to-energy

Decommissioning onshore wind farms

A circular economy taxonomy

Helping clients embed a circular approach

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Resource efficiency, including in sustainably sourced, bio-based, and other raw materials
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Durability and repairability of products, particularly in design and manufacturing activities

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Reducing hazardous substances and substituting substances of high concern in materials and products
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Use and quality of secondary raw materials, including recycling of waste
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Prevention and reduction of generated waste from the extraction of minerals, as well as from the construction and demolition of buildings