The Circularity Gap Report 2022 analyses the global material footprint of six key societal needs — housing, nutrition, healthcare, mobility, communication and consumables. The report highlights the importance of cities and their respective authorities when it comes to advancing circular economy at local level. For example, local governments are often responsible for waste collection, public transport networks, urban planning and local economic development, and are in many cases able to make impactful changes more rapidly than national governments can. They are also well positioned to engage with local stakeholders including businesses, non-profits and community organisations to align their efforts toward circularity goals.

With the roadmap of 21 circular solutions, businesses, cities and nations can reduce resource extraction and use by 28 %, therefore cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 39 % and getting the world on a 1.5-degree pathway. Tailoring the roadmap to different localities and sectors can guide all key actors in the course corrections that are so desperately needed. While the roadmap is a powerful addition to the clean-energy transition already underway, the scale of change will not be achieved unless everybody can overcome linear thinking. In this iteration of the report, these obstacles are investigated and real-world examples are showcased.

Overall, the report provides insights into the current state of circular economy and the role of different stakeholders in advancing it further. It also suggests how different stakeholders can collaborate to address challenges and develop the proposed solutions.

Some examples of solutions and strategies that might be relevant for regions and cities include: implementing co-living in houses; replacing animal feed with food waste; and supporting medical waste recycling. A lot of the suggested strategies and solutions can be included as part of a Circular Systemic Solution developed at local/regional scale.