Today's understanding of CE fails to address issues of global social equity and threatens to exacerbate the divide between high- and lower-income countries, making it clear that a global CE will not be socially just by default.

This paper explores how high-income countries can effectively transition to a CE and take responsibility for the impacts of their consumption and waste – without limiting the social development of lower-income countries. The report shows what global CE can look like, including the key conditions that need to be placed around governance, international cooperation and power, technology and workers' rights. An example of one of these conditions is a more equal distribution of power and wealth across and within countries. This can be done by fostering decentralised and grassroots citizen-led activities, for example through (local) communities and community-ownership models built around repair and reuse or around regenerative, urban and peri-urban farming. By bringing decisions closer to their communities and actively engaging stakeholders to access and participate in CE practices, decentralised systems can increase communities’ ability to respond faster to shocks, boosting their resilience in the long term.

The paper highlights the role of three key levers to address the oversights and assumptions of prevailing narratives on CE:
 

• considering people beyond your borders;
• trading responsibly;
• exchanging know-how and means.

As an example, the first lever can be addressed by identifying the impacts on workers beyond borders as part of strategy design and developing and implementing plans to address the impacts early on.

This paper explores how high-income countries can effectively transition to a CE and take responsibility for the impacts of their consumption and waste—without limiting the social development of lower-income countries. First, the report shows what global circular economy can look like, including the key conditions that need to be placed around governance, international cooperation and power, technology, and workers' rights. An example of one of these conditions is a more equal distribution of power and wealth across and within countries. This can be done by fostering decentralised and grassroots, citizen-led activities, for example through (local) communities and community-ownership models built around repair and reuse or around regenerative, urban and peri-urban farming. By bringing decisions closer to their communities and actively engaging stakeholders to access and participate in circular economy practices, decentralised systems can increase communities’ ability to respond faster to shocks, boosting their resilience in the long term.

The paper highlights the role of three key levers to address the oversights and assumptions of prevailing narratives on the circular economy. The three levers are: consider people beyond your borders, trade responsibly, and exchange know-how and means. For example, the first lever can be addressed by identifying the impacts on workers beyond borders as part of strategy design and developing and implementing plans to address the impacts early on. The ideas outlined in this report can support cities and regions in designing Circular Systemic Solutions which are fair and just for everybody. This way cities and regions can make sure that the CE transition is more effective and contributes to social stability.