Form 1: Proposal for a new field oftechnical activity
Circulation date:2018-06-26
Closing date for voting:

Reference number(to be given by Central Secretariat)

2018-09-18
Proposer:

ISO/TS/P 275

AFNOR

Circular economy

A proposal for a new field of technical activity shall be submitted to the Central Secretariat,
which will assign it a reference number and process the proposal in accordance with the ISO/IEC
Directives (part 1, subclause 1.5). The proposer may be a member body of ISO, a technicalcommittee, subcommittee or project committee, the Technical Management Board or a General
Assembly committee, the Secretary-General, a body responsible for managing a certification
system operating under the auspices of ISO, or another international organization with national
body membership. Guidelines for proposing and justifying a new field of technical activity are
given in the ISO/IEC Directives (part 1, Annex C).
The proposal (to be completed by the proposer)
Title of the proposed new committee (The title shall indicate clearly yet concisely the new
field of technical activity which the proposal is intended to cover.)CIRCULAR ECONOMY

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Scope statement of the proposed new committee (The scope shall precisely define thelimits of the field of activity. Scopes shall not repeat general aims and principles governing
the work of the organization but shall indicate the specific area concerned.)Standardization in the field of Circular economy to develop requirements, frameworks, guidanceand supporting tools related to the implementation of circular economy projects.
The proposed deliverables will apply to any organization or group of organizations wishing
to implement circular economy projects, such as commercial organizations, public services
and not-for-profit organizations.
Excluded: specification of particular aspects of circular economy already covered byexisting TCs, such as ecodesign, life cycle assessment in ISO/TC 207 Environmental
management and sustainable procurement (ISO 20400: 2017 – Sustainable procurement— Guidance).
Note: the TC will contribute to sustainable development and especially to theimplementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

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Proposed initial programme of work (The proposed programme of work shall correspond toand clearly reflect the aims of the standardization activities and shall, therefore, show the
relationship between the subject proposed. Each item on the programme of work shall bedefined by both the subject aspect(s) to be standardized (for products, for example, theitems would be the types of products, characteristics, other requirements, data to besupplied, test methods, etc.). Supplementary justification may be combined with particular
items in the programme of work. The proposed programme of work shall also suggest
priorities and target dates.
The proposed work programme if this new field of activity is accepted is the following:
1. Management System Standard for circular economy (Type A)
A Management System Standard will set a series of requirements that can be used by anorganization to demonstrate the progress towards achieving the implementation of a circular
economy project. This standard will specify the requirements for a management system for taking
into account the different issues of circular economy that can be addressed by an organization to
improve its environmental, economic and social performance. This standard is intended for use
by organizations wishing to manage their circular economy projects in a systematic way that
contributes to sustainable development.
This standard is intended to assist an organization in achieving the expected results of its circular
economy project, which adds value to the organization itself and to interested parties. The aims
of a circular economy project is to contribute to environmental, economic, and social aspects.
This standard is applicable to organizations of all sizes, types and nature, and applies to its
activities, products and services that the organization determines and that it has the means tocontrol or to influence by taking into consideration a life cycle perspective.
This standard may be used in whole or in part to systematically improve the management of thecircular economy. However, declarations of conformity to this standard are not acceptable unless
all of its requirements are incorporated into an organization's circular economy management
system and are met without exclusion.
The future management system standard should help organizations to better implement circular
economy principles in their projects; it will provide a methodological frame through a holistic
approach; it will allow each organization to develop its own action plans and performanceindicators
See a proposed structure in annex A.
2. Standard on implementation guidance (Type B)
The Standard will provide practical implementation guidance for organizations wishing to establish
a circular economy Management System for a project that meets the requirements of the standard
above. This standard will be designed for all type of organisation.
3. Standard for supporting tools
A Management System related Standard will give further information and guidance with supporting
tools, e.g. terminology, performance indicators, maturity matrix and assessment. This will helporganizations identify the appropriate set of metrics to be used in order to measure the progress
made in the implementation of the project.
The progress made for the issues 1 of circular economy are measured in the light of sustainable
development.
4. Guidelines on the issues of circular economy projects
A standard (or a technical specification) will give guidance and advice on the specific issues ofcircular economy that are not yet dealt with in an existing Technical Committee. Examples of such
issues are: industrial symbiosis, economy of functionality …

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Subjects that are already in the scope of existing TCs such as Ecodesign in ISO/TC 207 (or ISO
20400 on sustainable procurement) are not covered in this proposal.
5. Collection of examples of implementation of circular economy projects
A technical report will gather concrete examples of circular economy projects implemented inaccordance with the reference framework given by the Management standard.

Indication(s) of the preferred type or types of deliverable(s) to be produced under the
proposal (This may be combined with the "Proposed initial programme of work" if moreconvenient.)
1 Management System Standard for circular economy (Standard)
2 Standard on implementation guidance (Standard)
3 Standards for supporting tools (Standards or Technical specifications)
4 Guidelines on the different issues of circular economy (Standards or Technical specifications)
5 Collection of examples of implementation of circular economy projects (Technical report)

A listing of relevant existing documents at the international, regional and national levels.
(Any known relevant document (such as standards and regulations) shall be listed,regardless of their source and should be accompanied by an indication of theirsignificance.)
UN: Sustainable development goals of United nations
OECD: Do environmental policies affect global value chain? A new perspective on the pollution
haven hypothesis (2016) https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/economics/do-environmental-policiesaffect-global-value-chains_5jm2hh7nf3wd-en
Ellen McArthur Foundation publications
EU: European communication on circular economy
UK: BS 8001 (2017) Framework for implementing the principles of the circular economy inorganizations. Guide
France: Pr XP X30-901 (2018) Circular economy – management system of circular economy
project – Requirements and guidelines

1

The term « Issues » is used in this document as used in ISO 26000 and ISO 37101 for the different areas ofcircular economy.

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A statement from the proposer as to how the proposed work may relate to or impact on
existing work, especially existing ISO and IEC deliverables. (The proposer should explain how
the work differs from apparently similar work, or explain how duplication and conflict will beminimized. If seemingly similar or related work is already in the scope of other committees ofthe organization or in other organizations, the proposed scope shall distinguish between the
proposed work and the other work. The proposer shall indicate whether his or her proposal
could be dealt with by widening the scope of an existing committee or by establishing a newcommittee.)
The different issues of circular economy can be defined as:- sustainable procurement- ecodesign- industrial symbiosis/ecology- economy of functionality- sustainable consumption- life use extension- effective management of materials or end-of-life of productsSome ISO/TCs are already developing standards addressing one or more of these topics. The
added value of the new TC will be to develop a holistic and global approach for any circular
economy project. It will take into account the interactions taking place between the various issues
in terms of their contributions to sustainable development. This will contribute to theimplementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in a coherent and integrated way.

A listing of relevant countries where the subject of the proposal is important to theirnational commercial interests.
This standardization endeavour is intended to involve all countries, as they are concerned byclimate change and the challenge of scarcity of resources.

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A listing of relevant external international organizations or internal parties (other ISO and/or
IEC committees) to be engaged as liaisons in the development of the deliverable(s). (Inorder to avoid conflict with, or duplication of efforts of, other bodies, it is important toindicate all points of possible conflict or overlap. The result of any communication withother interested bodies shall also be included.)
To be engaged as liaisons for the development of the standards of the proposed new TC:•

ISO/TC 207 Environmental management and its ad-hoc group on circular economy•

ISO/TC 176 Quality management and quality assurance•

ISO/TC 301 Energy management and energy savings•

ISO 20400:2017 Sustainable procurement - Guidance•

IEC/TC 56 Dependability•

IEC/TC 111 Environmental standardization for electrical and electronic products and systems andits ad-hoc group on circular economy
To be kept informed as sector-specific primary beneficiaries of the tools to be developed by the
proposed new TC.
Two categories are considered: Technical committees on products and services (consumption
products, vehicles, packaging, buildings, fertilizing products…)
ISO/TC 6 Paper, board and pulps
ISO/TC 22 Road vehicles
ISO/TC 34 Food products
ISO/ TC 39 Machine tools
ISO/TC 59 Buildings and civil engineering works
ISO/TC 122 Packaging and ISO/TC 122/SC 4 Packaging and the environment
ISO/TC 204 Intelligent transport systems
ISO/TC 224 Service activities relating to drinking water supply wastewater and stormwater
systems
ISO/TC 229 Nanotechnologies
ISO/TC 251 Asset management
ISO/TC 258 Project, programme and portfolio management
Technical committees on resources (air, water, soils, waste, energy, wood, rare earth, rubber,aluminum, concrete…)
ISO/TC 28 Petroleum and related products, fuels and lubricants from natural or synthetic
sources
ISO/TC 61 Plastics
ISO/ TC 82 Mining and ISO/TC 82/SC 7 – Mine closure and reclamation management
ISO/TC 147 Water quality
ISO/TC 190 Soil quality
ISO/TC 255 Biogas
ISO/TC 282 Water reuse
ISO/TC 255 Biogas

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A simple and concise statement identifying and describing relevant affected stakeholder
categories (including small and medium sized enterprises) and how they will each benefit
from or be impacted by the proposed deliverable(s).
Potential stakeholder are all organizations implementing a circular economy project, such as
business organizations, public services and non-for-profit organizations. The standardization will:-

help the organization to integrate the new economic models leaded by the circular
economy, which aims to respond to the problems of resource scarcity and climate change.
facilitate dialogue and communication between the different actors at the national, regional
or international level, through a shared dialogue and communication tools
facilitate exchanges and feedback on experiences between the different collectivity

This standardization will prevent the proliferation of standards to focus on concrete actions.

An expression of commitment from the proposer to provide the committee secretariat if the
proposal succeeds.
If the proposal is accepted, AFNOR is willing to undertake the work of secretariat of the new TC, andis committed to providing all resources to successfully run the secretariat

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Purpose and justification for the proposal. (The purpose and justification for the creation ofa new technical committee shall be made clear and the need for standardization in thisfieldshall be justified. Clause C.4.13.3 of Annex C of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 contains amenu of suggestions or ideas for possible documentation to support and purpose andjustification of proposals. Proposers should consider these suggestions, but they are notlimited to them, nor are they required to comply strictly with them. What is most important isthat proposers develop and provide purpose and justification information that is most
relevant to their proposals and that makes a substantial business case for the market
relevance and the need for their proposals. Thorough, well-developed and robust purpose andjustification documentation will lead to more informed consideration of proposals andultimately their possible success in the ISO IEC system.)In the context of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDG) of United Nations, the circular economy is a completely legitimate answer.
The linear model of "making, consuming, throwing" inevitably runs up against the depletion of
the planet's resources. We need to move towards a different economy, where we consume in amore sober way, where products have a longer life use, where we limit waste and where wemanage to turn our waste into new resources.
Decoupling economic growth and materials consumption while creating value is one of thekeys to the fight against climate change. For this, the circular economy has many assets to
make. For example, recycling and waste reduction can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions from combustion (CO2) or decomposition (methane).
Several SDG can be addressed by circular economy, such as 6 Clean water and sanitation, 7
Affordable and clean energy, 8 Decent work and economic growth, 9 Industry, innovation andinfrastructure, 11 Sustainable cities and communities, 12 Responsible consumption andproduction, 13 Climate action.
Definition from Ellen McAthur Foundation: What is a circular economy?
“Looking beyond the current "take, make and dispose” extractive industrial model, the circular
economy is restorative and regenerative by design. Relying on system-wide innovation, it aims
to redefine products and services to design waste out, while minimising negative impacts.
Underpinned by a transition to renewable energy sources, the circular model builds economic,
natural and social capital.”
The implementation of circular economy principles in processes, products and services
enables organizations to optimize the management of their resources, to deploy new businessmodels, in order to be more resilient to environmental, social, and economic challenges.
A future management system standard will help organizations to have a more clear and global
vision of circular economy. Standards related to the circular economy were already developed,
including standards for sustainable procurement, ecodesign or life cycle analysis; however
there is no dedicated generic standard.
More concretely, the standards will help to:- create an international consensus around concepts already widely shared- federate internal teams as a community around comprehensible, measurable goals of action- build a framework of action to mobilize in a coherent way the actors of a sustainable project(the political power, the economic actors, the civil society)- ensure that all the potentialities of a strategy, program, project, plan or service have been
explored- go by the mobilization of all actors to achieve collectively defined objectives in a process ofpermanent progress- ask the right questions: it standardizes the questioning but not the answers

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-define goals but gives each community the responsibility to choose their own system ofgoals, actions and indicators
set a framework that focuses on continuous improvement involving all stakeholders

The added value of this proposed program is that it gives an integrated and global vision of
circular economy, and leads organizations to make the best strategic choices and use the righttools.

Signature of the proposer
AFNOR Standardisation Director, Alain COSTES

Further information to assist with understanding the requirements for the items above can befound in the Directives, Part 1, Annex C.

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Annex A – Proposed strucutre for a MSS of circular economy

Introduction
1 scope2 Normatives references
3 Terms and definitions
4 Context of the organism
4.1 Understanding the organization and its context
4.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties
4.3 Determining the scope of the management system of circular economy project
4.4 management system of a cicular economy project
4.5 purpose of circular economy
4.5.1 Contribution of circular economy to sustainable development
4.5.2 Issues of circular economy
4.5.2.1 Generalities
4.5.2.2 Sustainable procurement
4.5.2.3 Ecodesign
4.5.2.4 Industrial symbiosis
4.5.2.5 Economy of functionality
4.5.2.6 Sustainable consumption
4.5.2.7 Life use extension
4.5.2.8 Effective management of materials and end-of-life of product5 Implementation of a management system of a project contribution to circular economy
5.1 Assessment of the initial situation
5.2 Establishment of an action plan
5.3 Monitoring, reporting and verification of results
5.4 Performance evaluation and continual improvement
6 Leadership
6.1 Leadership and commitment
6.2 Policy
6.3 Organizational roles, responsibilities and authorities
6.4 Responsibility for identification of the issues of the circular economy project
7 Planning
7.1 Actions to address risks and opportunities
7.2 Objectives o circular economy projects and planning to achieve them
8 Support
8.1 Resources
8.2 Competence
8.3 Awareness8.4 Communication
8.5 documented information
8.5.1 Generalities
8.5.2 Creation and updating of documented information
8.5.3 Control of documented information
9 Operation
9.1 Operational planning and control
9.2 Ensuring coherence of strategies, programmes, projects, plans and services
10 Performance evaluation
10.1 Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation
10.2 Internal audit
10.3 Management review
11 Improvement
11.1 Nonconformity and corrective action
11.2 Continual improvement
Annex use cases