U.S. flag
        An official website of the United States government
          Here’s how you know
        Here’s how you know**Official websites use .gov**
              
              A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
        **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
              
              A **lock** (  A locked padlock
) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. https://www.nist.gov/el/systems-integration-division-73400/circular-economy-manufacturing/overview
  Search NIST
    Search
              Menu

      


Close
    Topics
        All Topics
                                                        Advanced communications
                                                        Artificial intelligence
                                                        Bioscience
                                                        Buildings and construction
                                                        Chemistry
                                                        Climate
                                                        Cybersecurity
                                                        Electronics
                                                        EnergyEnvironment
                                                        Fire
                                                        Forensic science
                                                        Health
                                                        Information technology
                                                        Infrastructure
                                                        Manufacturing
                                                        Materials
                                                        Mathematics and statisticsMetrology
                                                        Nanotechnology
                                                        Neutron research
                                                        Performance excellence
                                                        Physics
                                                        Public safety
                                                        Resilience
                                                        Standards
                                                        Transportation
            Publications
            Labs & Major Programs
        Laboratories
                                Communications Technology Laboratory
                                  Engineering Laboratory
                                  Information Technology Laboratory
                                  Material Measurement Laboratory
                                  Physical Measurement LaboratoryUser Facilities
                                NIST Center for Neutron Research
                                  CNST NanoFab
                                                        Research Test Beds
                                                        Research Projects
                                                        Tools & InstrumentsMajor Programs
                                Baldrige Performance Excellence Program
                                  CHIPS for America Initiative
                                  Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)
                                  Office of Advanced Manufacturing
                                  Special Programs Office
                                  Technology Partnerships Office
            Services & Resources
        Standards and Measurements
                                Calibration Services
                                  Laboratory Accreditation (NVLAP)
                                  Quality System
                                  Standard Reference Materials (SRMs)
                                  Standards.gov
                                  Time Services
                                  Office of Weights and MeasuresSoftware
                                                        Data
                                Chemistry WebBook
                                  National Vulnerability Database
                                  Physical Reference Data
                                  Standard Reference Data (SRD)
                                                        Storefront
                                                        License & PatentsComputer Security Resource Center (CSRC)
                                                        NIST Research Library
            News & Events
        News
                                                        Events
                                                        Blogs
                                                        Feature Stories
                                                        AwardsVideo Gallery
                                                        Image Gallery
                                                        Media Contacts
            About NIST
        About Us
                                Leadership
                                  Organization Structure
                                  Budget & Planning
                                                        Contact Us
                                                        Visit
                                                        Careers
                                Student programsWork with NIST
                                                        History
                                NIST Digital Archives
                                  NIST Museum
                                  NIST and the Nobel
                                                        Educational Resources
 
 Engineering Laboratory
      Systems Integration Division
    
      
  Circular Economy in Manufacturing
                            Expand or Collapse
          Overview
                      Projects
                      Standards Work
                                              Expand or Collapse
                ASTM E60.13 Standards
                                  ISO/TC 323 on Circular Economy
                      Our TeamOverview

Share
  Facebook
                      Linkedin
                      Twitter
                      Email

Overview of the ASTM Sustainable Manufacturing Standards
  
      To understand these projects, it's helpful to understand sustainable manufacturing more broadly, its relationship to a circular economy, and why we need standards to support both.

Sustainable Manufacturing

The manufacturing industry supports development and feeds, clothes, and shelters the world’s growing population (Frosch and Gallopoulos 1989), but it uses tremendous amounts of resources. Transitioning to more sustainable, efficient manufacturing processes can benefit both the environment and the manufacturer’s bottom line. Moving towards this better system requires that companies accurately measure their energy and material use, as well as environmental impacts, at each step in the life cycles of their products. These assessments can be difficult, costly, and time consuming, but NIST and ASTM International are creating science-based, systematic standards to overcome these challenges.

Find more information on NIST and ASTM International’s work on sustainable manufacturing.

Circular Economy in Manufacturing

Sustainable manufacturing is a system that uses multiple manufacturing strategies, one of which is a circular economy. A circular economy is defined by keeping materials and products in the economy and out of “unwanted sinks” like landfills and incinerators. The manufacturing industry is vital to creating a circular economy because it makes key decisions about, for example, how a product is designed, the materials used, how long that product will last, operations, the supply chains involved in the production process, and what happens to the product once it’s reached the end of its useful life. Like sustainable manufacturing more broadly, manufacturers need a variety of measurement and data tools and standards to effectively transition their industry to a circular economy.

The Roles of Standards

Standards provide guidelines, rules, and characteristics that entire industries can agree on. They generallycontain definitions, technical specifications, or other criteria designed to be used by stakeholders, thus increasing the reliability and effectiveness of goods and services. This includes, for example, terminology standards (e.g., an agreed upon definition of a circular economy), best practices (e.g., how to clean certain manufacturing equipment to increase its longevity), and more. Standards are critical for the transition to a circular economy because they...

Inform, implement, and bridge regulations;
	Increase transparency and trust; and
	Support market development.Green gear banner
Credit:
          
  ArtsyBee
  Manufacturing and Sustainable manufacturing

    
    Contacts
      
        

KC Morris
    
      
  katherine.morris@nist.gov
  (301) 975-8286

  Nehika Mathur
    
      
  nehika.mathur@nist.gov
  (301) 975-3508

  Vincenzo Ferrero
    
      
  vincenzo.ferrero@nist.gov
  (301) 975-3535

Created August 25, 2016, Updated September 8, 2022 ‹ Circular Economy in Manufacturing
              Projects ›
 HEADQUARTERS
            100 Bureau Drive
              Gaithersburg, MD 20899301-975-2000
            Webmaster | Contact Us | Our Other Offices
        Twitter
            
Facebook
            
LinkedIn
            
Instagram
            
YouTube
            
Giphy
            
RSS Feed
            
Mailing List
                              How are we doing? Feedback

  
  Site Privacy
                      Accessibility
                      Privacy Program
                      Copyrights
                      Vulnerability Disclosure
                      No Fear Act Policy
                      FOIA
                      Environmental Policy
                      Scientific Integrity
                      Information Quality Standards
                      Commerce.gov
                      Science.gov
                      USA.gov
                      Vote.gov