Circular Economy

TÜV SÜD provides sustainability services such as testing, verification and certification of sustainability / circularity claims along the life cycle of products, from raw materials, production, product use, to end of life. Find out more in the infographic below. 

SERVICES FOR SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS

Our service portfolio includes testing and certification for sustainable products as well as the verification / validation of sustainability claims along the life cycle of products. Explore the service areas below to learn more. If you’re looking for a specific service not currently listed, please contact our team directly.

WHAT IS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY?

CIRCULAR ECONOMY OVERCOMES UNSUSTAINABLE LINEAR ECONOMY PRACTICES.  

The pressure for sustainability is on and this is mainly driven by regulatory and industry movements. The European Commission adopted the Circular Economy Action Plan under the European Green Deal, which aims to make sustainable products the new standard in Europe and focuses on sectors that uses the most resources such as electronics and information and communication technology (ICT); batteries and vehicles; packaging; plastics; textiles and others. 

In our world’s current linear economy, raw materials are used to create products and eventually disposed of as waste. Whereas a circular economy aims to reduce waste and increase efficiency of resources by keeping materials and products in use for as long as possible. The circular economy model curbs the extraction of natural resources and creates economic opportunities by developing new business models and industries that prioritize sustainability. 

The circular economy is based on three main environmental principles:

• Design out waste and pollution
• Keep products and materials in use

• Regenerate natural systems

HOW DO YOU INDEPENDENTLY SUBSTANTIATE
CLAIMS OF SUSTAINABILITY? 

Greenwashing is on the rise with many achievements and sustainability pledges being either not true, not permanent or double-counted. Promoting circular economy through these principles is ideal, but putting these into practice is more complex, especially taking into account today’s product requirements. As a third-party testing, inspection and certification company, we can help provide elements of trust that are needed in a transition to circular economy. 

We can find many sustainability claims along the product life cycle that tackle the circular economy principles:

The question remains: How can organizations technically and independently substantiate claims of sustainability along the product lifecycle, given today’s product requirements? 

HOW TÜV SÜD CAN HELP YOU PROMOTE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

As the independent third-party testing, inspection and certification company, we want to embark on this journey to enable a smooth transition to a circular economy and its principles. TÜV SÜD can help provide elements of trust that are needed in a transition to a circular economy by:

	Coupling circular economy principles with the requirements and available standards available at local or industry level
	Sharing and advising on most effective industry practices
	Enabling trust from suppliers’ claims
	Providing reliable information to substantiate sustainability claims

Our global network of labs and experts combining with these circular economy principles can help your organization with the requirements and available standards and schemes for different industries.