New Seminar on the Circular Economy
The Institute for Standardization of Serbia (ISS) has prepared a new seminar, this time focusing on the circular economy. Experts from various sectors of the economy and industry will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the international standards adopted in May 2024. All participants will be able to learn about the solutions offered by the circular economy standards.
Climate change poses a threat to almost all economic sectors and industries, either directly or indirectly, and the circular economy represents the foundation for solving these problems. Today's production and consumption patterns are unsustainable and cause environmental degradation, irrational management of resources and waste. Therefore, there is an urgent need to start applying a much more "circular" model that redefines the economy around the following principles: waste and pollution management, as well as extending the life of products and materials as much as possible.
Standardization in the field of the circular economy at the international level was initiated in 2019, with the establishment of ISO/TC 323, Circular economy. Since then, the national commission ISS/KS 183, Circular Economy and Waste Management, has been monitoring the development of standards in this field and actively participating in their development at the national and international level.
The concept of a circular economy is a closed loop and consists of 7 phases, which are controlled to keep the value of products, materials, and resources for as long as possible, and to minimize waste generation. The phases are: sustainable procurement, eco-design, industrial symbiosis, economy and functionality, sustainable product use, extending product life, and end-of-life management of materials and products. In each phase, there are already appropriate standards, and each of them is directly linked to the first phase SRPS ISO 20400, Sustainable procurement — Guidance, while eco-design and industrial symbiosis are directly linked to the series of environmental management standards developed within ISO/TC 207.
A series of foundational standards within ISO/TC 323 has been released (some are still being developed) and covers the following documents:
ISO 59004:2024, Circular economy — Vocabulary, principles and guidance for implementation,
ISO/DIS 59040:2024, Circular economy — Product circularity data sheet,
ISO 59010:2024, Circular economy — Guidance on the transition of business models and value networks,
ISO 59020:2024, Circular economy — Measuring and assessing circularity performance,
ISO/СD TR 59031:2024, Circular economy – Performance-based approach – Analysis of cases studies,
ISO TR 59032:2024, Circular economy — Review of existing value networks
All standards developed in the field of Circular Economy support the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set out in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs).
ISS is preparing Serbian versions of these standards, which will be available in English by the end of September. Training participants will be able to access these standards online for five days.
The seminar is intended for experts from various sectors of the economy and industry who deal with environmental protection, waste management, circular economy, environmental management system managers, and employees in any field whose activity involves environmental protection, regardless of the size and type of organization.
The seminar will be held on 20 September, 2024, from 12:00 to 16:00, at the ISS premises.
