BSI, the UK’s national business standards organisation, has launched the world’s first standard for implementing circular economy principles.
The new standard, which BSI says is the first of its kind, is designed to assist businesses of all sizes as they seek to move to a more circular model.
BSI 8001 provides guiding principles for organisations, outlining what the circular economy is and how businesses can implement more sustainable practices.
Built on six principles of the circular economy – innovation, stewardship, collaboration, value optimisations, transparency and ‘systems thinking’ – the standard is not intended to be prescriptive or certifiable, but is to be used flexibly by those that adopt it, irrespective of the size, sector, type or location of the organisation.
Commenting on the announcement of BS 8001, David Fatscher, Head of Sustainability at BSI, said: “BS 8001 is a world first. Resource productivity is at the heart of the government’s new Industrial Strategy and demonstrates how standards can be considered business improvement tools which help organisations unlock the untapped potential of sustainable growth. BS 8001 was developed to enable organisations to take practical actions to realise the economic and social benefits of the circular economy.”
The new standard is available from the BSi’s Circular Economy web page. A free-to-download short executive briefing document ‘BS 8001:2017: Framework for implementing the principles of the circular economy in organisations – guide’ has also been produced which is aimed at senior-level decision-makers.
We are proud of our accreditations
We pride ourselves on being an ethical business. We welcome this new standard that will help businesses to implement more sustainable practices and will review the guidance against our current policies and procedures.
Get in touch if you would like to know more about our business accreditations or environmental management policies.
