Global Circularity Protocol for Business
Navigating the transition to a circular economy
The Global Circularity Protocol for Business (GCP) is a robust, standardized framework designed to help organizations assess, measure, and manage their circular performance. It was developed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and UNEP’s One Planet Network, in collaboration with Deloitte Consulting AG. The GCP provides a harmonized methodology for assessing material flows and environmental impacts. It serves as an important reference for businesses worldwide aiming to understand and advance their circular economy strategies.
Key Takeaways:
The business imperative for circularity
Businesses today face increasing pressure from resource scarcity, price volatility, and supply chain disruptions. Material extraction and processing can be contributors to emissions and environmental stress. The GCP offers a strategic response, enabling businesses to:
Unlock value and mitigate risk: Identify opportunities for cost reduction, improved resource efficiency, and new revenue streams through circular innovation. Reduce exposure to resource shocks, regulatory risks, and reputational damage.
Build business resilience: Align with leading global sustainability standards (Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) and embed circularity into strategy, operations, and stakeholder communications, supporting continuous improvement.
Drive measurable impact: Projections suggest the GCP could lead to substantial material savings (up to 120 billion tonnes) and avoided CO₂ emissions (up to 76 gigatons) by 2050, alongside economic and social benefits.
GCP: a five-stage journey to circularity
The GCP Stages summarize the activities that typically follow the stages of an organization’s end-to-end circularity performance assessment.
The GCP Stages can be summarized as follows:
- Frame: Setting up the circularity assessment
- Prepare: Collecting the information required to complete the circularity assessment
- Measure: Measuring the performance of the circularity assessment
- Manage: Operationalizing and embedding the outcomes of the performance assessment
- Communicate: Externalizing and disclosing the assessment results
How Deloitte can help
Deloitte firms are uniquely positioned to help organizations use the framework to accelerate their circular economy transition. Deloitte practitioners guide clients in leveraging the GCP to help navigate resource challenges, build resilience, and drive value chain engagement. This support spans the circularity journey, from establishing a baseline and building the business case to measuring performance and developing strategic action roadmaps.
