Topic 3 The 10 R’s of the Circular Economy

The 10 “R” strategies guide circular thinking.

These 10 Rs represent practical actions to minimise resource use, extend product life, and close the loop
Intended to help organisations prioritise actions to increase circularity performance
Brings a life cycle perspective to guide the organisation in identifying the most effective strategy
Different tools, such as ISO Circular Economy standards (ISO 59000 series) provide a strategic framework to support this transition

Goal	Strategy	Description
Smart product use and manufacture	R0 – Refuse	Make product redundant by abandoning its function or offering same function with radically different product.
	R1 – Rethink	Make product use more intense (e.g., product-sharing, multi-functional product).
	R2 – Reduce	Increase efficiency in product manufacture or use by consuming fewer natural resources and materials.
Extend lifespan of product and its part	R3 – Reuse	Reuse of functional discarded product by another consumer.
	R4 – Repair	Repair and maintenance of defective product to restore its original function.
	R5 – Refurbish	Restore an old product to bring it up to date.
	R6 – Remanufacture	Use product or parts in a new product with its original function.
	R7 – Repurpose	Use product or parts in a new product with a different function.
Useful application of materials	R8 – Recycle	Process the materials to obtain the same (high grade) or lower (low grade) quality.
	R9 – Recover	Incinerate materials to recover energy.