Brazil
Recommendations
Who?
National policymakers, industry associations
What?
Brazil has taken initial steps towards developing a circular economy policy framework. Although Brazil has adopted its National Circular Economy Strategy (ENEC), it lacks clearly defined targets, timelines, and sector-specific implementation pathways. Circular and sustainability policies face resource constraints, while broader enabling policies—such as those for land use, agriculture, water, and industry—often operate with limited integration and lack explicit links to circular goals. Furthermore, Brazil’s regional diversity requires using local knowledge to adapt circular economy policies to specific contexts and needs. To address this, Brazil should establish nationally aligned, locally tailored circular economy strategies by embedding circularity into key policies, strengthening cross-sector governance, and empowering regional participation through long-term, inclusive planning and capacity building.
How?
- Work with regional and municipal governments to design initiatives that reflect local realities and citizen priorities, particularly for infrastructure like waste systems that must account for informality.
- Collaboratively establish mechanisms for regional participation and co-creation to ensure inclusive, equitable circular transitions. Embed long-term objectives and stakeholder engagement in regional strategies to enhance policy resilience.
- Improve policy efforts by setting nationally coordinated circular economy goals with clear implementation pathways and cross-sectoral alignment. Develop a comprehensive national roadmap outlining timelines, sector responsibilities, and transparent monitoring, informed by best practices like Colombia’s Circular Economy Strategy.
- Integrate circular principles into key existing policies across agriculture, forestry, water, and energy sectors—including the Forest Code, PPCDAm, Plano Safra, National Water Resources Policy, PNEf, Fuels of the Future Programme—to help foster alignment and collaboration across ministries and government levels.
- Leverage cross-sector platforms such as Nova Indústria and the National Ecological Transformation Plan to embed circular economy ambitions into broader economic and industrial planning.
- Invest in capacity building within government to equip public officials with the expertise and tools needed for circular economy implementation. Establish permanent governance structures—such as interministerial task forces or circular economy councils—that can provide sustained coordination, policy continuity, and leadership beyond electoral cycles.
- Advance Brazil’s circular policy landscape by evolving from initial frameworks to fully integrated, well-funded, and cross-cutting governance systems capable of driving a resilient circular transition.
Circular examples
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Reparalab: a foundation for the Right to Repair in Chile
Reparalab is a social movement based in Chile disseminating and enabling repair through collaborative actions.
Innovatiepact Fryslân: Cooperating for Broad Prosperity in Friesland
Innovatiepact Fryslân (IPF) functions as the Economic Board of Fryslân, bringing together entrepreneurs, educational institutions, and governmental bodies in a strategic alliance to shape and execute the region’s economic development. It serves as both a strategic platform and an operational organization, acting on the ambitions outlined in the Blue Delta. The approach is defined by the motto “Zelf, samen, doen” (Ourselves, together, action), emphasizing proactive, mission-driven collaboration.
The Blue Delta refers to a geographically and ecologically diverse region that includes coastal islands, wetlands, clay and peat landscapes, and forested areas along the northwestern European coast. For centuries, inhabitants have adapted to the dynamics of water and land, shaping a resilient culture and economy. This legacy of adaptability and innovation underpins the region’s ambition to foster broad prosperity—balancing economic strength, social cohesion, and environmental sustainability. Positioned centrally in this landscape, Fryslân aims to be a leading region in circularity and water-related innovation within Europe.
Photo: Innovatiepact Fryslân
By 2030, the region is targeting leadership in key thematic areas such as climate adaptation, circular systems, and sustainable tourism. This includes transforming energy, agriculture, water, and resource systems to meet circular economy principles. The broader vision is a clean, healthy, and resilient society where economic and ecological goals reinforce one another.
To support this transition, IPF facilitates cross-sectoral cooperation by translating global goals—such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals—into a regional economic framework. This includes concrete innovation strategies and practical actions designed to strengthen regional competitiveness. The strategy is built around six focus areas:
AgroFood: Transitioning from bulk production to high-value nutrient specialisation, maintaining a competitive position in European food systems.
Water Technology: Positioning Fryslân as a global leader in water and delta-related innovation, including climate resilience and tourism.
High Tech Systems & Materials: Establishing Northern Netherlands as a vital node in the national tech ecosystem, contributing to Smart Industry and international competitiveness.
Circular Materials: Leading the transition to a circular economy with innovations in clean technologies and sustainable resource use.
Maritime Technology: Developing a fully sustainable maritime sector by 2030, including electrification in recreational boating across the Frisian lakes.
Tourism & Hospitality: Promoting smart, sustainable growth in tourism that enhances quality of life, preserves nature and heritage, and supports future-ready employment.
The region is characterized by its iepen mienskip—an open and action-oriented community culture defined by trust, collaboration, and a strong sense of collective responsibility. This community-centric approach, combined with a high concentration of SMEs and robust knowledge infrastructure, provides a solid foundation for innovation and economic resilience.
Phasing Out Plastic: Oman’s Approach to Reducing Single-Use Bag Pollution
Oman’s phased ban on single-use plastic bags, launched in 2024 under Ministerial Decision No. 8/2024 and aligned with Oman Vision 2040, seeks to systematically eliminate thin plastic shopping bags from all sectors by 2027 as a response to escalating plastic pollution. Drawing on comparable international experience, such as Thailand’s ban in Bangkok—which reduced plastic bag use by billions annually but faced challenges in informal markets—Oman’s policy demonstrates early promise but highlights the necessity of comprehensive waste management and ongoing public education for lasting environmental benefits.
Who?
National and local policymakers, educational institutions, labour unions, businesses, public sector partners, investors
What?
With only 5.2% of Brazil’s 94 million jobs classified as circular—concentrated in urban southern regions and mainly in mobility and vehicle repair—sectors like agriculture and construction face significant gaps due to low circular job shares, high informality (up to 74% and 56%, respectively), and limited access to training. To help address these disparities, Brazil should invest in regionally tailored circular economy education and workforce strategies that integrate circular principles into general education, formalise informal work, and expand vocational training and relocation support through public-private partnerships, with targeted efforts for underserved regions and sectors.
How?
- Integrate circular economy concepts into general education and expand the National Climate Curriculum to build foundational skills and environmental literacy early on, addressing gaps created by 6% adult illiteracy and 40% lacking primary education.
- Scale up informal worker integration models, such as catadores cooperatives, by strengthening public-private partnerships and mobilising business-led workforce transition programmes to formalise jobs and expand circular employment pathways.
- Deploy targeted vocational training, financial incentives, accessible toolkits to reskill businesses and vulnerable workers, aligning programmes with regional and sectoral needs to ensure an inclusive circular workforce.
- Invest in initiatives such as Supplier Development Programmes and local training hubs to incentivise participation, strengthen regional capacity, and foster collaboration across stakeholders throughout various levels of the value chain.
Circular examples
Learn more practical examples of similar initiatives across the world;
Lajee Center: Empowering Marginalized Refugee Women Through Vocational Training
This case study showcases how the Lajee Center is providing vocational training to marginalized refugee women, empowering them with new skills and opportunities.
Making Sustainability Education Mandatory: National Sustainability Education Program in Brazil
Brazil has introduced a groundbreaking national initiative to embed sustainability education—including climate literacy—across all levels of its school curriculum. The effort positions the country as a global leader in using formal education to build environmental awareness and prepare students for a sustainable future.
Action plan for public authorities to stimulate demand for circular construction skills
Public authorities have an important role to play in the transition towards a more circular built environment. They have a range of policy levers at their disposal to stimulate demand for relevant skills. The various competencies that local authorities can use directly (e.g., training for their own employees) and indirectly (e.g., embedding mandatory circular criteria in urban planning documents) to influence construction skills are outlined in this action plan for policymakers.
Who?
Businesses, industry associations, investors, public sector partners, national policymakers
What?
With recycling at just 7.2% and a Circularity Metric of 1.3%, Brazil’s waste infrastructure remains underdeveloped. The National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS) provides a legal framework, including waste hierarchy, reverse logistics, municipal waste plans, and inclusion of informal waste pickers (catadores). However, recycling facilities—especially for C&DW—are insufficient, and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes are still limited in scope and implementation. Brazil’s industrial and agricultural sectors are regionally clustered, making a shift to a regenerative circular bioeconomy important to help protect ecosystems and boost resilience. While agricultural policies show intent, rising emissions highlight the urgent need for wider adoption of circular, regenerative practices. To drive circularity, Brazil should build industrial clusters, adopt agroecological practices, upgrade waste and C&DW recycling infrastructure, and foster public-private partnerships to unlock material reuse and reduce reliance on virgin resources and non-renewable energy.
How?
- Foster collaboration within regional industrial clusters by linking agri-food processors with composting and bioenergy producers to exchange resources and by-products, reduce waste, and promote circular production.
- Strengthen sector-specific partnerships—particularly among agriculture, bioenergy, and construction—to accelerate the reuse of by-products, enhance secondary material flows, and reduce dependence on non-renewable energy sources.
- Expand and upgrade waste management systems by improving recycling facilities—especially for construction and demolition waste (C&DW)—and implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes across key sectors such as packaging and construction.
- Promote high-value reuse and circular construction practices to reduce dependency on virgin materials and scale up C&DW recycling rates, while facilitating public-private partnerships to help mobilise investment and extend coverage in underserved and informal areas.
- Advance alternatives to synthetic fertilisers by scaling natural nutrient cycles and agroecological practices that enhance soil health and carbon sequestration.
- Align agricultural policies with circular principles by prioritising soil regeneration, reforestation, and closed-loop nutrient management, and encourage biofuel production from secondary biomass sources by investing in technology and infrastructure to convert residues like sugarcane bagasse into renewable energy.
Circular examples
Learn more practical examples of similar initiatives across the world;
Circular housing partnerships can integrate both environmental and social considerations.
Launched in Bogotá, Colombia, in 2021, this partnership between HABI (a real estate platform), Green Factory (a sustainability construction and certifications company) and Banco de Bogotá (a financial institution), promotes the purchase of refurbished apartments that integrate circular economy principles, provide certified resource efficiency benefits and offer lower loan rates. Properties are adapted to maximise the use of existing resources and minimise the usage of essential services. This enables cutting energy consumption by up to 30% and water usage by as much as 40%.
Enhancing circularity in End-of-Life EV management: Febelauto's approach in Belgium
Febelauto, Belgium's Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) for end-of-life vehicles (ELVs), has developed a comprehensive system for managing the lifecycle of electric vehicle (EV) batteries. By integrating safe dismantling practices, data-driven tracking, and partnerships for battery repurposing, Febelauto facilitates a circular economy model that benefits manufacturers, recyclers, and the environment.
CIRCO Hub Fryslân: Developing circular business and products together
In a world where resources are finite and sustainability is no longer optional, circular entrepreneurship is emerging as a future-proof approach for businesses. But how do you take the first step? That’s exactly what a CIRCO Track offers: a structured, hands-on, three-day program that helps companies redesign their products, services, and business models using circular principles. With expert guidance, real tools, and sector-specific knowledge, participants leave with a practical, ready-to-implement plan for a circular future.
What is a CIRCO Track?
A CIRCO Track is an interactive design process in which entrepreneurs, designers, and innovators from the same sector collaborate under the guidance of certified CIRCO trainers. Through workshops and peer exchange, they explore questions like:
- Where does value loss occur in your value chain?
- What circular solutions suit your product?
- What would a circular business model look like?
- Who do you need to partner with?
- And most importantly: how do you make this a reality within your organization?
CIRCO Tracks are offered for a wide range of industries, including:
- Construction and biobased materials
- Plastics and packaging
- Consumer goods
- Manufacturing and engineering
Participants are challenged to reimagine their business—not just from an environmental lens, but from a strategic and competitive perspective. CIRCO is a national program supported by the Dutch government, designed to stimulate the shift towards a circular economy by activating companies and creative professionals. The method is gaining traction both nationally and internationally as a proven approach to help businesses become climate-proof and future-ready.
From small family-owned manufacturers to innovative scale-ups, CIRCO Tracks in Fryslân are helping businesses unlock circular potential—not just in what they make, but in how they think.
CIRCO Hub Fryslân: Making circular business concrete for SMEs
Since 2021, Vereniging Circulair Friesland (VCF) has been the official CIRCO Hub for the province of Fryslân. That means we organize all CIRCO Tracks and demo sessions in the region, in close collaboration with national CIRCO trainers.
“Circular business models offer great opportunities for SMEs. As a regional partner, we make those opportunities tangible by offering CIRCO Tracks to companies in our network,” says Evert Jan van Nijen, Managing Director of VCF. “Every participant leaves with a newly developed business model and a circular product or service design.”
Each track brings together 8 to 12 companies from the same industry, allowing them to learn with and from one another, while also connecting to a wider ecosystem of entrepreneurs and experts working on similar challenges.
And perhaps most importantly, it helps businesses move away from isolated efforts and towards shared innovation.“By sharing knowledge and working together, we can truly do things differently.” – Jan Slagman, Director of Innovation and Sustainability, Europrovyl
The Circularity Gap Report is an initiative of Circle Economy, an impact organisation dedicated to accelerating the transition to the circular economy.
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