Looking for circular economy standards, success stories, and resources to move circularity forward in your organization? Drawing from Circular Economy Magazine contributors and beyond, we’ve gathered over 35 certifications, policy frameworks, roadmaps, case studies, and practical resources to help you build alignment and accelerate the transition towards a circular future.
To build a better world, the circular economy needs to become the new standard of how we think about what we take, make, and waste. So how can we help you achieve this?
We believe that creating the conditions for clarity, collaboration, and courage can accelerate the awareness, adoption, and implementation of the circular economy, both in Canada and on a global scale.
That’s where standards come in. By following innovative standards of practice, applying standardized policy, frameworks, and roadmaps, and drawing inspiration from the changemakers setting new standards for what circularity looks like in action, we can all get aligned on what’s needed to make circularity a reality.
Keep scrolling for resources you can use to guide your organizational, operational, and personal circular economy goals. This collection spans standards and certifications, roadmaps and action plans, policy and regulation, practical toolkits, and real-world case studies — organized by category so you can find what’s most relevant to where your organization is in its circular economy journey.
Resources marked with an asterisk (*) feature changemakers from Circular Economy Magazine.
Whether you’re looking to align your organization with internationally recognized frameworks or certify a product for circularity, these resources define what circular economy standards look like in practice and how to meet them.
ISO 59000 — Circular Economy Standards Series*: This series of international standards helps companies align on circular economy definitions, principles, and product design.
Cradle to Cradle — Cradle to Cradle Certified® Product Standard Document*: Dive into the most recent version of the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Product Standard (Full Scope) to learn how to align your products and packaging with circular economy principles.
Canadian Plastics Pact — The Golden Design Rules for Plastic Packaging Canadian Guidance*: Discover a clear framework that sets out circular design standards for plastic packaging and makes recycling easier. Adapted for the Canadian context and presented by the Canada Plastics Pact.
CSA Group and Circular Innovation Council — Driving a Circular Economy for Plastics: Introducing Canada’s New Plastics Recycling Definition Standard Webinar*: Catch the recording of this collaborative webinar to hear about how Canada’s plastic recycling standard can help support policy making, performance monitoring, and more.
Fashion Takes Action — Circular Economy Standards & Certifications List*: Deepen your knowledge of circular economy standards and certifications with this detailed guide.
British Standards Institute (BSI) — Executive Briefing: BS 8001 – a Guide: Gain insight into the BS 8001 standard for implementing circular economy principles in organizations with this free downloadable brief. The standard can also be purchased from this page.
British Standards Institute (BSI) — Circularity and Standards: Practical Pathways for Business Transformation Blog Article: Explore the role of standards in transforming ambition into scalable circular economy action across multiple sectors.
Forest Stewardship Council — Episode 79: Next stop — Circular Economy in FSC? Legislative Drivers, Principles and How FSC Connects Podcast: Listen to this podcast for a look at circular economy integration in FSC certification, how FSC standards can evolve, and emerging legislation in the industry.
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) — Circular Economy Standards Registry: This centralized, curated tool is designed to help users navigate the complex ecosystem of circular economy standards, so anyone developing standards can find existing standards, committees, and relevant resources to avoid fragmentation and overlap.
World Business Council for Sustainable Development and UN Environment Programme (UNEP)’s One Planet Network — The Global Circularity Protocol for Business Playbook: Explore standardized circular performance and assessment scopes, indicators, and methodologies in this global framework intended to help organizations embed and measure circular economy impacts.
Prism — Circular Economy Standards Term Guide: Brush up on terms and types, challenges and opportunities, analytical frameworks, and more fundamental aspects of circular economy standards.
Government and multi-stakeholder blueprints that map out the circular economy transition at the city, provincial, national, and global level. These resources show how jurisdictions and coalitions are planning the path forward—and where your organization can plug in.
Circular Innovation Council and Circular Economy Leadership Canada — The Circular Economy Action Plan for Canada*: A tool to unite stakeholders, this framework identifies key enablers and sets out 36 priority actions to help accelerate the circular economy transition.
City of Toronto — Circular Toronto: A 10-Year Circular Economy Road Map*: Participate in Toronto’s circular economy journey with this roadmap, which includes actions, updates, and next steps.
Ville de Montréal — Feuille de route montréalaise en économie circulaire 2024-2030 Guide* (FR): Learn about Montréal‘s circular economy roadmap and data points to document the transition, including its circularity index, carbon footprint, and material footprint. Document is in French. Accompanying webpage available in English.
Ville de Montréal — Plan d’action montréalais en économie circulaire 2025-2027 Guide* (FR): Check out Montréal’s ongoing three-year action plan, made to help accelerate the transition outlined in its circular economy roadmap. Document is in French. Accompanying webpage available in English.
European Forest Institute — Investing in Nature As the True Engine of Our Economy: A 10-point Action Plan for a Circular Bioeconomy of Wellbeing Guide: Discover ten action points for building a circular bioeconomy that centres nature and collective, integrated action on a global scale.
Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE) — The Circular Economy Action Agenda: Answer the call to the circular economy transition with this agenda, comprised of five publications exploring objectives, scaling and implementation, and calls to action across crucial focus areas.
Québec Circulaire — On the Road to 2050: Transition to a Circular Economy! Roadmap Podcast (FR): Tune in to this French-language podcast for insights into Québec’s circular economy transition roadmap.
Navigating the regulatory landscape is essential to circular economy implementation. These resources cover policy instruments, extended producer responsibility (EPR) requirements, and legislative frameworks that are shaping how circular practices are governed and enforced.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation — Keep It In Use: Retain Resource Value and Unlock Economic Opportunities Policy Brief*: Unlock circular economy outcomes with these actionable policy instruments, options, and recommendations.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation — Policy Unplugged: Implementing Circular Economy Policy With Joss Blériot Podcast Episode*: Examine the worldwide surge in circular economy strategies, how to align on implementation, and which policy tools to prioritize.
Reverse Logistics Group (RLG) and Reconomy — Packaging Sustainability: The North American Laws You Need to Know Guide*: Navigate circular economy packaging laws and regulatory standards with this guide.
Circular Materials — Producers Guide: This guide helps producers and stewards navigate extended producer responsibility (EPR) registration, reporting, and requirements to meet circular economy packaging standards.
EFS-plastics — How Well-Designed Policy Can Strengthen the Domestic Recycling Industry Blog Article: Learn how well-designed policy can help overcome challenges in the plastics recycling industry, ensuring programs and mandates thrive and circularity can prosper.
European Parliament — How the EU Wants to Achieve a Circular Economy by 2050 Article: Learn about strategies, standards, and certifications proposed across sectors by the EU as part of its Circular Economy Action Plan.
Ready to put circular principles into practice? These hands-on resources offer step-by-step guidance for circular product design, credible sustainability communication, and avoiding greenwashing — helping you embed circularity into your operations with integrity.
Fashion Takes Action & Canadian Circular Textiles Consortium — Circular Design Toolkit*: Get practical guidance on how to create products that are built to last and meet valuable circular economy standards.
ChopValue — Building Better: How Sustainable Materials Can Help Your Project Achieve LEED Excellence Guide*: Learn about LEED certification and how it can help businesses achieve success while building a greener future.
Creatives for Climate — The Creative Integrity Playbook: Take action with a guide designed to help the creative and communications industries redefine the role of influence in accelerating the circular economy.
Creatives for Climate — The Anti-Greenwash Guide for Agency Leaders: Developed with insights from climate lawyer Jonathan White and global sustainability expert Dr. Victoria Hurth, this guide offers insights and tips into the latest regulatory frameworks and how to avoid greenwashing in circular communication campaigns.
Data, analysis, and real-world examples that show what’s working in the circular economy—and where the gaps remain. These resources offer evidence to support decision-making and inspiration from organizations putting circular principles into action.
CSA Group — Climate-Smart Circularity: Guiding Decision-Making Through Data-Informed Standard Protocols Report*: Uncover climate-smart circularity pathways through an examination of seven discarded material streams across three Canadian sectors, how to turn this insight into action, and how standards can help.
City of Toronto — Baselining for a Circular Toronto Highlights Summary Document*: Before the roadmap, there was the baseline. In this resource made in collaboration with Circle Economy and the David Suzuki Foundation, see the analysis, indicators for measuring progress, and more that helped inform the creation of the roadmap.
ChopValue — Urban Impact Report*: Find out how ChopValue is making a tangible impact through circular business practices.
KORE Outdoors — 2025 Rehub Report*: Learn how you can help support this repair program that’s advancing circularity in the outdoor industry.
Ten Lives Festivals — Crowd Funding Campaign Overview*: Surpassing its goal by nearly €15,000, this regenerative movement is demonstrating what circular, community-driven events can achieve.
AFNOR Association — Circular Economy and Voluntary Standard Success Stories Report: Draw inspiration from the stories of six organizations following a circular economy and voluntary standard set out by French national standards organization, AFNOR.
UBC Sustainability — Procuring the Circular Economy: A Global Review of Circular Economy Standards and Certification Practices in Procurement Report: Dive into a review of global circular economy standards and uncover six recommendations for applying circular procurement practices in Vancouver.
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Chatham House — Global Stocktake of National Circular Economy Roadmaps and Strategies: 2025 Update Report: This study analyzes 99 adopted national circular economy policy frameworks worldwide across 16 sectors and 20 policy fields. The report includes case studies, gaps and opportunities, a hyperlinked circular economy framework list, and more.
Circular Economy Magazine: Discover what’s possible for the circular economy in Canada with the stories of changemakers leading the transition, and learn how you can help contribute to awareness and acceleration through sponsorship and advertising opportunities.
Circular Economy Marketing Masterpost: Help your circular economy initiatives take off with our communications and storytelling advice masterpost.
Doing the circular economy work but struggling to tell the story? That’s where we come in. Book a free consultation and let’s turn your circular commitments into content that lands.
Looking to attend purpose-driven events? Sparx has compiled a list of networking and learning opportunities taking place in April, May, and June.
Read More View blog postThe start of 2026 has been fraught with new and existing challenges, but the call to purpose remains loud, and the purpose-driven community is growing. We spoke with guests from the Sparx co-organized Purpose Connections sessions about their hopes for the year ahead and their expert advice for tackling challenges throughout 2026.
Read More View blog postSparx had an incredible 2025! As we begin the next chapter in our purpose-driven marketing journey, we’re reflecting on our biggest moments of the year, including the debut of a new publication, our mission-aligned event circuit, and X-traordinary new partnerships.
Read More View blog post
