Build a structured approach to circularity
Circularity is moving from ambition to business priority. Companies are increasingly expected to reduce their dependence on virgin resources, design products for longer use and recovery, collaborate across value chains, and demonstrate measurable progress towards a circular economy.
The ISO 59000 family provides a common framework for organisations that want to make this transition. At Sustenuto, we help companies translate these principles into a practical circularity strategy, management approach and roadmap, at both organisational and product level.
What is the ISO 59000 family of standards?
The ISO 59000 family is a set of international standards and guidance documents developed to create a common understanding of the circular economy and support organisations in their transition towards greater circularity.
What does ISO 59000 require?
The ISO 59000 frameworks are designed around the logic of a management system: understanding the organisation and its context, establishing a circular economy policy and objectives, implementing actions, monitoring performance and continually improving.
In practice, organisations preparing for ISO 59000 should expect to address topics such as:
integrating circularity into organisational strategy and decision-making;
understanding relevant stakeholders, value chains and value networks;
identifying opportunities, risks and obligations related to circularity;
defining a circular economy policy, objectives and measurable targets;
establishing responsibilities, processes and resources for implementation;
identifying and managing actions that improve circularity performance;
monitoring, measuring and evaluating progress;
maintaining relevant information and evidence;
reviewing performance and continually improving the circular economy management system.
The intention is not simply to create a circularity policy or launch a few circular projects. The strength of a management-system approach is that circularity becomes embedded in how an organisation operates, makes decisions and creates value. ISO describes the expected outcomes as enhanced circularity performance, a system for managing compliance obligations and environmental, social and economic objectives, and increased long-term value creation.
Why work towards ISO 59000?
For many organisations, the transition to a circular economy raises an important question: how do we turn our circular ambitions into a consistent, measurable and actionable business approach?
An ISO 59000-aligned management system can provide the structure to do exactly that.
It can help organisations to:
turn circular economy ambitions into strategy and measurable objectives;
identify where the greatest circularity opportunities lie;
make circularity part of governance and decision-making;
move from isolated circular initiatives to a coherent organisation-wide approach;
understand dependencies and opportunities across the value chain;
improve resource efficiency and retain the value of products and materials;
identify opportunities for circular products, services and business models;
prepare for evolving customer, investor, procurement and regulatory expectations;
establish a basis for measuring and improving circularity performance;
create a more resilient and future-oriented business.
The business case for circularity is increasingly connected to resource security, innovation, resilience, market differentiation and changing regulatory and stakeholder expectations. The ISO 59000 family is intended to support organisations in making this transition in a structured way.
Various ISO 59000 standards
The ISO 59000 family consists of complementary standards and guidance. They should not be seen as competing standards, but as different pieces of a broader circular economy framework.
ISO 59004: Vocabulary, principles and guidance for implementation
Provides the common language, principles and general guidance for understanding and implementing a circular economy. It is a useful starting point for establishing a shared understanding within an organisation.
ISO 59010: Transition of business models and value networks
Focuses more specifically on how organisations can transition their value creation models and value networks from linear to circular approaches. It supports the development of circular business strategies and value-network approaches.
ISO 59020: Measuring and assessing circularity performance
Focuses on measuring and assessing circularity performance, helping organisations move from qualitative ambitions towards measurable circularity indicators and performance assessment.
ISO 59040: Product circularity data sheet
Addresses the exchange of product circularity information through a standardised product circularity data sheet, supporting transparency and communication of relevant product information.
ISO 59001: Circular Economy Management Systems
The emerging ISO 59001 standard brings the management-system perspective: how an organisation can establish, implement, maintain and continually improve a systematic approach to circularity. It can therefore provide an organisational backbone that connects circular economy principles, strategy, implementation and performance improvement.
How Sustenuto can support your ISO 59000 journey
At Sustenuto, we see ISO 59000 not as a compliance exercise, but as an opportunity to embed circularity into the way your organisation creates value.
Our experience covers both organisation-level circularity strategies and product-level circularity, allowing us to connect the two.
We can support you with:
Assess your current circularity maturity
We start by understanding where your organisation stands today. We assess your existing strategy, activities, products, value chains, governance and circularity initiatives and identify gaps and opportunities in relation to the ISO 59000 approach.
Develop your circularity strategy
We help translate your sustainability and business ambitions into a clear circularity strategy. This includes defining what circularity means for your organisation, identifying priority areas, setting objectives and establishing a realistic roadmap towards implementation.
Map value chains and circular opportunities
Circularity rarely sits within one company alone. We help you understand value chains and circular networks to identify opportunities for retaining, recovering or increasing the value of your products and materials at its end-of-life.
Translate strategy into implementation
A strategy only creates value when it is put into practice. We help define priorities, actions, responsibilities, timelines and indicators so that circularity becomes part of day-to-day decision-making rather than a standalone sustainability initiative.
Connect company and product circularity
Circularity at organisational level helps to improve decision-making on how to create more circular products, services and business models. Conversely, product-level innovation can help shape an organisation's broader circularity strategy.
Our experience with circularity roadmaps, Cradle to Cradle Certified®, C2C Certified® Circularity, material health, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) enables us to connect strategic ambitions with practical product-level action.
Measuring performance and continous improvement
We help organisations establish meaningful circularity objectives and indicators and create the processes needed to monitor progress. Where relevant, we can connect this work with the principles of ISO 59020 and other circularity measurement approaches.
Sustenuto’s approach to ISO 59000 family
Our approach is practical and tailored to your organisation. Depending on your starting point, we can support a complete ISO 59000 readiness and implementation journey or focus on specific building blocks. The typical journey is as follows:
1. Understand: Assess your current circularity approach, organisational context, value network and maturity.
2. Define: Establish and clarify circularity expectations, vision, policy, priorities, objectives and scope with a clear focus on the wishes and needs of your company.
3. Strategise: Identify circular opportunities at company- and product-level based on internal ambitions, market-research, and existing initiatives to determine strategic priorities.
4. Implement: Translate priorities into actions, responsibilities, processes, targets and selecting adequate performance indicators.
5. Measure: Track circularity performance with set KPIs to be able to identify where further improvements are needed.
6. Improve: Embed continuous improvement into your management approach and strengthen circularity over time.
Sustenuto’s expertise in circularity
Sustenuto has extensive experience helping organisations move towards a circular economy from defining what circularity means for the business to translating that ambition into more circular products.
Our Circularity Roadmap approach helps organisations clarify the meaning of circularity for their business, assess their current position, identify the circularity potential of their product portfolio, define targets and establish a roadmap for action.
We also support companies with product-level circularity through C2C Certified® Circularity, including product and supply-chain assessments, traceability, circularity documentation, product circularity plans, material toxicity and the identification of opportunities to improve product design, sourcing and recovery systems.
This combination of strategic and technical expertise allows us to help organisations connect the dots.
Why Sustenuto?
Circularity is one of our core areas of expertise. We combine sustainability strategy with hands-on circular economy experience and product expertise.
We understand that every organisation starts from a different point. Some companies are developing their first circularity strategy. Others already have circular products or initiatives but need a coherent organisational framework. And some are preparing for future certification or customer requirements.
We adapt our support accordingly; from a focused gap assessment or roadmap to hands-on implementation support. We work cross-borders, recognizing regional differences while understanding the need for a company-wide approach.
Curious what ISO 59000 framework could mean for your organisation?
Every organisation has a different starting point. Let’s explore together where you are today, where you want to go, and how circularity can create value along the way. Perhaps the ISO 59000 standards are the solution to your problem or fits your needs.
Get in touch with one of our experts for an open conversation about your circularity ambitions and struggles.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Is ISO 59000 a certification?
No. ISO 59000 is a family of standards and guidance documents, not a single certification. Different standards within the family have different purposes. For example, ISO 59001 addresses circular economy management systems, while ISO 59020 focuses on measuring and assessing circularity performance.
What is the difference between ISO 59000 and ISO 59001?
ISO 59000 refers to the family of standards for the circular economy. ISO 59001 is one standard within this family and focuses specifically on requirements for a Circular Economy Management System.
The wider ISO 59000 family can therefore be relevant to an organisation even if it is not pursuing an ISO 59001 management system.
Does my company need to implement the entire ISO 59000 series?
No. The ISO 59000 family is not intended as a checklist that every organisation must implement in its entirety. The relevant standards depend on your organisation's ambitions, activities, products, value networks and maturity.
A company may, for example, start by developing a circularity strategy based on ISO 59004 principles and then use ISO 59010 or ISO 59020 to address specific business-model or measurement needs.
How does ISO 59000 relate to a circularity strategy?
The ISO 59000 family can provide structure and common principles for developing and implementing a circularity strategy. It can help connect strategic ambitions with business models, value networks, products and measurable performance.
A circularity strategy can therefore be a practical starting point for applying the relevant parts of the ISO 59000 framework.
How does ISO 59000 apply at product level?
Circularity is not only an organisational issue. Products play an important role in determining how resources are used, retained, recovered and recirculated.
The ISO 59000 family includes approaches relevant to product circularity and product circularity information. Sustenuto can help organisations translate these principles into product strategies, product development and circularity improvements.
How does ISO 59000 differ from Cradle to Cradle Certified® standard?
They are different frameworks with different purposes, but they can complement each other. Sustenuto has experience with both approaches, enabling us to connect these perspectives. Please do not hesitate to contact us to learn more about the differences.