Measuring circularity is increasingly becoming a priority to understand and evaluate how companies, entities, and organisations behave in terms of sustainability. To meet this need, Tondo has developed three specific tools to analyse circularity at both product and company levels, based on nationally and internationally recognised methodologies.
These tools are inspired by established models and studies developed by leading organisations such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF), the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Circle Economy and other consulting and standardisation bodies.
The Circularity Measurement Tool for textile industries is designed to support textile manufacturers in assessing the circularity of a company and its production on a qualitative and quantitative level.
It integrates the ISO 59020 approach to circularity measurement and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circulytics, offering not only a material analysis but also a strategic and organisational assessment.
The tool is organised into two main sections: one dedicated to “Enabling” indicators and the other to “Impact” indicators. The former enable the assessment of a company’s readiness to integrate circularity throughout its organisation. The latter are quantitative indicators designed to measure the actual level of circularity achieved by the company. These indicators examine the actual impact of the adoption of circular practices on products and production processes.
In the results section, in addition to the overall and per-category circularity indexes, it is also possible to view an initial estimate of the total emissions associated with the measured products, energy and packaging, depending on the data entered.
The tool, developed according to the methodology defined by the UNI/TS 11820 standard, is based on a set of 71 indicators designed to assess a company’s level of circularity in depth.
The analysis focuses on six key areas: material resources and components; energy and water resources; waste and emissions; logistics; product/service; human resources, policy and sustainability assets.
The indicators are divided into core (8 indicators), specific (52 indicators) and rewarding (11 indicators). To calculate the index, a minimum of 8 core indicators and at least half of the specifics are needed, considering some differences between product and service companies.
Based on the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s methodology, the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI), the tool is composed of five sections: material circularity, which monitors the incoming and outgoing material flows related to the product; water circularity, which outlines the different consumption; packaging circularity, which monitors both the raw materials needed for its production and the waste related to its end-of-life; energy circularity, which takes into account the different energy sources and consumption; and turnover circularity.
The tool supports the comprehension of the circularity level of a product by providing an overview of the different flows that make up the production processes and end of life of a product. In addition, the tool allows companies to compare different products, monitor them over time, test new designs, and identify areas for improvement towards minimizing environmental impact.
Learn more about the circularity measurement tools developed by Tondo: click here.
The Circular Threads 2.0 project has been funded by the European Union Next Generation EU
The Circular Threads 2.0 project has been funded by the European Union Next Generation EU