ISO 59020:2024 - Circular Economy

ISO 59020 establishes rules and recommendations for standardizing the processes of data collection and calculation within organizations, through both mandatory and optional circularity indicators, to guarantee reliable and verifiable outcomes.

This global standard is essential for moving towards a circular economy. It offers a well-defined methodology for evaluating circularity performance and selecting system boundaries and appropriate indicators. It also aids in deciphering information to assess circularity across various levels, including regional, inter-organizational, organizational, and product-specific.

Businesses are able to accurately measure their advancements and show dedication to sustainable methods, which improves transparency, accountability, and stakeholder confidence.

ISO 59020 provides criteria and advice for companies to evaluate and analyze their circularity performance in specific economic frameworks. This document intends to establish a uniform procedure for organizations to gather and compute data, utilizing both required and voluntary circularity indicators, to guarantee reliable and comparable outcomes. It offers an organized structure for defining system limits, choosing suitable metrics, and analyzing information to assess circularity performance across various levels-ranging from regional and inter-organizational to organizational and product-specific levels.

ISO 59020 plays a vital role in moving towards a more circular economy by offering a well-organized approach for evaluating circularity performance. It assists organizations in determining the efficiency of their resource management and material flow optimization. This standard helps achieve environmental sustainability and also contributes to broader sustainable development goals by aligning with the United Nations Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Businesses can use it to measure progress and show dedication to sustainable practices, improving transparency, accountability, and stakeholder trust.

Verification occurs once an audit has been completed successfully. 

• Use a transparent structure to assess circularity effectiveness
• Promote international objectives for sustainability.
• Improve the openness and responsibility of your environmental reporting.
• Aid in making strategic decisions for the sustainable management of resources.
• Align with the goals set by the United Nations Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals 1-16.

Understand the Standard

• Get the Standard: Buy ISO 59020:2024 from ISO or your country's standards organization.
• Get acquainted with Requirements: Carefully go through and grasp the guidelines and requirements of the standard to understand what is needed for compliance.

Analyzing the gap

• Assessment of current status: Perform an internal audit or evaluation to analyze how your current processes align with the standards of ISO 59020:2024.
• Recognize deficiencies: Find areas where your company falls short of the norm and ascertain the required modifications.

Organize and get ready

• Come up with a strategy: Make a thorough plan to fix the gaps that have been identified. This must incorporate schedules, necessary resources, and duties.
• Training and Education: Educate employees and parties involved on the fundamentals of the circular economy and the particular criteria of ISO 59020:2024.

Make adjustments

• Process Integration: Integrate circular economy principles into your company's processes and operations for Process Integration. This could include alterations to product design, resource allocation, waste handling, and supply chain methods.
• Process Documentation: Make sure to document all changes and processes thoroughly. Documentation is essential for both internal use and the certification audit.

Audit done within the organization

• Conduct Internal Audits: Carry out internal audits to ensure adherence to ISO 59020:2024. This facilitates the identification of any lingering deficiencies and opportunities for enhancement.
• Actions for correction: Resolve any issues identified in the internal audit. Take steps to fix problems.

Review of management

• Top Management Involvement: Hold a management review meeting to assess the efficiency of the implementation and verify that the system is in line with the organization's strategic objectives.
• Assess results: Managers should evaluate audit findings, customer input, performance measures, and additional pertinent data.

Choose a certifying organization

• Research Certification Bodies: Select a certified certification body with the proper credentials to conduct ISO 59020:2024 certification for your organization.
• Process: Apply to the selected certification organization for certification.

Third-party assessment of financial statements and internal controls

• Stage 1 Audit (Documentation Review): The certification body will assess your documentation to verify it complies with ISO 59020:2024 standards.
• Stage 2 Audit (On-site Audit): The certification body performs a physical audit to validate the execution and success of your circular economy practices.

Deal with deviations from the norm

•    Resolution of Non-Conformity: In case any non-conformities are found in the external audit, you must rectify them and show proof of corrective measures to the certification body.

Decision on Certification

• Decision on Certification: The certification body will determine whether certification will be granted based on the audit findings. If you succeed, you will be awarded an ISO 59020:2024 certification.
• Continuous improvement: Certification is a process that does not happen just once. Always strive to enhance your circular economy practices and uphold compliance to keep your certification.

We offer unbiased and fair verification services. Our team of experts in the field of circular economy guarantees that your circularity performance is credible, consistent, transparent, and beyond. We adhere closely to the principles of ISO 59020, thoroughly evaluating all your requirements. Our verification process will assist you in gathering and computing your information to guarantee it aligns with the standard before presenting your achievements to stakeholders. Begin to affirm your dedication to a sustainable future by taking a step forward with Corpseed. Get in touch with us now to talk about your ISO 59020 verification requirements and kickstart your progress toward achieving efficient circularity performance.