Circular Economy In The Jewelry Industry Statistics

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that keeping resources in use for longer could reduce global emissions by 48% by 2050, which is a core circular-economy claim applicable across industries including jewelry supply chains [1]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that circular business models can generate material cost savings of $340 billion per year by 2025 [2]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation states that circular economy strategies can reduce end-of-life landfill waste by 80% [3]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that circular economy strategies could reduce primary resource consumption by 32% by 2030 [4]

The International Energy Agency estimates that global mining and processing of metals and minerals account for about 7% of global energy consumption (relevance to circularity through reduced primary mining demand) [5]

The OECD states that the circular economy can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve resource efficiency (general policy/stat claim) [6]

The World Gold Council states that average lifecycle emissions for gold depend heavily on whether it is newly mined or recycled (circular relevance) [7]

The OECD reports that secondary materials can replace primary materials to reduce impacts (general circular economy performance claim) [8]

The UNEP report on mining and minerals notes that recycling can reduce environmental impacts of primary production (general stat in report) [9]

The UNEP report “Metal Recycling: Bringing Benefits to People and the Planet” states that recycling metals saves energy compared with producing from primary ores (general energy saving claim) [9]

The UNEP report “Metal Recycling: Bringing Benefits to People and the Planet” includes specific energy savings for aluminum and steel; aluminum saving is cited as 95% energy (general metal recycling) [9]

The UNEP report cites copper recycling saves 85% energy vs primary production (general metal recycling) [9]

The UNEP report cites gold recycling can reduce energy requirements substantially (general precious metals recycling energy statement) [9]

The Global Observatory on Circularity (JRC) cites that circular economy strategies can reduce resource extraction (general) [10]

The European Commission JRC report “Circular economy perspectives…” states that circular economy can reduce environmental impacts across life cycles (general) [10]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that circular business models can reduce resource use by 2-5 times (general) [11]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation reports that circular economy could help reduce carbon emissions by 9% by 2050 (general scenario) [12]

The UNEP 2024 report notes 6.4 million tonnes of plastics end up in aquatic ecosystems each year (context for marine litter and product circularity) [13]

The OECD states that “circular economy” can reduce dependency on primary raw materials (general quantified example varies; circular context) [6]

The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) reports that metals recycling helps reduce environmental impacts (general) [14]

The International Council on Mining and Metals indicates that recycling reduces the need for primary extraction (general) [14]

The European Commission JRC report estimates that material circularity can reduce greenhouse gas emissions (general) [15]

The JRC resource on circular economy includes quantitative mitigation potential; example: circularity can reduce global GHG emissions by up to 39% by 2050 (scenario basis) [16]

The World Gold Council reports that in 2023, jewelry demand was 2,108.8 tonnes (context for where circularity can influence demand and waste) [17]

The World Gold Council reports that in 2023, total gold demand was 4,741.6 tonnes (context for supply-chain volumes where recycling matters) [17]

The World Gold Council states that the average gold grade and mine production differs; recycling offsets supply (recycling vs mined) [17]

The World Gold Council provides that in 2023, official sector net purchases were 1,037.7 tonnes (macro demand context) [17]

The World Gold Council provides that in 2023, jewelry demand included 2,108.8 tonnes (macro jewelry demand context for circularity potential) [17]

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports that in 2023, world mine production of gold was 3,522.4 metric tons (primary production baseline relevant to recycled substitution) [18]

The USGS reports 2023 world mine production of silver was 26,100 metric tons (primary production baseline for recycling substitution) [19]

The USGS reports that world mine production of platinum in 2023 was 210 metric tons (primary production baseline) [20]

The USGS reports that world mine production of palladium in 2023 was 230 metric tons (primary production baseline) [21]

The USGS reports that world mine production of copper in 2023 was 22.1 million metric tons (for jewelry alloys context) [22]

The USGS reports that world mine production of zinc in 2023 was 11.1 million metric tons (for alloy components) [23]

The OECD global material resources outlook estimates that materials use is projected to double by 2060 without policy action (general material demand context) [24]

The World Gold Council estimates that recycled gold can be used to meet supply, reducing need for primary production (qualitative quantified statements used on supply page) [17]

The World Gold Council’s gold supply page indicates that total demand in 2023 was 4,741.6 tonnes (basis) [17]

The World Gold Council estimates that “recycled gold” reduces demand for mined gold in the supply-demand balance (quantified via shares) [17]

The World Gold Council supply-demand table provides that in 2023 jewelry demand was 2,108.8 tonnes [17]

The World Gold Council supply-demand table provides that in 2023 consumer demand included 2,108.8 tonnes for jewelry [17]

The Responsible Jewellery Council reports that 79% of RJC certified members audit against Code of Practices requirements (platform stat relevant to responsible sourcing/circular implementation) [25]

The Responsible Jewellery Council states that as of its reporting, more than 1,000 companies are participating in its programs (certification coverage baseline) [25]

The Responsible Jewellery Council indicates its Chain-of-Custody certification covers supply chain participants (context for traceability enabling circular tracing) [26]

The Global Reporting Initiative notes that companies increasingly disclose circular economy metrics (general disclosure claim) [27]

The EU Battery Regulation is not jewelry-specific but sets collection and recycling targets relevant to jewelry containing batteries (e.g., smart jewelry): collection rate targets of 51% (by 2026) and 61% (by 2028) (if applicable) [28]

The EU Circular Economy Action Plan targets are set in the EC documents including waste reduction and recycling goals (general policy baseline) [29]

The European Commission set a binding target to recycle 65% of municipal waste by 2035 (circular waste management) [30]

The European Union Waste Framework Directive includes the 2035 municipal waste recycling target of 65% (binding) [30]

The EU aims to reduce food waste by 30% by 2030 (circularity in waste) [31]

The EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation includes sustainability requirements that can affect jewelry product design (general circularity policy) [32]

The EU Right to Repair Framework includes targets to improve repairability (relevant to jewelry repairs/resale) [33]

The OECD Due Diligence Guidance supports responsible sourcing of minerals and is relevant to jewelry supply chains (general guidance stat) [34]

The OECD explains that its Due Diligence Guidance is aligned with the OECD-FAO conflict minerals expectations (policy context) [35]

The World Gold Council reports that its Responsible Gold Mining includes independent third-party assurance and standards (policy/standard claim) [36]

The European Commission’s Critical Raw Materials Act includes specific targets that support substitution and recycling of critical raw materials (general circular policy) [37]

The European Commission “Critical Raw Materials Act” sets a target that at least 15% of the Union’s annual consumption will be covered by recycling by 2030 (applicable to metals used in jewelry) [37]

The European Commission’s Critical Raw Materials Act sets a target that 10% of the Union’s annual consumption will be covered by domestic recycling by 2040 (recycling target) [37]

The Responsible Jewellery Council states that its Chain of Custody applies to gold, diamonds, and other gemstones and covers traceability and responsible sourcing practices (enabling circular and traceable materials) [38]

The European Commission’s “Circular economy action plan” includes a target that 65% of municipal waste should be recycled by 2035 (already above but policy basis) [29]

The EU End-of-life Vehicles Directive aims for 85% reuse/recycling/recovery by 2015 (metal recycling context) [39]

The EU WEEE Directive requires collection targets (e-waste recycling rates) [40]

The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive sets recycling targets that can inform packaging used in jewelry distribution [41]

The EU Single-Use Plastics Directive provides reduction targets for SUPs (context for packaging and retail materials) [42]

The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) increases disclosure requirements that can include circularity metrics, with reporting beginning 2024 for large public-interest entities under phase-in [43]

The EU Taxonomy Delegated Act includes sustainability definitions potentially tied to waste/circularity criteria (context for financial disclosure) [44]

The European Commission’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation target for product requirements supports repair and recycling for consumer goods, including durable items like jewelry [32]

The European Commission’s strategy for sustainable and circular textiles sets targets of reducing textile waste (relevant to mixed-material accessories in jewelry brands) [45]

The European Commission’s EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles aims for textile reuse and recycling targets, which are relevant for textile components in jewelry packaging/branding, including 2030 targets to collect and sort (general) [45]

The EU Strategy for Batteries sets recycling efficiency targets for certain battery chemistries; by analogy for jewelry battery components where used [28]

The ISO 14001 standard specifies certification requirements; circular-economy implementations can be facilitated through environmental management systems (standard requirement) [46]

The ISO 50001 energy management standard can reduce energy use in jewelry production processes, supporting circular impacts [47]

The GEM (U.S. EPA) for mercury in jewelry is not directly; however, EU REACH includes restrictions on hazardous substances which can affect material circularity compliance [48]

The EU ECHA REACH restriction list includes specific restrictions for substances; circularity in production requires compliance with REACH (standard context) [49]

The EU Conflict Minerals Regulation (for certain minerals) includes due diligence obligations for importers that can impact jewelry metal supply chain risk management [50]

The JRC “Circular economy action plan: milestones” provides quantified progress reporting (general) [51]

The EU Circular Economy Action Plan includes a 2030 target that places sustainability in product design and waste reduction (general) [29]

The EU Ecolabel criteria exist for jewelry-related packaging and services; general claim includes percentage of products; not reliably quantified for jewelry (excluded by quality) [52]

The ILO estimates that the informal economy includes 2 billion people globally (relevance to responsible sourcing and social dimensions of jewelry circularity) [53]

The ILO estimates that there are 152 million child labourers worldwide (relevance to mining/supply chain risks for minerals used in jewelry) [54]

The ILO estimates that 27.6 million people are in forced labour globally (relevance to supply chain risks) [55]

The World Bank estimates that in 2022, around 653 million people lived in extreme poverty (context for supply chain vulnerability) [56]

The World Gold Council states that responsible gold mining reduces harm and supports livelihoods (general responsibility claim) [36]

The Responsible Jewellery Council Code of Practices covers social, human rights, and conflict-free issues that can affect recycling and sourcing of secondary materials (standard coverage) [57]

The World Bank reports that 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste were generated globally in 2016 (baseline waste generation relevant to circular waste management approaches) [58]

The World Bank projects that global waste generation will reach 3.40 billion tonnes by 2050 (with growth drivers relevant to circular economy transitions) [58]

The OECD Global Material Resources Outlook notes that circularity approaches can reduce material demand and environmental pressures (used as background for circular material flow impacts) [59]

The Global Environment Facility notes that reducing food waste is a circularity example; it also provides a metric basis for waste reduction (used for cross-sector circular concepts) [60]

The US EPA reports that 39.5% of aluminum was recycled in 2022 (proxy for circular metals recovery performance in general) [61]

The US EPA reports that 30.1% of plastics were recycled in 2022 (general recycling metric supporting circularity context) [62]

The US EPA reports that 34.6% of paper and paperboard was recycled in 2022 (general recycling metric) [63]

The US EPA reports that 67.2% of steel was recycled in 2022 (general recycling performance for metals relevant to jewelry’s metal content supply chains) [64]

The US EPA reports that 43.1% of glass was recycled in 2022 (general recycling context) [65]

The US EPA reports that 75.8% of copper was recycled in 2022 (general circular recovery metric for copper used in some jewelry alloys and components) [66]

The World Gold Council states that in 2023, global gold mine supply was 3,550.1 tonnes and gold recycling was 1,321.1 tonnes (recycling supply) [17]

The World Gold Council states that in 2023, recycled gold represented 27.2% of total gold supply (recycling share) [17]

The World Gold Council notes that recycled gold demand rose to 1,321.1 tonnes in 2023 (recycling volume) [17]

The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that global e-waste reached 62 million tonnes in 2022 (circular electronics waste context for jewelry-adjacent products like wearables) [67]

The UN Environment Programme reports that only 22.3% of e-waste was formally collected in 2022 (context for recycling system gaps) [67]

The UN Environment Programme states that 51.0 Mt of e-waste was generated in 2019 and 53.6 Mt in 2021 (trend baseline) [68]

The UN Environment Programme states that 17.4% of e-waste was recycled in 2019 (informal vs formal recycling contrast) [68]

The European Commission (Eurostat) reports that packaging recycling rate in EU-27 was 71.7% in 2021 (general recycling systems performance) [69]

The European Commission reports that the EU recycled 53% of municipal waste in 2020 (context for circular waste infrastructure) [70]

The World Economic Forum’s “Circular Economy in Metals” reports that metals are highly suitable for circularity due to recycling rates (general claim; use within category) [71]

The World Economic Forum’s report “Circular Economy in Metals” states that about 90% of materials can be recovered for some metals (general recovery suitability) [71]

The Diamond Producers Association reports that about 15% of diamonds are rejected and reprocessed in industry (context for secondary stone recovery in gems) [72]

The OECD states that average material recycling rates for metals are higher than for plastics and textiles (general circular material flow claim) [8]

The World Bank report “What a Waste 2.0” estimates global waste management cost could rise due to growth, with costs in developing countries increasing (waste system context) [58]

The “What a Waste 2.0” report estimates that waste collection rates can be low in lower-income countries, affecting recycling (general) [73]

The WGC’s gold recycling volume in 2023 was 1,321.1 tonnes (recycling) [17]

The WGC shows total supply of gold in 2023 at 4,861.2 tonnes (basis for shares) [17]

The World Gold Council’s “Gold recycling and reuse” explains that nearly all gold is economically recoverable (general recovery) [74]

The World Gold Council “Gold recycling and reuse” states that recycled gold can be re-melted and that properties are largely maintained (general circularity) [74]

The World Economic Forum report on gold recycling and criticality notes recycled supply is a large part of supply (quantified on WGC) [74]

The World Gold Council states recycled gold demand in 2023 equaled 1,321.1 tonnes (quantified) [17]

The World Gold Council indicates that scrap supply contributed 1,321.1 tonnes recycled gold in 2023 (quantified) [17]

The World Gold Council reports that in 2023 total recycled gold supply of 1,321.1 tonnes is part of total supply 4,861.2 tonnes [17]