Impact and Uptake

Manager

Impact and Uptake

The International Resource Panel's (IRP) evidence-based reports and findings are designed to inform policy-makers and influence the views, performance and decisions of those who have an impact on the use of natural resources, their environmental impacts and sustainability.

Through the IRP’s body of work, sustainable resource management became a more visible and urgent policy priority within a number of critical resource managers (including non-traditional IRP audiences like the G20, the G7, business and climate change stakeholders).

Examples of our impacts on leading global policy and influential bodies include:

2021

Policy Plans

	2021 National Recycling Strategy Institution: USA Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Date: November 2021 IRP contribution: the Strategy cited the IRP studies including the 2019 Global Resources Outlook and the Global Material Flows and Resource Productivity to explain the importance of recycling and progressing towards a circular economy.
	Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener Institution: The Government of the UK Date: October 2021 IRP contribution: the document states the UK’s vision for a decarbonised economy in 2050. It refers to the IRP’s Global Resources Outlook 2019 to set out clear policies and proposals to keep carbon budgets on track.
	Urban Nature and Biodiversity for Cities Institution: World Bank, GEF & Global Platform for Sustainable Cities Date: September 2021 IRP contribution: the policy brief uses the IRP’s 5D Compact City framework (from the Building Better Cities: ASEAN Looks to the Future) to illustrate how ecological planning can help protect nature and biodiversity and incentivize targeted investments to secure cities’ liveability, sustainability, resilience, and equity.
	Draft Policy Statement on Mineral Exploration and Mining Institution: The Government of Ireland Date: July 2021 IRP contribution: this draft Policy Statement uses the IRP’s Mineral Resource Governance in the 21^st century report as a reference to underline the importance of managing mineral exploration and mining, and its role in advancing sustainable development.
	G20 Environment Minister's Communiqué Institution: G20 Date: July 2021 IRP contribution: IRP Co-Chair Janez Potocnik’s intervention at the G20 Environment Ministers’ Meeting and the Panel’s work contribute to the G20 Communiqué’s call for action on sustainable and circular resource use. The document highlights that resource efficiency and circular economy are important tools for achieving the SDGs, advancing sustainable consumption and production, and addressing the triple environmental crisis. The IRP is identified as a critical partner to help drive progress in the area.
	Norway's National Strategy for Circular Economy Institution: Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment Date: June 2021 IRP contribution: the document references Global Resources Outlook 2019 findings to illustrate the importance of circular economy to increase sustainability and value creation. It also recognises the IRP’s contribution among other panels to the global knowledge base for circular economy.
	G7 Climate and Environment: Ministers' Communiqué Institution: G7 Date: May 2021 IRP contribution: the Communiqué refers to IPBES, IPCC, IRP and UNEP’s scientific assessments to call for rapid and far-reaching transformations to tackle environmental crises. It also recalls the findings of the IRP Global Resources Outlook 2019 and underlines the importance of the transition to the sustainable and legal use of natural resources, reaffirming the commitment to action on resource efficiency and transition to a more circular economy, in line with the Bologna Roadmap.
	Supporting the Global Biodiversity Agenda, A United Nations System Commitment for Action to Assist Member States Delivering on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework Institution: UN EMG Date: April 2021 IRP contribution: the UN Environment Management Group’s report highlights the importance of biodiversity preservation to the work of the UN and for reaching the SDGs. Findings of the Global Resources Outlook 2019 by the IRP support the report in explaining the connection between natural resource management and biodiversity loss.
	New Circular Economy Action Plan Institution: European Commission Date: February 2021 IRP contribution: the New EU Circular Economy Action Plan is one of the main building blocks of the European Green Deal. IRP's Resource Efficiency and Climate Change report was used as a reference point for strategies on material efficiency and climate impact reduction in construction and buildings.
	Long-term Italian Strategy on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions effects Institution: Government of Italy Date: January 2021 IRP contribution: the strategy refers to the IRP report on Resource Efficiency and Climate change to evaluate Italy’s action on promoting measurement and modeling tools to identify synergies between circular economy and climate change mitigation in the country.

Reports

	Sustainable Development and Resource Productivity: The Nexus Approaches Institution: German Environment Agency Date: October 2021 IRP contribution: the report explores the interdependencies of sustainable development paths and associated resource requirements, describing and analysing the necessities for a more resource efficient world, and drawing on findings from several IRP reports, including Global Resources Outlook 2019, Global Material Flows Database, Decoupling, Assessing Global Resource Use, Green Technology Choices, and others to present concrete ways and examples of sustainability transitions with resource efficiency standing at the centre of the transition.
	Sustainable Trade, Circular Economy and Aid for Trade: An Issues Paper for the 2020-2022 Monitoring and Evaluation Exercise. Joint Communication by the WTO and OECD Secretariats Institution: WTO and OECD Date: August 2021 IRP contribution: the document refers to findings of the IRP Global Resources Outlook 2019 on the circular economy and sustainable trade to help guide implementation of the Aid-for-Trade Work Programme
	Sustainable Development Outlook 2021. From Anguish to Determination Institution: UNDESA Date: July 2021 IRP contribution: the report highlights findings of the IRP Global Resources Outlook 2019 and uses the IRP Global Material Flows Database to provide in-depth analysis of the progress and challenges faced in achieving socioeconomic development and reducing environmental impacts.
	Delivering resource-efficient products Institution: European Environmental Bureau Date: July 2021 IRP contribution: the European Environmental Bureau’s report highlights the need for delivering resource-efficient products by outlining the projections done by the IRP regarding future resource consumption.
	Sustainable Trade, Circular Economy and Aid for Trade: An Issues Paper for the 2020-2022 Monitoring and Evaluation Exercise. Joint Communication by the WTO and OECD Secretariats Institution: WTO and OECD Date: July 2021 IRP contribution: the document refers to findings of the IRP Global Resources Outlook 2019 on the circular economy and sustainable trade to help guide implementation of the Aid-for-Trade Work Programme.
	Green Markets: Market-Based Approaches for Environmental Management in Asia Institution: Asian Development Bank (ADB) Date: July 2021 IRP contribution: the Asian Development Bank has published this report on market-based approaches for environmental management in Asia, using IRP data on material consumption and resource decoupling to draw conclusions on waste management in Asia. The report builds on a variety of the IRP’s work including Resource Efficiency and Climate Change, Decoupling Natural Resource Use and Environmental Impacts from Economic Growth and Global Material Flows Database.
	Options under International Law to Increase Resource Efficiency Institution: German Environment Agency Date: July 2021 IRP contribution: this report highlights the role of the IRP in International political processes and legally non-binding mechanisms to increase resource efficiency.
	Globalization, Climate and Digital Transitions and Pandemic Crisis in Agri-Food Systems: Implications for Public Policies Institution: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Nutrition, Government of Spain Date: June 2021 IRP contribution: the report uses the IRP Global Resources Outlook 2019 report as a reference point to analyze the state of the world's natural resources and biodiversity and their relations to the agri-food systems. It further highlights the role of public policies in addressing challenges in the agri-food value chains.
	Thriving Within Our Planetary Means. Reducing the UK’s Footprint of Production and Consumption by 2030 Institution: WWF Date: June 2021 IRP contribution: the report refers to Global Resources Outlook 2019’s findings to call for urgent and transformative action to change the way materials are produced and consumed in the UK to prevent further biodiversity loss and failure of the Earth’s ecosystems.
	Remanufacturing: giving products multiple new lives Institution: Government of Canada Date: June 2021 IRP contribution: the publication references IRP findings from Re-defining value: The Manufacturing Revolution report to inform socio-economic and environmental benefits of remanufacturing (a key activity within the circular economy) for Canadian businesses and the general public.
	The Role of Critical World Energy Outlook - Special Report: Minerals in Clean Energy Transitions Institution: International Energy Agency Date: May 2021 IRP contribution: the report states the importance of international cooperation to ensure reliable and sustainable mineral supply in clean energy transition, referring to the IRP findings on the need for a framework to inform policy strategies and co-ordinate international efforts surrounding mineral security, as highlighted in the Mineral Resource Governance in the 21st Century report.
	The EU Blue Economy Report 2021 Institution: European Commission Date: May 2021 IRP contribution: the report uses data and insights from the IRP reports Global Resources Outlook 2019 and Assessing Global Resource Use 2017 as reference points to provide an overview of the circular economy and the opportunities it offers to the Blue Economy sector.
	A Multi-Billion-Dollar Opportunity: Repurposing agricultural support to transform food systems Institution: FAO, UNDP & UNEP Date: May 2021 IRP contribution: the report highlights how coherent policy actions in agriculture could result in significant benefits for the sector, the environment, and human health. It refers to the IRP findings on how food systems can either support or hinder progress towards at least 12 of the 17 SDGs, thus being the lifeblood of the 2030 Agenda.
	Circular Economy – A Conceptual Review and Analysis of Implications for Swedish Development Cooperation Institution: The Expert Group for Aid Studies (The Government of Sweden) Date: May 2021 IRP contribution: the working paper uses the data from the IRP’s Global Material Flows Database on domestic material consumption to report on some of the key circular economy issues in low and middle-income countries.
	United Nations Resource Management System: An Overview of Concepts, Objectives, and Requirements Institution: UNECE Date: May 2021 IRP contribution: the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe has created a dynamic resource management system that can help countries, organizations and companies address the challenges of sustainability. The report relies on statistics from the IRP Global Resources Outlook 2019 for establishing the connection between natural resources, climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Moreover, the report justifies the need for a dynamic resource management system with support from the findings of the IRP report “Assessing Global Resource Use: A systems approach to resource efficiency and pollution reduction”.
	The Circular Economy and Climate Mitigation: A STAP Advisory Document Institution: GEF Date: May 2021 IRP contribution: the document refers to a variety of the IRP reports, including the Resource Efficiency and Climate Change and Global Resources Outlook 2019 to shed light on the current state of climate change mitigation efforts and to further explore the effectiveness of circular economy in delivering climate change mitigation and other environmental objectives. Moreover, findings from The Weight of Cities report are used to illustrate the possibility of circular economy interventions within the biological cycle.
	Background Study in preparation of the Turkish SCP National Action Plan and Roadmap Institution: Turkish Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation (T.C. Çevre ve Şehircilik Bakanlığı) Date: April 2021 IRP contribution: the IRP Global resources Outlook 2019 report provides the evidence of urgency to switch towards efficient resource use and sustainable consumption and production (SCP), serving as one of the bases of the Turkish SCP National Action Plan and Roadmap.
	Circular GHG mitigation opportunities The Gambia. Metabolic Analysis Institution: UNDP and Government of the Gambia Date: April 2021 IRP contribution: the report builds on two IRP’s products including Global Material Flow Database and Assessing Global Resource Use to estimate the circularity of national consumption and production in the Gambia and illustrate what economic, environmental, and social opportunities could be achieved if circular mitigation measures are implemented.
	Towards an ambitious environmental policy in Germany and Europe - Circular economy: Putting ideas into practice Institution: SRU - German Advisory Council on the Environment Date: April 2021 IRP contribution: the document builds on a variety of the Panel’s reports including Global Resources Outlook 2019, Resource Efficiency and Climate Change and Metal Recycling: Opportunities, Limits, Infrastructure among others to provide analysis of current German policies as well as recommendations to transit from a system of recycling-based waste management to a circular economy.
	Circular Indicators for Governments Institution: PACE Date: April 2021 IRP contribution: in this report, the IRP Material Flows Database and global manual on economy-wide material flow accounts are highlighted as important steps towards creating a global accounting standard for material flow accounts at the macro level.
	Digital corporate responsibility Institution: France Stratégie Date: April 2021 IRP contribution: the document refers to the IRP’s piece on Sustainable Trade in Resources: Global Materials Flows, Circularity and Trade in its analysis of companies' responsibility in bringing products and services to market, in particular at the collection, repair and recycling stages. It identifies the existing gaps in national and international approaches to a circular economy and proposes recommendations.
	Guidance for Responsible Banking Institution: Ministry of the Environment in Japan Date: March 2021 IRP contribution: the guidance document refers to the IRP Global Resources Outlook 2019 and Global Material Flows Database to illustrate the scale and salience of the social, economic, and environmental impacts of banks within the UN Principles for Responsible Banking framework and highlight ways forward.
	Circular Business Opportunities in Poland Institution: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Date: March 2021 IRP contribution: the report uses the information and data provided by the IRP G20 factsheet “Natural Resource Use in Poland” to analyze circular business opportunities and challenges in the eco-friendly and organic food production sector in Poland.
	Making peace with nature: A Scientific Blueprint to tackle the climate, biodiversity and pollution emergencies Institution: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Date: February 2021 IRP contribution: this first UNEP synthesis report is based on evidence from global environmental assessments, including IPCC, IPBES, GEO, and IRP, translating scientific knowledge into accessible and applicable messages for the worlds’ leaders and shows how climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution can be addressed jointly within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals.
	Universal Circular Economy policy goals: Enabling the transition to scale Institution: Ellen MacArthur Foundation Date: January 2021 IRP contribution: the document uses the IRP reports Global Resource Outlook 2019 and Resource Efficiency: Potential and Economic Implications as reference points to set forth five universal circular economy policy goals to help governments and businesses recover better and transition to a circular economy with lower costs.
	Integral Circular Economy Report 2021. Assessment for the Netherlands Institution: PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency Date: January 2021 IRP contribution: the report uses findings from a number of IRP studies including Global Resources Outlook 2019, Mineral Resource Governance, and Assessing Global Resource Use as references to highlight the importance of the transition towards a circular economy in order to alleviate negative impacts of unsustainable material resource use on the environment and society.

Private Sector Strategies and Guidelines

	*Can repurposing drive your purpose in a circular economy?* Institution: Ernst & Young (EY) Date: September 2021 IRP contribution: the article relies on the data provided by Global Resources Outlook 2019 to inform how chemical companies could leverage the circular economy instead of the traditional “take-make-waste “model to create long-term value while contributing to social and environmental benefits.
	Vision 2050 Time to Transform. How Business Can Lead the Transformations the World Needs Institution: World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Date: May 2021 IRP contribution: the report refers to the Global Resources Outlook 2019 data on global material extraction to substantiate the urgent need for action and help identify transformation opportunities across the key areas of business activity and outline a pathway to achieve Vision 2050.
	Deloitte World Climate Strategy - Purchasing: Climate change impact and actions Institution: Deloitte Date: March 2021 IRP contribution: Deloitte’s strategic document on purchasing pinpoints the IRP Resource Efficiency and Climate Change video for further learning. The document is part of the company’s World Climate initiative that aims to drive responsible climate choices within the organization and beyond.
	A Framework for the Safe and Efficient Global Movement of Batteries Institution: Global Battery Alliance in partnership with the World Economic Forum Date: January 2021 IRP contribution: the document refers to the IRP report Re-defining Value – The Manufacturing Revolution to define steps needed in advancing the circularity of batteries.