Strategic Focus: Waste Management And Recycling

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Executive Summary

With over two billion tonnes of waste produced annually, and associated costs reaching $361 billion, the waste management and recycling sector is being called to action. Organizations are pursuing a variety of strategies aimed at progressing towards a circular economy. Investment in digital tools and technologies will be key to drastically reducing waste and valuing secondary materials as a resource. Chief sustainability officers (CSOs) should use this report to assess their current strategies and practices in waste management and recycling, and to discover ways in which innovative technologies can improve their sustainability performance.

Table of contents

Increasing waste generation rates are driving firms to invest in circular solutions
Limitations in traditional waste management practices inhibit sustainable transformation
Innovative technology developments targeting a circular economy for waste are on the rise
Firms should adopt strategies to support effective waste management and sustainability performance improvement

Table of figures

Figure 1. Transactions in the waste management and recycling industry 2023-2024
Figure 2. Distribution of actor roles and responsibilities across the waste hierarchy
Figure 3. Corporate commitments to supporting a circular economy for waste
Figure 4. Environmental impacts from unsustainable waste management
Figure 5. Innovative technologies for smart waste management and recycling
Figure 6. Benefits of implementing sustainability into waste management

About the authors

Jessie Wilson

Industry Analyst
Jessie is an Industry Analyst in the Verdantix ESG & Sustainability practice. Her current research agenda spans areas such as ESG reporting, the circular economy and supply chain sustainability. Prior to joining Verdantix, Jessie graduated from the University of Bristol with First Class Honours in BSc Geography and French. Her dissertation was on achieving a circular economy for plastics with reusable packaging.

Kim Knickle

Research Director, ESG & Sustainability
Kimberly Knickle is Research Director of the ESG & Sustainability practice at Verdantix. Her research areas encompass ESG regulations and reporting, ESG risk, supply chain sustainability, circular economy, social impact, and sustainable finance. Kim has worked for more than 20 years in the IT industry, providing research and analysis to help companies invest wisely in new technologies. Before joining the analyst industry, she held various roles in IT services, engineering and product safety testing, beginning her career at Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. Kim holds an MBA from Boston University and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Cornell.

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