Plastic bottles, obsolete electronics, hazardous chemicals – many parts of the world are being flooded by pollution and waste. That’s why, GEO-7 reports, it’s critical that countries adopt circular economic models. The concept emphasizes keeping resources in use for as long as possible by redesigning, reusing, repairing, and recycling things already made. 

To do this, countries and businesses can adopt design standards that make products last longer and easier to repair. Governments can also require businesses to be responsible for what happens to products at the end of their lives while creating rules that compel companies to disclose their impact on the natural world. 

States can reform their tax codes to incentivize circular products, redirect subsidies from extractive sectors to circular endeavours, and work together to expand international agreements that tackle waste and pollution. 

At the same time, nations can make circularity part of school curriculums, offering incentives for consumers that make more sustainable choices, and implementing laws that phase out short-lived and one-time-use products.

Information taken from the UN Environment Programme Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7), launched in December 2025, which explores everything from the health of coral reefs to the status of the ozone layer