Overview

Defines the vocabulary of the circular economy, sets out a vision and guiding principles, and gives guidance and possible actions for organizations implementing circular economy approaches.

ISO 59004:2024 is the foundation document of the ISO 59000 family on the circular economy. It does three things: it defines the key terms and concepts used across the series, it establishes a vision and a set of principles for a circular economy, and it gives guidance — including possible actions — that an organization can use to implement circular approaches. It is applicable to any organization that wants to understand, commit to or contribute to a circular economy while contributing to sustainable development.

The standard treats circularity as a system-level property rather than a single technique. Rather than prescribing recycling targets, it frames the circular economy around maintaining the value of resources, products, components and materials at their highest utility for as long as possible, and around the organization's relationships with its value network, its customers and the wider economic and natural system in which it operates. Because it is a vocabulary-and-principles document, its content is expressed as guidance and possible actions, not auditable requirements.

Relationship to the rest of the ISO 59000 series. ISO 59004 provides the generic framework. ISO 59010:2024 gives guidance on transitioning business models and value networks — the practical, business-model-level application of the principles. ISO 59020:2024 covers measuring and assessing circularity performance, providing the measurement layer. Organizations typically read ISO 59004 first to align terminology and intent, then use ISO 59010 to redesign how value is created and ISO 59020 to measure the result.

How organizations use it in practice. Common starting points are aligning internal language so that terms such as circularity, value retention and value network mean the same thing across functions; using the principles as a screen for strategy and product-design decisions; mapping where in the value network the organization can actually influence resource flows; and identifying which of the possible actions described in the standard are relevant to the organization's sector, size and maturity. Because ISO 59004 is guidance, implementation is normally documented as a strategy or roadmap rather than a management system manual.

Certification. ISO 59004 is a guidance and vocabulary standard. There is no ISO certification scheme against it, and organizations should be cautious about claims of "ISO 59004 certification". Organizations that want a certifiable environmental management framework alongside circular economy work generally use ISO 14001, and can use ISO 59020 for circularity performance assessment.

Purpose

To provide a common vocabulary, a shared vision and guiding principles for the circular economy, together with guidance and possible actions that organizations of any type can use to implement circular approaches and contribute to sustainable development.

Key Benefits

• Common, internationally agreed vocabulary for circular economy discussions
• Clear set of principles to guide strategy, design and procurement decisions
• Framework applicable to any organization regardless of size or sector
• Structured entry point into the wider ISO 59000 series
• Supports alignment of circularity work with sustainable development objectives
• Helps avoid inconsistent or unsubstantiated internal use of circularity terminology

Key Requirements

• Understand and apply the defined circular economy terms and concepts consistently
• Adopt the vision and guiding principles of the circular economy
• Assess the organization's context, value network and sphere of influence
• Identify relevant actions across the organization's activities, products and services
• Consider resource flows and value retention across the full life cycle
• Engage interested parties in the value network
• Plan, implement and review circularity actions over time

Who Needs This Standard?

Sustainability and ESG teams, product and design engineers, procurement and supply chain functions, strategy teams, public authorities developing circular economy policy, and any organization beginning to define what circularity means for its own operations.

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