Lobuntsova Yuliya, Director of the Waste and Chemical Safety Department of the Center "Cooperation for Sustainable Development"

Baizakova Aldina, Specialist in standardization and certification ofthe Kazakhstan Waste Management Association "KazWaste"

Talgat Sholpan, PR specialist of the Kazakhstan Waste Management Association "KazWaste"

The transition to a circular economy is currently a global trend, and this is obvious. The circular economy, which is an economy of a restorative and closed nature, strives to preserve the usefulness and value of products, materials and components all the time, while taking into account the differences in technical and biological cycles. Circular economy, unlike linear economy, which assumes the principle of “take- make - waste", is based on the principle oftake-make- reuse. It allows minimizing the consumption of primary raw materials and the volume of processed resources, which is accompanied by a decrease in waste sent to landfill, while reducing the area of landfills and unorganized landfills.

The development of the circular economy is an important task of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The concept for transition of the Republic of Kazakhstan to "green economy" assumes an increase in the share of waste recycling, a reduction in the number of landfills and the development of a closed-cycle economy. In addition, the Strategy for achieving carbon neutrality until 2060 is based on the principle of circular economy and involves reducing waste generation, accelerating the introduction of full coverage of collection and sorting of solid waste and increasing the share of recyclable and composted waste.

For development of the circular economy, various countries actively use an integrated approach: from the establishment of legislative norms and rules, the introduction of technologies, financing and changing approaches to doing business, to the formation of society's willingness to change its habits.

The transition from a linear economy to a circular one is impossible without effective standards that would cover a wide range of applications: from waste management and resource recycling to standards for products and technologies.

Here we can identify several key reasons why standards in the circular economy play an important role in ensuring efficient and sustainable use of resources:

• Unification of processes. This simplifies the implementation and maintenance of sustainable practices in various sectors and countries. For example, if the technologies for manufacturing products from recycled materials have already been introduced in another country or in the EU, it is advisable to introduce national standards based on foreign, already working standards.

• Quality and safety assurance. When there are certain criteria, it is much more effective to ensure the quality and safety of resources, materials and products used in the circular economy. The standards define these criteria. In this regard, it is through the development of standards in the field of circular economy that it is possible to achieve the quality of products produced on the principle of a closed cycle. This helps to prevent negative environmental and social consequences.

• Improved compatibility and sharing. The standards ensure compatibility between different resource management and recycling systems. And this, in turn, simplifies the exchange of materials and components between different enterprises and industries. If the secondary raw materials meet the requirements of the standards, then the manufacturer of products from this raw material will confidently use such raw materials in its production.

•           Building consumer confidence. Clear and transparent standards will allow consumers to be confident in the quality and sustainability of products. After all, any consumer prefers to use and consume products of established quality, taking care of the health and well-being of themselves and loved ones.

•           Promoting the consistency of legislation. Standards can serve as basis for development of appropriate legislation and regulations in the field of circular economy, which simplifies the implementation and compliance with requirements. Standards, unlike legislative acts, are adopted and work much faster. This makes it possible to see in practice the applicability of the requirements established in the standards, the relevance and the result of their work. And if the requirements set out in the standards are met, contribute to the development of the economy and improve the quality of products and services, then it is safe to set them at a mandatory level.

Today, there are a number of international and national standards focused on the circular economy. The key of them is BS 8001:2017 standard, developed by the British Standards Institute (BSI). It provides a guide to the application of the principles of circular economy in organizations. The standard was published in 2017 and is called "BS 8001:2017 Framework for implementing the principles of the circular economy in organizations -Guide".

BS 8001 offers a number of framework principles for integrating circular economy practices into business processes. These principles may include long-term planning, supply chain collaboration, risk and opportunity management, and monitoring and measurement. The standard defines how to implement the principles of circular economy in the organization in order to create value through process, product, service innovations or new business models (Figure 1).

BS 8001 is not a certification standard, but rather a guideline that organizations can use to develop their own circular economy strategies.

Currently, there are 88 standards in the field of waste management in Kazakhstan.

However, separate standards in the field of circular economy have not been approved.

In order to develop the circular economy, the technical committee for standardization TC122 "Circular Economy. Sustainable production and consumption" was created in 2023, the basic organization of which was KazWaste Association. The Technical Committee for Standardization in the Field of Circular Economy is of great relevance in the modern world.

It will help to establish standards for assessing the life cycle of products and processes in the circular economy, which will allow comparing different approaches and assessing their environmental and economic benefits.

In general, the technical committee for standardization will play an important role in the development of the circular economy, ensuring the establishment of common standards and regulations, increasing transparency and reliability, reducing barriers and accelerating the introduction of circular approaches in various sectors of the economy.

As part of the work of TC 122 technical committee, it is planned to develop and introduce a national standard for implementation of the principles of circular economy based on the above- mentioned British standard BS 8001. The approval of this standard will help Kazakhstani enterprises to come to an understanding of the processes of implementing the principles of the circular economy and take the first steps towards its development.

The Technical Committee for Standardization TC122 plans to help in solving the issues of implementing the principles of circular economy, sustainable production and consumption by analyzing the experience of advanced countries and adapting foreign standards in this area to the specifics of Kazakhstan, as well as by developing new standards taking into account the practical experience of local enterprises.

Thus, the awareness of the importance of standardization in the circular economy, ensuring the effective implementation and development of this approach, plays a key role in the formation and strengthening of the foundations of the circular economy. The development and adoption of standards based on the principles of circular economy contributes to improving product quality, improving the efficiency of recycling processes and waste management. The development of standardization in the field of circular economy in Kazakhstan will contribute to the rapid and systematic development of the country's economy in the future in accordance with the strategic documents of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

*Source: Presentation by Kristina Allen - Lead Program Manager, Standards for Sustainable Development. British Standards Institute.