A paper describing the circular economy as a vital enabler for the sustainable use of resources to achieve the UN agenda for SDGs was published in the journal Circular Economy on 14 April 2025 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cec.2025.100140). In this article, Khajuria and co-authors focused on reuse, recycling, and resource optimization, which assist businesses, governments, and communities in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

They published their study on 14 April 2025, in Circular Economy.

The SDG accelerator initiative focuses on leveraging circular economy principles to drive efficient and sustainable consumption, directly supporting the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. The circular economy model emphasizes reducing waste, maximizing resource efficiency, and promoting product longevity, repairability, and recyclability to minimize environmental impact and ensure the well-being of current and future generations.

Sustainable consumption is defined as using resources more efficiently and mindfully to meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. It emphasizes promoting long-lasting, reusable, and recyclable products to reduce pressure on natural resources and minimize waste. Transitioning to a circular economy involves designing products for durability, repairability, and recyclability, as well as fostering practices such as reusing, refurbishing, and recycling. These actions directly reduce waste and resource depletion, making them essential to achieving SDG 12.

The lead author, Anupam Khajuria, a research fellow and academic associate at the United Nations University, Japan, underlines – “Transitioning to a circular economy is not just an environmental imperative, but a powerful accelerator for sustainable growth. By reimagining how we design, use, and reuse resources, we can drive efficient consumption, empower small businesses, and unlock new opportunities for innovation. The SDG Accelerator demonstrates that when we invest in circular solutions, we pave the way for resilient economies that responsible production and consumption become the foundation for a sustainable future for all”.

“Efficient sustainable consumption is at the heart of a thriving circular economy, which holds the key to addressing the planet’s urgent environmental challenges. By embedding circular principles into business models, supply chains, and consumer behavior, we can drastically reduce waste and resource depletion”, explains Prabhat Verma, a co-author and a professor at Osaka University, Japan.