The circular economy offers a framework for reducing waste and increasing sustainability by keeping materials in use through repair, reuse, and recycling. However, scaling the circular economy requires overcoming challenges like connecting suppliers and buyers of used materials, tracking materials flows, and financing circular business models. 

In this session, the ADB Circular Economy Webinar Series explored how circular platform business models can help overcome these barriers and accelerate the transition to a circular economy. Circular platforms leverage technology and ecosystem governance to facilitate circular flows, increase transparency, and build circular supply chains. 

The speakers also provided an overview of key circular platform models like materials marketplaces, product-as-a-service platforms, and reverse logistics platforms. Drawing on real-world examples, they also discussed how these platforms create circular value and reduce linear material throughput at scale. 

Participants learned how circular platforms can help scale remanufacturing and recycling, extend product lifetimes, and enable circular business innovations. The webinar provided strategies and best practices that organizations can follow to harness the potential of platforms to advance the circular economy.