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The goals of a circular economy are to reduce waste, conserve resources, and minimize environmental impact by keeping products and materials in use for as long as possible. How can this concept help Central Asia achieve sustainable growth?

ľ¹ÏÓ°Ôº¡¯s new report titled Circular Economy as an Opportunity for Central Asia demonstrates the potential of the circular economy  concept for the region.

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The report presents three circular economy action plans¡ªfor construction, agri-food, and urban management¡ªto chart a way for the circular transition in Central Asia based on several case studies analyzing the situation in different sectors in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The report shows that the benefits of resource efficiency in these sectors often significantly outweigh the costs, while encouraging further actions in innovative sectoral circular policy development and in designing new, circular funding opportunities.

Key report findings and recommendations:

• The circular economy concept is a key strategy to reduce waste and pollution, preserve ecosystems and natural resources, and cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, the countries of Central Asia are still in the early stages of the circular transition, scoring low on almost all circular economy-related indicators.
• To achieve the long-term goals of the circular transition, it is essential for countries to have action plans for respective sectors identifying practical next steps. Such plans help identify and guide policy levers while setting a framework for private sector development and contribution to the circular economy transition in those sectors.
• In Kazakhstan, there are ample opportunities to introduce circular economy business models in the construction value chain. The action plan for this sector focuses on adopting relevant regulations and standards, infrastructure investments, collaboration platforms, and pilot projects.
• In Uzbekistan, the agri-food value chain is characterized by low productivity, high post-harvest losses, water scarcity, and high GHG emissions. The action plan for this sector aims to improve its performance in terms of resource efficiency, waste prevention, and management.
• The action plan for Almaty, Kazakhstan¡¯s largest city of around two million residents, addresses excessive waste generation, lack of waste processing infrastructure, and flawed monitoring and evaluation procedures in three key material-intensive sectors in the city: construction, industry, and agriculture and food processing.
• While the report draws conclusions for the wider Central Asia region, more research is needed in other countries and sectors, potentially highlighting regional solutions to common challenges in the management of natural resources and waste.

This publication was prepared with financial support from the (KGGTF) and the Global Program for Sustainability (GPS).