Reporting measurements or measuring for reporting? Internal measurement of the Circular Economy from an environmental accounting approach and its relationship

Abstract

This study presents a model to measure Circular Economy (CE) in businesses from the point of view of both the range of activities and the intensity with which they are implemented to close material circles. The scope of CE is analysed from an environmental accounting approach with the aim of knowing the degree of implementation of the CE and increasing our understanding of the relationship between the implementation of CE in firms and environmental management accounting and reporting practices (EMAR) developed. The results of an empirical survey conducted on a sample of Spanish companies will be used to examine environmental accounting and reporting practices that can be related to the implementation and measurement of CE and also to the progress being made by these companies in closing material and resource circles. The principal results show that CE activities are generally adopted without thinking in an integrated view of CE principles. Furthermore, there is a moderate correlation between the level of circularity of companies and the development of EMAR practices. This correlation is higher the greater the number of EMAR practices that have been developed, especially the implementation of environmental management systems or the development of transparency and reporting policies. Although firms are progressively adopting practices related to CE, the lack of specific indicators does not allow firms to specifically account for their effect on the closing of material loops.

Keywords

• Circular Economy
• Environmental Accounting
• Sustainability report
• Reporting