Deposit return schemes, a circular-economy policy tool, incentivizes consumers with a monetary reward to return their glass and plastic bottles to retail stores, where they are collected and recycled.

Deposit Return Schemes: Germany

Extended producer responsibility instruments are based on the ‘polluter pays’ principle and aim to hold manufacturers, importers and distributors accountable for the entire life cycle of their products, shifting end-of-life costs away from the public sector and consumers.

Extended Producer Responsibility: The Netherlands

Embed goal of a ‘circular economy’ in all appropriate decision-making

Pay-As-You-Throw Schemes: South Korea

Speed use of bioplastics in consumer and business products

Recycled Content Mandates: United Kingdom

Regulations on Single-Use Plastics: Japan

Waste Import and Export Bans: China

Implement supply and demand side policies for electric vehicles to promote cost parity

Thanks to extraordinary progress achieved over the past decade, zero-CO₂ emitting technologies exist that are lower cost to operate than their fossil-fueled rivals. The list includes wind and solar power projects in most of the world and electrified vehicles in a small but growing number of nations. Yet these climate-friendly technologies do not always flourish, in part due to policies that explicitly protect incumbents.

Accelerate deployment of mature climate solutions

The current suite of cost-competitive zero-carbon technologies – wind, solar, batteries and electrified transport, among others – is poised to cut emissions meaningfully over coming decades. But to zero out emissions entirely, more technologies will be required to provide around-the-clock, zero-carbon power, decarbonize industrial processes, cut emissions associated with livestock production and meet other challenges.

Support development of new climate solutions

Despite the immediate threat posed by climate change, national governments continue to subsidize the burning of fossil fuels or underwrite their extraction through state-owned companies. While this clearly must cease, scaling back subsidies that artificially cap consumer gasoline and electricity prices can be politically challenging. Nonetheless, policy makers and others have found innovative ways to phase out fossil-fuel supports.

Phase out carbon-intensive activities

The scope of the climate crisis is forcing smart policy makers to take a multidecadal view of the problem. But policies are only as good as the frameworks that exist to implement and enforce them. Policy makers must recognize that to attract investment in low-carbon technologies – and enjoy the associated economic benefits – they must construct governance structures that are durable and long-lasting.

Create appropriate climate transition governance

Manufacturing, producing basic materials and other industrial activities account for about a quarter of annual global CO₂ emissions. This includes energy-intensive processes such as steelmaking, refining of chemicals and fuels and making consumer and other goods.

Industry and Materials

Establish material efficiency standards and targets for producers and consumers of high-emitting materials, Targets for recycled content in end-use applications of materials, Plan, finance and build the ecosystem and infrastructure to bring back end-of-life/use materials

Introduce circular economy requirements for producers and consumers of emissions-intensive materials

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