The Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE) concluded operations as a separate secretariat in WRI in 2025. Its mission and key initiatives have transitioned into ongoing programs at WRI and partners like the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the Systems Transformation Hub in Brussels.

PACE brought together leaders from governments, businesses and civil society to accelerate the transition to a circular economy at scale. Through its action-oriented community, it enabled collaboration, knowledge-sharing and the development of practical solutions to improve both environmental and human well-being. PACE was initiated by the World Economic Forum and hosted by WRI in The Hague.

The partnership was a response to the growing challenges posed by the linear global economy. This model has led to significant societal challenges, including resource depletion, climate change, waste, pollution and health hazards. These pressures threaten long-term economic growth, jobs, security, health and environmental well-being. At the same time, the transition to a circular economy presented a major opportunity, with estimated economic benefits of $4.5 trillion over a decade, exceeding those of maintaining business as usual.

Circular economy solutions are critical to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals and preventing irreversible climate impacts.

PACE’s strategy focused on three activity pillars: Leadership, Learning and Projects. These pillars interacted closely to implement and scale circular approaches.

Leadership

The transition to a circular economy requires leadership across society and the economy, including from governments, businesses and civil society. PACE convened a global leadership group committed to advancing this transition, working together to overcome specific barriers, pilot new initiatives and scale best practices for maximum impact.

Learning

PACE captured and translated learnings from projects into replicable frameworks and approaches. Knowledge generated from mapping exercises across thematic areas, facilitating cross-learnings and disseminating approaches informed leadership action across the PACE community and enabled the scaling of circular solutions.

Projects

PACE catalyzed new projects and supported partner-led projects to scale-up circular economy action on plastics; electronics and capital equipment; food and agriculture; and textiles and fashion. Other focus areas were finance, metrics and innovation, with projects spanning Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe.

PACE’s legacy continues through other programs and partnerships and support global efforts to drive systems change and accelerate the transition to a circular economy.

Legacy documents from PACE*

Disclaimer: The documents without links are provided as supplemental material and have not been reviewed for quality by World Resources Institute.