Building industrial resilience through the circular economy

In recent years, several geopolitical events have shaken up the industrial landscape. They’ve disrupted supply chains, limited access to certain resources and challenged economic security, forcing companies to operate in a more uncertain environment, one where agility and resilience are now essential.

According to EY's Top 10 risks and opportunities for mining and metals companies in 2025, geopolitics ranks as the third greatest challenge in the sector, up from last year. BloombergNEF’s 2024 report also points out that clean energy investments are increasingly focused on supply chain resilience and recycling, with circular strategies emerging as a safeguard against geopolitical tensions and inflation-related risks.

In this context, rethinking supply models, especially by integrating circular approaches, can be a powerful strategy to reduce a country’s dependency on external resources.

However, this requires a deep transformation of industrial processes. There are several essential conditions for organizations looking to begin or speed up this transition:

• Mapping material flows
  Understanding where resources come from, how they’re used and when they become waste or recoverable losses.
• Adapting production processes
  Integrating technologies that enable the recovery, processing and reuse of surplus or end-of-life materials.
• Rethinking logistics and supply chains
  Setting up local or regional loops, optimizing transport distances and collaborating with upstream and downstream partners.
• Assessing feasibility
  Measuring the real impact of circular solutions on costs, operational performance and environmental objectives.
• Ensuring regulatory compliance and traceability
  Making sure all proposed solutions comply with environmental, health and safety, and transparency standards.

“Sustainability is no longer an add-on—it is a new way of seeing and shaping the industrial world. By combining engineering depth with ethical foresight, we help our clients design solutions that are as just as they are resilient” explains Joe Nava, Global Director, Advanced Fuels and Chemicals at BBA.

Beyond the environmental benefits, the circular economy is a strategic lever, driving innovation, reinforcing resilience, and supporting economic sovereignty.

What if it was the key to navigating geopolitical and economic volatility?