The CEMM is a structured framework developed by Ingram Micro Lifecycle in collaboration with Research HQ to help businesses assess and improve their circular economy practices. It provides guidance on integrating circular economy principles into business operations, optimising resource efficiency, and tracking sustainability progress.

The CEMM helps organisations transition from a linear “take, make, dispose” model to a circular economy approach. Key benefits include:

• Improved resource efficiency
• Enhanced returns and recovery processes
• Structured reverse logistics and recommerce systems
• Stronger stakeholder collaboration
• Advanced measurement and reporting on circular economy performance

The CEMM evaluates organisations across five key dimensions:

• Strategy & Governance – Circular economy integration into business strategy.
• Resource Efficiency – Maximizing the reuse of materials and reducing waste.
• Product Lifecycle – Managing product returns, recovery, recommerce, and recycling.
• Stakeholder Collaboration – Engaging partners, suppliers, and customers.
• Measurement & Reporting – Tracking performance with structured metrics and KPIs.

The CEMM is designed to be scalable and adaptable for the high-end consumer tech sector. It tailors maturity levels and KPIs to specific business needs, ensuring that companies at different stages of circular economy implementation can benefit.

The model defines five maturity levels:

1. Provisional – No formal circular economy strategy; minimal efficiency.
2. Reactive – Initial efforts, often driven by regulations or market demand.
3. Structured – Established policies and systematic resource management.
4. Integrated – Circular principles embedded into core operations.
5. Optimised – Full circular economy integration with advanced technologies.

Organisations can assess their maturity using the Circular Economy Maturity Matrix, which provides structured criteria for evaluating progress across the five dimensions.

The CEMM does not specify a fixed reassessment time frame but emphasises continuous improvement and tracking of key metrics to measure progress.

The document highlights the need for:

• Governance frameworks to align circular economy efforts with business strategy.
• Technology integration, including AI, IoT, and blockchain for efficiency.
• Reverse logistics systems to manage product returns and recovery.
• Cross-functional collaboration across departments.

The CEMM emphasises reducing waste, optimising resource use, and maximising material recovery through structured policies and measurable KPIs.

The model provides a structured approach for developing reverse logistics systems, optimising returns processing, and recommerce strategies. It outlines key metrics such as recovery efficiency and recommerce rates.

The CEMM promotes closed-loop systems by encouraging businesses to design products with reuse and recyclability in mind. It highlights strategies for returns, recovery, refurbishment, and recommerce.

The model identifies key technologies that support circular economy implementation, including:

• AI for returns prediction
• Blockchain for supply chain transparency
• IoT for real-time monitoring
• Advanced analytics for tracking and optimising resource efficiency

The CEMM highlights stakeholder collaboration as a core dimension, emphasising proactive engagement with suppliers, partners, and customers to align sustainability efforts.

The CEMM provides key performance indicators (KPIs), including:

• Waste reduction
• Resource efficiency
• Carbon footprint tracking
• Recommerce rates
• Recovery efficiency
• Return processing time

Yes, the CEMM guides aligning circular economy initiatives with sustainability regulations and ESG requirements. It includes measurement and reporting frameworks to help companies meet compliance obligations.

The CEMM self-assessment tool evaluates an organisation’s maturity in adopting circular economy principles by measuring its performance across five key pillars: Strategy & Governance, Resource Efficiency, Product Lifecycle Management, Stakeholder Collaboration, and Measurement & Reporting. The tool assigns scores based on a structured questionnaire, with responses mapped to different maturity levels ranging from Provisional to Optimised.

The CEMM scoring methodology evaluates circular maturity across three key functional areas:

• Supply Chain
• Logistics
• ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)

Within each area, the tool differentiates between:

• Decision Makers (who focus on strategy and governance)
• Implementers (who execute operational processes)

The scoring weights are tailored to the specific responsibilities of each role.

The five pillars assessed in the CEMM scoring methodology are:

1. Strategy & Governance – Evaluates how well circular economy principles are embedded into the organisation’s strategic planning and governance.
2. Resource Efficiency – Assesses the effectiveness of efforts to optimise resource use and minimise waste.
3. Product Lifecycle Management – Measures how well organisations integrate recovery, returns, and recommerce into their business processes.
4. Stakeholder Collaboration – Examines engagement with suppliers, partners, and customers to drive circular economy goals.
5. Measurement & Reporting – Tracks progress through key sustainability metrics such as waste reduction and carbon footprint analysis.

The CEMM uses a weighted scoring system where participants answer questions on a 1 to 5 scale, indicating their level of maturity in each pillar:

• 1 = Provisional (Minimal circular economy adoption)
• 2 = Reactive (Ad-hoc circular initiatives exist)
• 3 = Structured (Formal strategies are in place but not fully optimised)
• 4 = Integrated (Circular economy principles are embedded across the organisation)
• 5 = Optimized (Circular economy is fully integrated, driving innovation and efficiency)

Weighted scores vary based on the participant’s role to reflect their primary responsibilities:

• Decision Makers focus on long-term strategy and governance, so their scores weigh heavily on Strategy & Governance and Stakeholder Collaboration.
• Implementers are responsible for day-to-day operations, so their scores emphasise Resource Efficiency and Product Lifecycle Management.
• Logistics and ESG professionals have different weight distributions based on their impact areas.

These tailored weightings ensure that each role is evaluated on the pillars most relevant to their function.

The CEMM self-assessment will only take five minutes, but its insights and recommendations will be incredibly valuable. This assessment will help you understand where your organisation stands in its circular economy journey and provide actionable insights that your team can use internally to drive meaningful progress.

Completing the CEMM provides organisations with a clear roadmap for improving their circular economy practices. The benefits vary based on roles within the organisation:

• For C-Suite and Senior Executives: Focus on strategic benefits, business growth, risk mitigation, and sustainability leadership. The CEMM enables high-level decision-making that aligns sustainability goals with corporate strategy.
• For Mid-Level Managers: Emphasize departmental improvements, efficiency gains, and cost reduction. The model helps managers streamline operations, enhance cross-functional collaboration, and achieve measurable improvements.
• For Specialists and Team Leads: Highlight practical solutions and day-to-day benefits. The CEMM provides actionable steps to optimise processes, improve waste management, and enhance workflow efficiency.

Research HQ (RHQ) is a leading provider of high-impact research reports, guides, and interactive tools to help businesses establish thought leadership and build brand awareness. RHQ specialises in creating authoritative content that connects organisations with key stakeholders and decision-makers, ensuring that insights reach the right people at the right time in the right way. RHQ helps businesses bridge the gap between thought leadership and meaningful engagement, driving B2B growth through research-driven relationships.