Stationery & office supplies
Paper: unprinted paper for writing (e.g. letter paper) and printing (e.g. copier paper), made from new and/or recycled fibres.
Writing, drawing & correcting: materials for writing, drawing, painting, and marking (e.g., pens, pencils, markers, felt-tip pens, highlighters, paints, erasers).
Organization & filing: products and tools for structuring, organising, and managing tasks, projects, and time (e.g., calendars, diaries, notebooks, notepads, sketchpads, folders, sticky notes, labels).
Envelopes & mailing bags: unprinted products including various types of envelopes and bags used for transporting and protecting documents.
Printed documents: printed products such as magazines, newspapers, books, brochures, flyers, leaflets, catalogues, posters, envelopes, and other printed materials.
Furniture
Wooden furniture: furniture primarily made from wood or wood-based materials (e.g., desks, shelves, cabinets, chairs, doors, tables, beds, benches, and similar items).
Other furniture: furniture primarily made from materials other than wood, such as metal, plastic, textiles, or composite materials.
Electronic devices
Desktop computers: stationary computers designed for fixed use, usually accompanied by a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
Laptops: portable computers designed for mobility and used for various professional, educational, or personal tasks.
Smartphones & tablets: mobile devices combining communication functions (calls, messaging) with digital content management (apps, web browsing, games), suitable for both professional and private use.
Displays: monitors and screens for displaying digital content (e.g., desktop monitors, televisions, touchscreens).
Printers & multifunction devices: devices for printing documents, scanning, copying, and sometimes faxing. This subcategory includes inkjet printers, laser printers, and multifunction models.
Ink & toner cartridges: consumables used in printers and copiers to produce text and images.
Washing & cleaning
Cleaning products for hard surfaces: cleaning agents such as all-purpose, glass, sanitary, kitchen, and window cleaners, intended for both private and professional use.
Detergent (dishwasher & handwashing): cleaning products for handwashing as well as for dishwashers. They are intended for both private and professional use.
Hygiene paper: hygiene papers intended for use as toilet paper, kitchen and household towels, napkins, hand towels, facial tissues, or handkerchiefs, which may come into direct contact with the human body or, if applicable, with food.
Detergent (for textiles): laundry detergents, washing boosters, and pre-treatment stain removers intended for washing textiles. They are designed for both private and professional use.
Textiles
Textile clothing & footwear: clothing, footwear and accessories that are predominantly or entirely made of textiles.
Leather goods & footwear: footwear, clothing, and accessories made entirely or predominantly from leather.
Interior textiles: textiles intended for indoor use in buildings, consisting entirely or predominantly of textile fibres (e.g., carpets, upholstery fabrics, curtains, bedding, and cleaning textiles).
Food
General: foods and beverages and covers multiple product subcategories at once (e.g., meat, dairy, beverages, processed foods). The aim of this category is to apply content in a simplified and cross-cutting way.
Fresh fruit & vegetables: plant-based foods that are predominantly consumed raw or freshly prepared.
Meat & fish: animal-based foods from land animals as well as from aquaculture.
Dairy, eggs & honey: milk and products derived from it (e.g., yogurt, cheese, butter), eggs from chickens, and honey from bees.
Bakery: sweet as well as savory foods, including bread, rolls, cakes, pastries, croissants, or cookies.
Beverages: alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, as well as coffee, tea, and similar infusion-based drinks.
Energy & emissions
Energy consumption (production): reduction of energy use and implementation of sustainable energy sources in the production process.
Energy efficiency (usage): reduction of electricity consumption and efficient energy management during the usage phase.
Emissions (production): monitoring, reduction, sequestration, or compensation of harmful emissions (e.g., CO₂, N₂O) in production processes.
Seasonal: natural growing cycle of fruits and vegetables, or the period of the year during which certain varieties are ripe and harvested, depending on the seasons.
Local & regional: prioritisation of the immediate geographic area to promote short transport routes and support regional value creation.
Resources
Organic & sustainable content: environmentally friendly and resource-efficient production of plants, animals, or aquaculture products according to ecological standards, where chemical additives and genetic engineering are largely avoided, and the environment, ecosystems, and animal welfare are actively protected.
Recycled content: proportion of recycled material (partially or fully) included in the product, consisting of pre-consumer or post-consumer recyclates.
Bio-based content from sustainable sources: products made wholly or partially from renewable, organic raw materials (e.g., of plant or animal origin) whose source materials come from sustainably managed sources.
Packaging: use of environmentally friendly packaging, considering reuse, recycled materials, efficient material use, and/or recyclability of the packaging.
Extended & better use
Design for recycling: products designed with their end-of-life in mind to facilitate recycling and reuse (e.g., through the use of recyclable materials, avoidance of harmful substances, and easy disassembly).
Sharing: providing temporary or collective access to products without transferring ownership, enabling their use by multiple people and reducing the need for new products.
Extended warranty: a product warranty that exceeds the standard coverage period (typically 2 years; in this context, often >5 years, depending on the product category), providing consumers with extended protection against repairs or replacements.
Refillability: for example, refillable spray bottles for cleaning and washing products, or refillable writing instruments for office supplies
Repairability: the ability to easily repair a product to extend its lifespan (e.g., through the provision of manuals and spare parts, and the possibility for consumables to be replaced even by untrained personnel).
Reuse: the secondary use of a product by another user for the same purpose (e.g., second-hand options).
Repair: to restore a product to working condition by correcting defects or damage, so that it can continue to be used for its intended purpose. This can involve replacing internal components or improving external elements, giving products a second life with renewed value.
Refurbish: restoring and improving (old) products to a functional or upgraded condition.
Upcycling: transforming discarded materials or products into new items with a different purpose, often of equal or higher value than the original
Take-back service: a system implemented by manufacturers to ensure the recovery and reuse of products at the end of their lifecycle.
Water
Water consumption (production): consideration of maximum water usage during production, along with monitoring and transparent reporting of water consumption by the operators.
Water pollution: prevention of water pollution, protection and preservation of water quality, and sustainable water management (e.g., wastewater treatment).
Human & social wellbeing
Consumer health: requirements to protect consumers from health hazards and harmful substances (e.g., prohibition of hazardous chemicals, avoidance of formaldehyde and biocides, compliance with health regulations such as REACH) and to promote overall consumer well-being (e.g., ergonomic product design).
Social responsibility: promotion of ethical practices across the entire production and supply chain (e.g., fair working conditions, employee health and safety, measures for equality and non-discrimination, compliance with human rights standards).
Fair trade: promotion of fair trading practices, fair prices for producers (often in developing countries), and sustainable production.
Animal welfare
Animal welfare: requirements and practices ensuring the protection and well-being of animals throughout the supply chain (e.g., sourcing of animal materials, exclusion of endangered species, and avoidance of practices causing unnecessary suffering to animals).
No animal testing: no animal testing conducted for ingredients and/or the final product.
Vegetarian & vegan: vegetarian products contain no meat or fish but may include milk, eggs, honey, or other animal by-products. Vegan products exclude all animal-derived ingredients.
Environmental label
A voluntary certification applied to a product or service, attesting to its environmental and/or social qualities and aiming to inform consumers. On b.circular, the focus is on Type I ecolabels or equivalent labels (e.g., generally recognized labels, multi-criteria approach, transparent criteria, and independent verification).
Initiative
A project, service or offering that promotes the principles of the circular economy by supporting more efficient resource use and extending product lifespans, notably through sharing, reuse, repair, refurbishment or upcycling of products and materials. On b.circular, the focus is on initiatives based in Luxembourg that pursue a public-interest objective or provide primarily social and environmental benefits.
