As of 2023, only 28 percent of NDCs explicitly mention circular economy (CE) as part of their mitigation measures. However, CE approaches can contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in several NDC sub-sectors, thereby raising climate ambition.

Building Circularity into NDCs: A Practical Toolbox (CE-NDC Toolbox) aims to support countries in identifying, prioritizing, implementing, and tracking CE interventions in their NDCs to raise ambition and accelerate implementation as part of a just and inclusive transition. The toolbox is organized in four stages to leverage a country’s policy cycle, from assessing the GHG emissions associated with material use and prioritising sectors/sub-sectors for the NDC to defining CE policy responses, identifying policy instruments, and tracking and reporting progress in national Biennial Transparency Reports (BTR) as part of the NDC process. Each stage includes a set of steps and key questions to consider, as well as tools, case studies, and checklists. Examples of how to use the toolbox in two high-impact sectors (construction and food waste) are also provided.

This issue brief is the first in a series to explore opportunities for enhanced circularity in Viet Nam's agricultural sector. It focuses on opportunities for resource recovery and the reuse of agro-waste, specifically for rice production and livestock farming. It is concerned with Stage 1 of the CE-NDC Toolbox, proposing that the problem be assessed with available data to identify entry points for CE interventions.