Circular Economy Standards Registry

What is the CESR?

The Circular Economy Standards Registry is a tool for finding standards, standards committees, and other related resources relevant to the circular economy. It was developed and maintained by the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST's) Circular Economy Program.

What is included in the registry?

The intent of the registry is to help stakeholders identify standards, committees, and other standards-related resources relevant to the recirculation of manufactured products and materials. The resources included address system and supply chain aspects, design, end-of-use pathways, and related metrics.

The scope of the CESR is currently limited to North American and internationally recognized standards. It prioritizes voluntary, consensus-based standards as defined by OMB Circular A-119.

How do I find resources?

You can find resources by searching for keywords or choosing among categories. Once on the search page, you can narrow your search further by selecting from several categories:

• Type of Resource: CESR resources include voluntary consensus standards; standards development organizations; and literature related standards - e.g., technical reports on standards, standards landscape analysis, and design guides developed through a consensus process.
• Actions & Attributes: Find standards that relate to specific value recovery actions—e.g., recycle, repair & maintenance—or focus areas—e.g., systems level, impact assessment.
• Product & Material Types: Choose from categories of products—e.g., electronics and textiles—or materials—e.g. plastics and metals.
• Region: The region where the standards organization is based. Resources classified as "International" are from one of the three organizations classified by the World Trade Organization as international standards organizations: the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Can I access the full text of a standard via the CESR?

The CESR is intended to help users identify relevant standards and standards- related resources and as such provides links to the relevant resources. It does not provide copies of the resources. Some of the resources linked to in this registry are freely available while others may require payment to access.

How can I suggest resources be added?

The Circular Economy Resource Registry is growing. If you know of a standard or resource that should be included in this registry, please tell us about it at [email protected].

How can I learn more about standards?

More information about standards is available from NIST's Standards Coordination Office at Standards.gov.

Who do I contact with questions?

You can contact the CESR administrator at [email protected].

Can I use CESR using a RESTful API?

Yes, CESR supports RESTful APIs. The CESR REST-based APIs allow the integration with other Web services, data entry, query, and retrieval. The RESTful API documentation can be accessed here.