The Material Circularity Indicator (MCI) was developed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and is maintained and advanced by thinkstep-anz. Developed alongside ISO 59020 (Measuring and assessing circularity performance) MCI shaped how circularity is measured globally today.

What it is: The MCI is a single score measuring how circular a product is, from 0% (linear ‘take-make-waste’) to 100% (fully circular).

How it works: The MCI shows where materials come from, how they are used, and how they are recovered. It is a ‘living metric’ used to declare circularity at the point of manufacture and then updated downstream to reflect actual use and recovery.

Purpose: MCI Pro is widely used for measuring and declaring product circularity, it:

• Highlights hot-spots and informs product and procurement strategies
• Calculates recycled, reused, and regenerative content in complex products
• Generates product declarations for independent validation
• Outputs machine-readable Product Circularity Data Sheets (PCDS) aligned with ISO 59040 for communication and Digital Product Passports
• Is used for internal communication and for verified claims, including in EPDs

TARGET GROUP

MCI is used by product designers, manufacturers, managers, marketing and procurement teams as well as circular economy and sustainability professionals. It supports the full circularity journey, from early design, procurement, manufacturing, communication and public declaration.

FURTHER INFORMATION

This tool supports the requirements of the following ISO standards:

• ISO 59020:2024 Circular economy – Measuring and assessing circularity performance
• ISO 59040:2025 Circular economy – Product circularity data sheet.

LINKS

The Material Circularity Indicator (MCI) can be found here.