In 2025, an updated assessment concluded what many had feared: The seventh boundary breach was a fact. The increasing acidity of the oceans has now gone beyond safe territory, much due to the rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This affects the oceans’ ability to act as a stabilising carbon sink, threatening sensitive marine ecosystems and accelerating climate change.
– Crossing a single planetary boundary can make it impossible for our children to inhabit the Earth. With seven out of nine processes out of the safe zone, there is no time to lose. We must make circular business the norm, says Pär.
Mankind’s consumption rate of more than 100 billion tonnes of raw materials every year, a staggering 93% of which is virgin, has a tremendous impact on the planetary boundaries. It is responsible for more than half of all climate emissions, threatens biodiversity, and is linked to water shortage. The good news is that just a slight increase in the share of recycled raw materials used by companies would go a long way towards mitigating the risks.
– Circular business models, where we use the resources we already have, over and over again, are the only way to conduct business within planetary boundaries. When they are designed to include detoxification, waste becomes the solution.
