Circular Prosperity: A Southeast Asian Blueprint for Business, Government, and Education to Regenerate Growth

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Circular Prosperity: A Southeast Asian Blueprint for Business, Government, and Education to Regenerate Growth by Dr. Daniel CF Ng 伍长辉 博士 of Omni Integra and SustNET Sustainable Business Network 

The Global Circularity Protocol for Business (GCP), launched at COP30 by WBCSD – World Business Council for Sustainable Development and UNEP’s One Planet Network, provides a unified, science-based framework for measuring and managing circularity. 

It transforms sustainability from a reporting exercise into a pathway for prosperity, helping businesses and governments align growth with environmental regeneration.

The GCP’s five stages — Frame, Prepare, Measure, Manage, and Communicate — give organizations a clear process to identify circularity hotspots, measure material flows, and turn results into actionable strategies. 

For governments, this can inform procurement policies, waste management, and urban design. 

For businesses, it offers data to track resource efficiency and reduce risks from material scarcity and regulation.

Examples in Southeast Asia already mirror this direction. 

Singapore’s GreenGov.SG embeds circularity into city systems; Malaysia’s Circular Economy Roadmap and Indonesia’s EPR programs can integrate GCP metrics for better accountability. 

A Thai hospital can reuse equipment safely; a Vietnamese furniture factory can upcycle wood waste; and cleaning and waste management companies can close material loops by innovating beyond disposal.

To future-proof the workforce, educators can integrate GCP principles into training — teaching students to design with regeneration in mind.

By linking business strategy, policy, and education, we create a loop of learning and doing.

The message is simple yet profound: circularity is not just a sustainability goal; it’s a prosperity model. 

When businesses and governments adopt frameworks like the GCP, they don’t just save the planet — they redesign the economy to thrive within its limits.

By Dr. Daniel CF Ng, Omni-Integra LLP