*Article originally shared on my LinkedIn Profile.

I came across the latest “Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report, 2025” last week… Let’s face it: our energy transition efforts have a bit of a split personality disorder. On one hand, we’re celebrating that 292 million more people have electricity today than in 2023. On the other hand, we’re conveniently whispering about how we’re nowhere near the COP28 goals for renewable energy.

Energy Efficiency: The Wallflower at the Sustainability Dance

Energy efficiency is the unsung hero of our transition efforts, the “first fuel” that never gets invited to the cool kids’ table. While everyone’s obsessing over shiny solar panels and majestic wind turbines (which are fantastic, don’t get me wrong), efficiency sits in the corner saving us money and creating jobs with barely a thank you.

The data speaks for itself (Multiple Benefits of Energy Efficiency): every million dollars invested in energy efficiency creates between 5 and 22 jobs. That’s not just good environmental policy; that’s smart economics. Yet somehow, we still treat efficiency like that awkward cousin at family gatherings, acknowledged but never fully embraced.

The Circular Economy Plot Twist: It’s Not Just About Recycling Your Coffee Cups

Maybe it’s because I’m about to finish my postgraduate studies in circular economy and I’m a bit (more) obsessed with the topic, but I can’t help seeing it everywhere I look. Here’s where the circular economy enters our story, not just as a supporting character but as the plot twist that changes everything. The energy transition has a dirty little secret: it requires massive amounts of critical raw materials (lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements) that we’re extracting at unsustainable rates.

Don’t believe me?

Tomorrow, July 24, 2025, marks this year’s Earth Overshoot Day, the day that humanity’s demand for ecological resources exceeds the resources Earth can regenerate within that year. Over the decades, the ecological footprint of humans has gradually increased, all while Earth’s biocapacity, i.e., its ability to regenerate resources, has diminished significantly. That has led to Earth Overshoot Day arriving earlier and earlier, moving from as late as December 31 in 1972 to mid-July in 2025 and previous years.

I believe that the circular imperative isn’t just about reducing waste; it’s about completely reimagining how we source these materials. Through urban mining (a fancy term for recovering materials from our electronic waste), advanced recycling technologies, and designing products for disassembly, we can keep these precious materials in circulation.

Imagine if every decommissioned solar panel or electric vehicle battery became the “mine” for the next generation of clean energy technologies. That’s not just circular thinking; that’s closing the loop on our most pressing resource challenges.

Digital Traceability: Because “Trust Me, Bro” Isn’t a Verification Strategy

Now, let’s talk about digital traceability, not only because I really like to promote Finboot but because it’s the superhero tool that brings transparency to our murky supply chains. When a company claims their cobalt is “ethically sourced,” how do we verify that? Currently, it’s often through paperwork that could have more creative fiction than my last attempt at writing a novel.

Digital traceability technologies (yes, blockchain, IoT sensors, and AI analytics) create immutable records of material flows from extraction to end-of-life. This isn’t just tech for tech’s sake; it’s about answering critical questions:

• Was this lithium extracted using child labor?
• Did this copper mining operation contribute to deforestation in the Amazon?
• Are the working conditions in this rare earth processing facility fair?

Without these systems, our claims of “just transitions” remain just that: claims. With them, we create accountability that transforms lofty sustainability reports into verifiable facts.

Just Transitions: Because We Shouldn’t Have to Choose Between Jobs and Polar Bears

The concept of just transitions recognizes that shifting to clean energy shouldn’t create new inequalities while solving environmental problems. It’s not particularly revolutionary to suggest that saving the planet shouldn’t require sacrificing vulnerable communities, yet here we are, still having to make this point.

Digital traceability makes just transitions measurable and accountable. When Kenya provides electricity access to 38,000 people in the Kakuma Refugee Camp while creating 375 jobs (Blueprint for Action on Just and Inclusive Energy Transitions), digital systems have the potential to verify these outcomes and ensure benefits are distributed equitably. It’s the difference between well-intentioned projects and transparent, verifiable impact.

Corporate Compliance: From Checkbox Exercise to Competitive Advantage

For companies, this convergence of circular principles and digital traceability transforms compliance from a boring checkbox exercise into a strategic advantage. The EU Deforestation Regulation, the EU’s Battery Regulation, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, and upcoming sustainability regulations all demand greater transparency in supply chains.

Early adopters of circular models backed by robust traceability systems won’t just comply with these regulations, they’ll thrive under them. They’ll reduce material costs, mitigate supply risks, enhance brand reputation, and access green financing opportunities that laggards can only dream about.

The Bottom Line: This Isn’t Your Grandparents’ Sustainability Strategy

As we face the triple challenges of energy access, climate change, and resource constraints, the integration of circular economy principles with just transitions isn’t optional. Digital traceability provides the verification mechanism that transforms lofty aspirations into measurable progress.

The companies and countries that recognize this shift early will find themselves ahead of both regulatory curves and market demands. Those that don’t will be left explaining why they’re still operating like it’s 2010 while their competitors are capturing the opportunities of 2030.

The path forward isn’t just about producing more clean energy anymore. Now, it’s about producing it more intelligently, more equitably, and more circularly. And if that sounds challenging, well… nobody said saving the world would be easy. But with the right approaches, it can definitely be rewarding: economically, socially, and environmentally.

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Hi, I'm Flávia Sales, a circular economy advocate with a passion for digital systems that make sustainability measurable, verifiable, and reliable. I'm the marketing manager of Finboot, which provides blockchain-based traceability solutions. I am also the co-host of Green Supply Chain Talks, the company's podcast interview series, and recently won the WCS Queer Leader Award in Innovation & Sustainability.

To reach out, message me at info@flaviasales.com