TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR OBTAINING A CERTIFICATION

Overview

Definitions

Applicant/Participant/User: shall mean any individual, organization, company, partnership, institution, governmental body, or other entity registering for, accessing, purchasing, participating in, or otherwise using any course, certification program, service, platform, or offering provided by CEA under these Terms and Conditions, the General Terms and Conditions, the Privacy Policy, and any other applicable policies or written instructions issued by CEA.

Body of Knowledge: The Circular Economy Body of Knowledge is a unique research-driven effort jointly led by the Circular Economy Research Center (CERC) of the École des Ponts Business School and the Circular Economy Alliance (CEA). The Pact for Skills, a flagship initiative of the European Commission launched on 10 November 2020, under the European Skills Agenda for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness, and resilience stresses the importance of joining forces and taking concrete action aimed at upskilling and reskilling the workforce. Responding to the call, CERC and CEA joined forces to provide the global workforce with credible, research- and practice-based skills training in the domain of Circular Economy. The existing gap between Circular Economy skill requirements and skills availability needs to be closed. In this respect, this novel and niche Body of Knowledge serves a purpose-driven agenda.

Certification/Certificate/Certification Program: shall refer to any Circular Economy certification program, certification level, certificate, or related credential issued by CEA and based upon the Circular Economy Body of Knowledge.

Course/Module/Individual Course: shall refer to a specific learning unit forming part of the CEA’s Body of Knowledge. Each course or module may be composed of several sections, learning ‘challenges’ or knowledge-check activities designed to support learner understanding, digital learning content, and, where applicable, a final randomized multiple-choice timed examination required to validate the course. The terms ‘course’ and ‘module’ may be used interchangeably throughout these Terms and Conditions

Supplementary Learning Module: shall refer to a non-examinable educational module provided as complementary learning content within a certification program and not subject to certification validation requirements.

Order Form/Registration Form: shall refer to CEA’s online registration or purchase form completed by an Applicant for the purpose of accessing courses, certification programs, or related services provided by CEA.

In these Terms and Conditions:

• Unless the context otherwise requires, words importing one gender shall include all genders.
• Unless the context is otherwise required, words in the singular shall include the plural and vice versa.

Introduction

These Terms and Conditions govern the requirements, rights, obligations, and operating procedures relating to the obtaining and maintenance of Circular Economy certifications offered by CEA. They also define the conditions applicable to certification validity, maintenance, suspension, cancellation, and related certification processes.

The provisions set forth in this document govern the relationship between CEA and all Applicants and apply unless otherwise expressly agreed in writing between the Parties. Any such exception shall not affect or modify the conformity assessment procedures and certification requirements according to which CEA is required to operate.

If either CEA or the Applicant is unable to fulfil its obligations due to force majeure events beyond reasonable control — including but not limited to war (declared or undeclared), natural disasters, fire, flood, pandemics, strikes, labour disputes, governmental restrictions, riots, insurrections, or other similar events — the Parties may agree upon an appropriate extension period for the fulfilment of the affected obligations.

CEA maintains policies, procedures, and fee structures governing certification decisions, certification usage, and interactions with Applicants. Such policies, procedures, and fees may be amended by CEA from time to time without prior notice and are made available through CEA’s website. By registering for any course or certification program, Applicants acknowledge and agree to comply with all applicable policies, procedures, and requirements established by CEA.

Certification Application Process & Course Registration

Certificates are issued as follows:

• Certificate of Completion (CoC), awarded for individual courses forming part of the Body of Knowledge.
• Circular Economy Specialist (Level I) – Foundational.
• Circular Economy Specialist (Level II) – Advanced.
• Circular Economy Specialist (Level III) – High Mastery.

How to Apply for Certification:

The following steps describe the application process:

1. Participants/Applicants can register for all CEA courses online by completing the online registration form. It is very important to mention here that if you as an Applicant, wish to skip the registration part, on the website, you are allowed to and you can still proceed with the purchase. Upon checkout, your account will automatically be created on the website.
2. Either while purchasing or registering for a course, a
3. While purchasing you will have the option to choose the desired Course or Certification bundle and make the appropriate payment. You will receive an e-mail confirming that we have received your payment details.
4. Upon validation of payment, a link from our Talent Learning Management platform (Talent LMS) will be sent to the email account used for registration. This gives the Applicant access to the learning dashboard with the content registered for.
5. Upon first connection to the Talent LMS, Applicants are kindly requested to complete their learning profile so that we can provide the best learning experience possible. The Talent LMS is accessible on both mobile and desktop to provide a convenient learning experience.
6. The Course, or Certification Bundle the Applicant has registered for will be immediately visible once the Applicant logs in and confirms their identity. In the event that there are prerequisites for certain Courses, only the initial courses will be fully accessible. Completing the prerequisite chapters unlocks the following courses.
7. When it comes to the Circular Economy Specialist (Level III) – High Mastery certification, Applicants are required to complete sixteen (16) examinable courses forming part of the certification program curriculum. In addition, Applicants will be granted access to one (1) supplementary learning module provided for complementary educational purposes and not subject to examination requirements. Upon successful completion and validation of all examinable modules, Applicants will receive their respective certification.
8. Enjoy the Circular Economy upskilling journey!

Certification, Eligibility, Effort and Price

The following is a table summarizing Certification by number of Courses, expected learning effort, target audience / recommended background and experience, and the price of each certification.

Validation & Assessment

Each examinable course requires successfully achieving a score of at least 70% on a randomized 10-question multiple-choice timed examination based exclusively on the respective course content and not requiring any previous knowledge. All courses are self-contained in relation to validation and the obtention of certification. All examinable courses forming part of a certification program must be successfully validated through the respective examination process and completed in the predefined order in view of obtaining the certification.

For the Circular Economy Specialist (Level III) – High Mastery certification, the supplementary learning module is provided for complementary educational purposes only and is not subject to examination requirements.

There is no examination requirement when purchasing any individual course for the purpose of obtaining a Certificate of Completion (CoC).

Time Allotted

Learning is online and self-paced. Each exam is available upon completion of the Course content, and you will have 15 minutes at the end to answer all questions. The exam results are automatically displayed on the screen and are also available on the Talent LMS Platform.

All Courses must be validated within the respective time frame of the initial registration based on each certification program and individual course:

• Circular Economy Specialist (Level I) – Foundational – two (2) months
• Circular Economy Specialist (Level II) – Advanced – four (4) months
• Circular Economy Specialist (Level III) – High Mastery – six (6) months

Thereafter, the content will no longer be accessible, and no course examinations or retakes will be possible. Upon successful completion of the certification program prior to the expiry of the allotted timeframe, access to the learning platform will be revoked and learners will have fourteen (14) days to download any available materials.

EXAM RETAKE

Each examinable course examination may be attempted up to three (3) times. In the event a Participant does not successfully pass the examination within the initial three (3) attempts, an additional retake may be requested subject to a €45 examination retake fee. Additional retake requests may be granted up to two (2) times.

This policy serves as a safeguard against abuse of the multiple-choice examination format while maintaining the integrity of the certification process. The examination should be successfully validated within one (1) to three (3) attempts for Participants meaningfully engaging with the course content.

If you wish to request an additional examination retake, please contact Circular Economy Alliance Support at: [email protected]

Payment & Refunds

Payment must be completed prior to accessing any course or certification program and is finalized during the registration process. The applicable price for each product, including any taxes such as VAT where applicable, is clearly displayed during checkout.

If a learner decides not to complete a purchased course or certification program, CEA may consider a refund request depending on the circumstances. Any refund request is subject to verification that the learner has not accessed, downloaded, initiated, or otherwise interacted with the digital learning content, including but not limited to course materials, chapter content, e-learning modules, examinations, or downloadable resources.

In accordance with applicable European Union consumer protection regulations relating to withdrawal rights, learners may request a refund within fourteen (14) days from the date of purchase. However, once access to the digital content has been initiated — including but not limited to downloading course materials, accessing e-learning modules, or undertaking an examination — the learner will no longer be eligible for a refund, even if the request is made within the fourteen (14)-day withdrawal period.

CEA does not provide partial refunds for partially completed courses or certification programs. Learners who are uncertain about completing an entire certification program are encouraged to purchase individual courses separately.

Membership

Following successful completion of a certification program, certified learners may be registered as verified members of the Circular Economy Alliance certified members directory, subject to their consent. Membership is personal and non-transferable.

Certified members may opt in to receive updates, news, invitations to events, and access to research, educational resources, and Circular Economy-related content developed or shared by CEA and its partners. Members may also receive invitations to community events, conferences, presentations, workshops, and networking opportunities organized or supported by CEA.

As the field of Circular Economy continues to evolve, so too will the strategies, frameworks, best practices, and competencies required to support the transition toward more circular and regenerative systems. CEA remains committed to continuously updating the Body of Knowledge and certification curriculum to reflect the latest developments, research, and practical applications in the field.

Certified members may be informed of curriculum updates, newly available educational content, and future learning opportunities intended to support the continued development of their Circular Economy expertise. In addition, certified members may benefit from loyalty pricing, promotional offers, or early-access opportunities relating to future educational and training products developed by CEA.

Important Note: Membership benefits do not apply to learners who have obtained only a Certificate of Completion (CoC) for an individual course.

Maintaining Active Certification

The transition toward a Circular Economy depends on a skilled and collaborative community actively contributing to the advancement of circular and regenerative systems. By maintaining active certification and membership within the Circular Economy Alliance certified members directory, certified learners remain connected to current developments, research, best practices, and professional opportunities within the Circular Economy field.

Active certified members may access a network of certified professionals and practitioners sharing knowledge, experiences, and practical approaches for applying circular solutions across different sectors and industries.

For learners maintaining a valid and active certification, there is no requirement to retake examinations or reassess previously validated certification modules. However, certification validity and membership status will expire if the certification is not renewed for a period exceeding one (1) calendar year. In such cases, learners wishing to reinstate their certification status may be required to complete the certification program again in accordance with the applicable requirements in force at that time.

The initial membership period remains valid for one (1) calendar year following successful certification. Membership is not automatically renewed. Renewal notifications will be sent in advance to the contact details registered within the learner’s CEA account.

Maintaining active membership and certification validity is subject to an annual renewal fee of €50. Only learners holding a valid and active certification may remain listed within the Circular Economy Alliance certified members directory.

Certification maintenance applies respectively to:

• Circular Economy Specialist (Level I) – Foundational
• Circular Economy Specialist (Level II) – Advanced
• Circular Economy Specialist (Level III) – High Mastery

This does not apply to Certificates of Completion (CoC) issued for individual courses.

JOIN THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY ALLIANCE DIRECTORY

All certified learners are registered in the Circular Economy Alliance certified members’ Directory[1], subject to their prior consent.

[1] CEA Directory: refers to the certified learners’ account (members’ profile). As a certified learner, you will have the option to adjust your privacy settings and manage your audience and visibility. That means that you will control who sees what you upload/share on your account in terms of content and other information including but not limited to educational background, qualifications, etc. 

JOIN THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY ALLIANCE NETWORK

Participation in the Circular Economy Alliance Network is open to organizations interested in sharing their vision, story, initiatives, knowledge, and experiences relating to Circular Economy and sustainability while connecting with other organizations and stakeholders that promote similar values and principles.

By submitting organizational information, content, or materials to CEA, the respective organization authorizes CEA to make such information publicly available through its platforms, including the publication of the organization’s name, logo, and approved content within the CEA Knowledge Centre or related communication channels.

CEA reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to review, edit, decline, suspend, or remove any submitted content, organization profile, or application where:

• additional clarification or modifications are required,
• the submitted information is considered inaccurate, incomplete, misleading, or unsuitable,
• or where the organization does not align with CEA’s standards, values, due diligence requirements, or operational principles.

If an application is rejected, the organization may submit a new application at a later stage. CEA further reserves the right to remove any organization, content, or profile from the Network at any time and without prior notice where deemed necessary or appropriate.

BE PART OF AN INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY OF CIRCULAR ECONOMY STAKEHOLDERS, RESEARCHERS, AND ORGANIZATIONS

Last Updated: on 25th May 2026