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Environmental information systems
The indicator shows the share of material recovered and fed back into the economy – and thus saving extraction of primary raw materials – in overall material use.
Limitations of methodology
The economic structures of different countries greatly affect the comparability of circular material use rate (CMUR) results. Domestic Material Consumption (DMC), a component of the calculation, is concerned with only the weight of materials traded, not their entire material footprint. In addition, research shows inconsistencies in the interpretation of definitions (e.g. backfilling) across Europe, resulting in data that are not comparable.
Ireland has a high domestic extraction rate, which contributes to its circular material use rate (CMUR) being lower than those of most other EU Member States. The country’s extraction rate is 16 t/capita, higher than the EU average of 12 t/capita, primarily due to agricultural and construction activities.
The two main types of materials contributing to Domestic Material Consumption (DMC) are non-metallic minerals (e.g. crushed rock, sand and gravel) and biomass (including grazed biomass, such as grass and other fodder crops). The open nature of Ireland’s economy, with substantial imports and exports, also influences the low CMUR.
It is important to note that the exclusion of backfill material from the CMUR calculation affects Ireland’s rate more than those of other countries (see the limitations box above). According to the latest circularity gap report, 97% of materials flowing through the Irish economy come from virgin sources.
Despite Ireland’s comments on the limitations of the CMUR metric, there are ongoing initiatives to enhance circular material use. For example, Ireland has been a leader in the use of national by-product and end-of-waste decisions, with a particular focus on construction materials. This approach is anticipated to decrease primary resource consumption and boost the national CMUR.
References and footnotes
- a b cMcCarthy, J., McCarthy, C., Sigüenza, C. P., Suto, G., Gibson, C. et al., A critical analysis of Ireland’s circular material use rate (CAIR), EPA Report No 458, Wexford, 2024, https://www.epa.ie/publications/research/circular-economy/Research_Report-458.pdf.
- a bCircle Economy, The Circularity Gap Report – Ireland, 2024, https://www.circularity-gap.world/ireland.
- a bEPA, Circular Economy and Waste Statistics – Highlight report 2022, Dublin, 2024, https://www.epa.ie/publications/monitoring--assessment/waste/national-waste-statistics/circular-economy-and-waste-statistics-highlights-report-2022.php#:~:text=Summary%3A%20This%20report%20gives%20the,consumption%20and%20circularity%20are%20provided.
- ↵EPA national by-product and end-of-waste decisions from 2023 and 2024: EPA, ‘National by-product criteria of the 3rd October 2023 stablishing detailed criteria on the application of the conditions of Regulation 27(1)(a)–(d) when making the decision that site-won asphalt can be regarded as a by-product under Regulation 27 of the European Union (Waste Directive) Regulations 2011–2020’, BP-N001/2023, 3 October 2023, https://www.epa.ie/publications/licensing--permitting/waste/National-By-Product-Criteria-Ref.-No.-BP-N0012023.pdf; EPA, ‘National by-product criteria of the 2nd of July 2024 establishing detailed criteria on the application of the conditions of Regulation 27(1)(a)–(d) when making the decision that greenfield soil and stone can be regarded as a by-product under Regulation 27 of the European Union (Waste Directive) Regulations 2011–2020’, BP-N002/2024, 2 July 2024, https://www.epa.ie/publications/licensing--permitting/waste/National-By-Product-greenfield-stone--Criteria-Ref.-No.-BP-N002.2024.pdf; EPA, ‘National end-of-waste decision EoW-N001/2023 of 12th September 2023 establishing criteria determining when recycled aggregate ceases to be waste under Regulation 28 of the European Union (Waste Directive) Regulations 2011–2020’, EoW-N001/2023, 12 September 2023, https://www.epa.ie/publications/licensing--permitting/waste/Final-Decision---National-End-of-Waste-Criteria-N001-2023.pdf.