Circular economy

Our production and consumption systems rely on raw materials that are, to a large extent, not reused or recycled. This linear model creates endless waste, continuous demand for virgin raw materials and unsustainable consumption patterns. The solution is to move to a circular economy where products and materials can be used longer and made into new products after use.

We need fibres, minerals, energy, water, and other resources to produce almost all the goods and services we consume. In the EU, we are consuming far more than we should and not reusing or recycling nearly as much as is needed for a sustainable future.

Instead of consuming products made for fast and single-use and made from new non-recycled materials and then throwing them away, we should embrace circular economic systems that turn waste into value.

Moving to a circular economy means moving away from linear production and consumption models, where things are used for a short time and thrown away after use, toward a more circular process. Circularity can include practices like refurbishing, repurposing, re-distributing and other strategies that extend the lifetime of products.

Circular models allow products and materials to be used longer and made into new products after use. That means less waste and less environmental impact. To ease the transition, the European Commission’s Circular Economy Action Plan offers an overall framework for initiatives that foster a circular model, including better-designed and more sustainable products.

In recent years, there has been some progress towards circularity. For example, Europe has increased its recycling rates and promoted sharing economy models like car sharing. Overall, to achieve a truly circular economy we must decrease our need for new raw materials in everything that we produce and consume. And without a circular economy, Europe cannot achieve sustainability.

Press releases and articles

Publications

Indicators

Maps and charts

Datahub

Circular plastics?

Our assessment identifies three ways to make the production and consumption of plastics more sustainable:

Using plastics in a smarter way includes reducing unnecessary packaging and single-use products, as well as a more circular design that makes products last longer and easier to reuse and repair.

Increasing circularity requires longer use and reuse of products and better collection, sorting and recycling of plastics. Good practice examples include stores that offer to take back their own products at the end of the product life-cycle. The role of consumers is also critical in choosing what to buy and ensuring proper recycling.

Increasing the use of renewable materials involves, for example, using more recyclable, biobased plastics, instead of relying solely on fossil fuels and their imports.

Do Europe's markets for recycled raw materials work?

The EEA report ’Investigating Europe′s secondary raw material markets’ presents a set of criteria to analyse the functioning of markets for secondary, recycled raw materials. Improving markets for recycled raw materials is key to delivering a circular economy in the EU, reducing the need to extract natural resources and avoiding the associated environmental impacts.

Europe’s ambitions for a circular economy require the timely provision of good-quality recycled raw materials to manufacturers. However, according to our report, from the eight most common recyclables, only aluminium, paper and glass have well-functioning secondary markets. Lack of standardisation and competition with new materials are among the challenges for other markets, such as wood and textiles.

See the EEA report on secondary raw materials

How can we upscale circular business models?

Three elements are needed to implement and upscale circular business models. Together these elements provide a framework to implement and upscale circular business models:

Circular goals like reuse, repair, and recycling schemes, must be agreed on by policymakers.
New business models developed by private companies.
Technical and/or social innovation in business and society.

Overall, a systemic change towards circularity will be needed to reduce environmental and climate pressures and impacts from our production and consumption patterns.

Circular economy

Circular plastics?

Do Europe's markets for recycled raw materials work?

How can we upscale circular business models?

More information

Other topics you might be interested in:

External links: