Living in the EU: Circular economy

Written by Giulio Sabbati (Members’ Research Service, EPRS) and Igor Tkalec (GlobalStat, EUI),

Circular economy is a production and consumption model that involves reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products to keep materials within the economy. It implies that waste becomes a resource, consequently minimising the actual amount of waste. The circular model is generally the antithesis of a traditional, linear economic model, which is based on a ‘take-make-consume-throw away’ pattern. This paper looks at the job creation potential and added value produced by the circular economy and illustrates the generation and treatment of waste in the EU.

Read this ‘at a glance’ on ‘Living in the EU: Circular economy‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Jobs, value added and patents related to circular economy sectors (% of total employment and % of GDP, 2017; patents per million inhabitants, 2016)

Trade in recyclable raw materials (Million tonnes and %, 2019)

Generation and treatment of waste by economy and category(all economic activities and households, kg per capita and %, 2018)

Waste streams (2018)

Circular material use rate (%, 2019)