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HomeScoping study to identify potential circular economy actions, priority sectors, material flows and value chains
Final report
Scoping study to identify potential circular economy actions, priority sectors, material flows and value chains
Final report
Publication metadata
The circular economy is rapidly rising up political and business agendas. In contrast to today’s largely linear, ‘take-make-use-dispose’ economy, a circular economy represents a development strategy that enables economic growth while aiming to optimise the chain of consumption of biological and technical materials. A deep transformation of production chains and consumption patterns is envisaged to keep materials circulating in the economy for longer, re-designing industrial systems and encouraging cascading use of materials and waste. Although there are some elements of circularity such as recycling and composting in the linear economy (see Figure E1) where progress needs to be maintained, a circular economy goes beyond the pursuit of waste prevention and waste reduction to inspire technological, organisational and social innovation across and within value chains (see Figure E2). There are already several policies in place and activities underway that support a circular economy; however there remain a range of untapped opportunities, costs to be avoided and obstacles to be addressed in order to accelerate the move towards a circular economy in the EU. Against this backdrop, the European Commission (DG Environment) launched a Scoping study to identify potential circular economy actions, priority sectors, material flows & value chains. The study was carried out by the Policy Studies Institute (PSI), Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), BIO and Ecologic Institute between November 2013 and July 2014. The aim of the study was to provide an initial scoping assessment of potential priorities and policy options to support the transition to a circular economy in the EU. The study reviewed existing literature, identified potential priority areas for action where accelerating the circular economy would be beneficial and where EU policy has a particular role to play, and developed policy options for consideration across a range of areas.
- Published:
- Corporate author(s): BIO Intelligence Service , Directorate-General for Environment (European Commission) , Ecologic , IEEP , IVM , psi
- Themes: Conservation of resources , Environment policy and protection of the environment , Economic policy — Economic and monetary union
- Subject: climate change policy , degradation of the environment , domestic consumption , environmental economics , EU environmental policy , exploitation of resources , recycled product , renewable resources , sustainable development , waste management , waste recycling
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| ISSN | ISBN 978-92-79-40166-4 | DOI 10.2779/29525 | Catalogue number KH-01-14-775-EN-N |
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