This indicator is known as ‘circular material use rate’ or ‘circularity rate’, and it measures the contribution of recycled materials in the overall use of materials.
Compared with 2022, the circularity rate increased by 0.3 percentage points (pp), making it the highest share recorded so far.
In 2023, the circularity rate was highest in the Netherlands (30.6%), followed by Italy (20.8%) and Malta (19.8%).
The lowest rate was recorded in Romania (1.3%), Ireland (2.3%) and Finland (2.4%).
When assessing the types of materials, the circularity rate at EU level was highest for metal ores with 24.7% (+2.2 pp compared with 2022), followed by non-metallic minerals with 13.6% (+0.3 pp), biomass 10.1% (+0.7 pp) and fossil energy materials/carriers with 3.4% (+0.6 pp).
The Circular economy action plan from 2020 aims to double the EU’s circular material use rate by 2030 to reach 23.2%.
