The transition is also needed to halt biodiversity loss and wasteful use of natural resources. Published today, two briefings from the European Environment Agency show the status of circular economy and highlight the need for improving recycling quality.
EEA briefing ‘Europe’s circular economy in facts and figures’ provides a state of play on Europe’s progress from linear production and consumption towards circularity where the value of products and materials are kept in the economy much longer.
Europe has strong policies, knowledge, and financing to support circularity, and the EU businesses and consumers recognise the value of circularity, but its material flows are still predominantly linear, the EEA briefing shows. Resource productivity in Europe is more than 2.5 times higher than the world average and almost half of all waste generated in Europe gets recycled. Still, an average European uses about 14 tonnes of materials and generates 5 tonnes of waste annually, which is among world’s highest levels and beyond sustainable limits.
EEA briefing ‘Measuring the quality of recycling’ looks at how to increase recycling volumes and improve recycling quality by optimising material loops.
According to the briefing, measures to increase recycling quality include avoiding mixed collection systems, investing in effective sorting technologies and directing recyclables into new products that also have a high recycling potential. These are key measures to advance circular economy while maximising the environmental benefits during the entire recycling value chain.
