Benefits: why do we need to switch to a circular economy?
To protect the environment
Reusing and recycling products would slow down the use of natural resources, reduce landscape and habitat disruption and help to limit biodiversity loss.
Another benefit from the circular economy is a reduction in total annual greenhouse gas emissions. According to the European Environment Agency, industrial processes and product use are responsible for 9.10% of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU, while the management of waste accounts for 3.32%.
Creating more efficient and sustainable products from the start would help to reduce energy and resource consumption, as it is estimated that more than 80% of a product’s environmental impact is determined during the design phase.
A shift to more reliable products that can be reused, upgraded and repaired would reduce the amount of waste. Packaging is a growing issue and, on average, the average European generates nearly 180 kilos of packaging waste per year. The aim is to tackle excessive packaging and improve its design to promote reuse and recycling.
Reduce raw material dependence
The world’s population is growing and with it the demand for raw materials. However, the supply of crucial raw materials is limited.
Finite supplies also means some EU countries are dependent on other countries for their raw materials. According to Eurostat, the EU imports about half of the raw materials it consumes.
The total value of trade (import plus exports) of raw materials between the EU and the rest of the world has almost tripled since 2002, with exports growing faster than imports. Regardless, the EU still imports more than it exports. In 2021, this resulted in a trade deficit of €35.5 billion.
Recycling raw materials mitigates the risks associated with supply, such as price volatility, availability and import dependency.
This especially applies to critical raw materials, needed for the production of technologies that are crucial for achieving climate goals, such as batteries and electric engines.
Create jobs and save consumers money
Moving towards a more circular economy could increase competitiveness, stimulate innovation, boost economic growth and create jobs (700,000 jobs in the EU alone by 2030).
Redesigning materials and products for circular use would also boost innovation across different sectors of the economy.
Consumers will be provided with more durable and innovative products that will increase the quality of life and save them money in the long term.
