The circular economy is a theme that is often taken up by administrations as a strategic solution to address environmental, economic and social challenges. However, the data shows us that in practice the circular economy is a rarity on a global scale. This observation clearly emerges from the latest report on the Circularity Gap, conducted by the Circle Economy Foundation, in collaboration with Deloitte.
The first Circularity Gap Report dates back to 2018, which showed that only 9.1% of the world economy operated in a circular way, highlighting a significant gap.
This gap has certainly not decreased over the years: in 2023, the global circularity rate dropped dramatically to 7.2%, confirming that the world economy is in stark contrast to the principles of the circular economy and is failing to adequately satisfy the needs of people and the planet. This collapse represents a critical situation and highlights a significant discrepancy between the rhetoric about the circular economy and its practical implementation.
The circular economy is an innovative economic model that aims to reduce waste and maximize resource efficiency. Contrary to the traditional linear model of "take, make, use and throw away", the circular economy promotes the idea of life cycles of materials and products. In practice, this means reusing, recycling and recovering existing materials and products as much as possible, thus reducing dependence on natural resources and mitigating environmental impact.
This approach not only promotes environmental sustainability, but also encourages the creation of new business models. For example, the circular economy promotes sustainable design, repair and reuse of products, as well as sharing and renting goods rather than purchasing. This not only reduces waste and pollution, but can also generate economic opportunities through the creation of new markets for recycled materials, innovation in production processes and the creation of jobs in waste management, recycling and repair.
In essence, the circular economy represents a holistic approach that aims to combine environmental, economic and social benefits, offering a sustainable path to economic development and future prosperity.
The Circularity GAP presents itself as an essential tool for assessing the degree of adoption of the circular economy at a global or national level, offering a clear vision of the current state of adoption of this economic model. This measure, developed to fill a gap in global assessments of the circular economy, is based on the analysis of key data that allows us to identify the sectors and countries that require greater efforts for a full transition towards a circular economy.
The final objective of the Circularity GAP is to stimulate the adoption of targeted policies and strategies, thus accelerating the transition towards a circular economy. In a time where sustainability represents a major global concern, monitoring the progress of the circular economy becomes crucial to ensuring a more sustainable future for all.
Growing concern about linear economic practices, based on the excessive consumption of resources, has raised important questions regarding the impact on the environment and the ability of natural resources to regenerate. The Circularity Gap Report highlights that global materials consumption has reached alarming figures, reaching 582 billion tonnes, with many high-income nations already reaching a saturation point.
To address these challenges, the Circle Economy Foundation has developed practical strategies to promote the adoption of circular economy principles, focusing on key sectors such as food, manufacturing and construction. These strategies include promoting low environmental impact foods, designing durable and easily recyclable products, and developing energy efficient buildings made from low environmental impact materials. Without the active contribution of high-income countries, which have the tools and resources to implement significant changes, lasting results in the adoption of circular economy practices on a global scale will be difficult.
Lorenzo Nigro
Read also
The fifth report of the Circular Economy Network on the circular economy in Italy has been published (Beata la differenziata)
For further information
Circular economy, in five years the rate has fallen from 9.1% to 7.2% (QuiFinanza.it)
Circular economy, Italy is the most virtuous in Europe (QuiFinanza.it)