What is the status of the circular economy in Romania?
A new study by Enel and The European House – Ambrosetti, “Circular Europe: How to successfully manage the transition from a linear to a circular world”, analyzes the state of the art of Circular Economy in Europe (27 EU countries and the United Kingdom) with a specific focus on three countries of interest (Italy, Romania and Spain). Moreover, the study formulates policy recommendations for the transition from a linear to a circular Europe.
The innovative analysis model used – Circular Economy Scoreboard relies on 23 Key Performance Indicators, to assess the level of development along the four main pillars of the circular economy:
Sustainable input- the use of renewable energies and renewable, recyclable, and recycled materials
End of life- the recovery of goods, products and materials through reuse, remanufacturing and recycling
The extension of useful life- the capacity to increase the useful life of products and their components
Increasing intensity of use- the increase in the use of a single product, for example with a product as a service or sharing services model
The study shows that EU countries are moving at different speed towards the Circular Economy transition. Romania is at the bottom of the ranking, while Italy and Spain show a medium-high level of development. To measure performance over time, the Circular Economy Scoreboard analyzed a 5-year period. Romania improved significantly over the last five years, Spain made intermediate progress, while Italy moved more slowly along its transition to a circular model.
The circular economy is in fact connected with relevant economic benefits matching with environmental and social ones. In the EU, Circular Economy is linked to 300-380 billion euros of GDP, 90-110 billion euros of investments, and up to 2.5 million jobs in 2018.
“Choosing to develop a circular economy is an extraordinary opportunity to make Europe more competitive, modernizing its economy, revitalizing the industry, and, at the same time, creating jobs through sustainable and long-lasting growth,” explained Francesco Starace, Enel CEO, and General Manager.
