Romania ranks last in EU regarding circular material usage, report shows

Romania ranks last in the European Union in terms of circular material usage, with a rate of just 1.3%, according to 2023 public data analyzed by Clean Recycle experts. Comparatively, countries such as the Netherlands (30.6%), Italy (over 20%), and Malta lead the EU rankings.

A circular economy is a model of production and consumption that involves sharing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling existing materials and products for as long as possible. This extends product life cycles.

The European Union aims to double the use of recycled materials in the total raw material consumption by 2030, under the Circular Economy Action Plan adopted in 2020. The transition to a circular economy is key to reducing pressure on natural resources, limiting greenhouse gas emissions, and contributing to climate neutrality.

Aside from helping the environment, implementing circular economy principles across the EU economy has the potential to increase the EU’s Gross Domestic Product (or GDP) by an additional 0.5% by 2030 and create 700,000 new jobs across member states, according to the Clean Recycle analysis.

While the EU’s Circular Material Use Rate has increased slightly over the past 13 years, from 10.7% in 2010 to 11.8% in 2023, it is still considered low, indicating that the economy is largely linear.

Most EU countries (22 out of 27) have increased their CMUR since 2010. The largest increases (over five percentage points) were recorded in Malta, Italy, Estonia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Belgium, and Slovakia. However, significant decreases in CMUR were recorded in Finland, Romania, Luxembourg, and Poland.

“It is crucial to focus on the economic chain, from design and consumption, to collection and recovery. Romania has potential, but it must accelerate reforms, prioritize investments in the recycling infrastructure, and promote large-scale environmental education,” says Cosmin Monda, founder and CEO of Clean Recycle.

The company manages a portfolio of over 900 companies that produce and market packaging waste across Romania, operating in sectors such as FMCG and retail, agribusiness, automotive, distribution, industrial production, pharmaceuticals, and more.

Two years ago, the Romanian Government adopted the National Strategy for the Circular Economy, fulfilling one of the milestones set in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (or NRRP), by improving waste management governance, including packaging waste.

(Photo source: Hollyharryoz | Dreamstime.com)