Consumption and the Environment in Europe’s Circular Economy

CSCP | Consumption and the Environment in Europe’s Circular Economy

Consumption and the environment
Type
Author
Saskia Manshoven (VITO)
An Vercalsteren (VITO)
Maarten Christis (VITO)
Annelise De Jong (IVL)
Imke Schmidt (CSCP)
Francesca Grossi (CSCP)
Anna Tenhunen (VTT)
Lars Fogh Mortensen (EEA)
Publication Date
August, 2023
Country
Germany
Language for original content
Key Area

Europe and the world face unprecedented sustainability challenges, largely as a result of unsustainable consumption. Since similar consumption patterns are expected to continue, technological and efficiency gains are likely to be insufficient to keep environmental and climate pressures within sustainable limits.

A more circular economy in Europe has the potential to reduce environmental and climate pressures and impacts from our consumption, but will require reshaping our consumption and production systems. This report presents trends in European household consumption and its environmental and climate pressures, and explores conditions for and pathways to a transition towards more sustainable and circular consumption patterns in Europe.