At European level, the built environment is responsible for 40% of CO2-eq emissions and roughly 60% of material consumption.

By applying bio-based alternatives to conventional ‘mineral’ construction materials, the environmental impact of the EU27+UK sector can be reduced by 18%.

However, there is a limit to the sustainable wood supply that can be harvested without compromising vital functions provided by forests, and the projected increase in wood consumption is not compatible with the realistic growth potential of harvesting activities. Therefore resource efficiency, bio-based added value or demand for new housing should be carefully weighted in to ensure a sustainable shift, the study concludes.

Contact for more info on this study and Metabolic.

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This book collates leading-edge research and industry best practice to provide a ‘one-stop shop’ exploring the complex and interconnected issues surrounding sustainability in the sector.

It includes innovative examples from different regions, addressing topics from policies to supply chain issues and materials innovation. Five unique case studies of sustainable businesses provide examples of pioneering practice. The book brings together both academic and industry perspectives on the critical areas that require immediate action to move towards a more sustainable fashion, clothing and textile sector.

Part VI features five chapters by leading authors covering the circular economy in the sector, including a chapter by Professor Jacqueline Cramer.

In recent years, the concept of green jobs has been the focus of increasing attention. The principles of green jobs and green employment are grounded in a variety of evolving concepts such as green economy, green growth, sustainable development and circular economy, which are multi-dimensional and their understanding evolves in both academic and political contexts.

At the EU policy level, the green transition is seen as an opportunity to create jobs in existing and emerging economic sectors. A large number of different approaches to how green jobs can be defined and classified have been put forward. Differences and gaps identified in these existing definitions and frameworks have exposed the need to create a novel, integrated taxonomy for green jobs, which is developed in this report.

In the context of the data needs for EU policies in economic activities related to circular economy, climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation and bioeconomy, in 2019 Eurostat initiated a project implemented by Prognos and DevStat to develop a method that allows deriving key economic variables on these activities, which can be used as a framework also for other transition sectors.

This Prognos study contracted by the European Commission and Eurostat, and published in 2023, is a description of a generic conceptual framework to define various sectors of the environmental economy, identify activities, and analyse data by using different data sources (e.g. national or regional data).

Other documents produced under the same project can be consulted here.

Denmark is already excelling in many areas of sustainability, positioning itself as an ambitious frontrunner in the race to net-zero. It already boasts mostly renewable electricity generation, with targets to achieve 100% green electricity by 2027 and entirely renewable energy by 2050.

The Circularity Gap Report on Denmark reveals that the country’s economy is 4% circular. This figure is defined by very high material consumption - 24.5 tonnes of virgin materials per person per year. This puts the country above both the European average of 17.8 tonnes per capita and the global average of 11.9 tonnes per capita.

The report also lays out five circular pathways for Denmark that have the potential to cut its material and carbon footprints by roughly 40% each.

Zero Waste Europe, Reloop, and TOMRA, with the contribution of  Eunomia Research & Consulting Eunomia, have published a study on reusable take-away packaging and its potential for significant greenhouse gas emission reductions compared to single-use alternatives.

The study examines various packaging types (cups, burger boxes, bowls, pizza boxes, sushi containers, etc.), highlighting emissions reduction potential with efficient return, washing and redistribution systems, with a view to 2030.

The study involved modelling to measure the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from reusable takeaway packaging compared to single-use ones.

The results indicate that reuse has potential to yield greater environmental benefits than recycling or discarding take-away packaging in Europe.

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.

New skills development is one of the conditions for moving towards the circular economy.

However, closing the materials cycle while eliminating waste according to repair, reuse and recycle principles requires specific strategies and processes.

First, it is imperative to understand the skills needed to design and subsequently implement these strategies and processes. Then, we need to develop these new skills, both within the education system and in the labour market.

The study reviews recent analyses in order to understand the green or circular skills of the future identified to date in sectoral and EU-wide research. It also examines EU initiatives on skills development for circularity.

With the EU striving to achieve circularity and climate neutrality by 2050, this publication explores the Netherlands' target of reducing primary raw material consumption by 50% by 2030. This is all the more impressive given that the current global circularity rate is 7.2%.

The brochure showcases over 20 best practices from the Netherlands, with an emphasis on the transformative applications of chemical recycling. The toolboxes and strategic approaches presented serve as a pragmatic blueprint for implementing effective and sustainable chemical recycling initiatives.

This white paper examines China's transition to a circular economy.

A new plan for China’s circular economy (CE) was set out in the 14th Five-Year Plan 2021-2025. Circular Innovation Lab's previous paper on China’s Circular Economy Policies: Review and Reflection argued that there has been significant improvement in environmental aspects in China. It also identified challenges in the implementation of past five-year plans, such as coordination challenges, uneven and unsustainable development, and lack of research.

This paper builds on those findings to address the way forward in China's CE transition, including challenges and opportunities.