From the circular economy to the sustainable development goals in the European Union: an empirical comparison

Abstract

The European Union (EU) is trying to accelerate the transition from the current linear economy to a circular economy (CE). In fact, the CE is considered a tool to attain sustainable development goals (SDGs). In this sense, this paper aims at analysing the interaction between the CE and SDGs in the context of the new 2030 Agenda and the European CE strategy; thus contributing to the scarce empirical literature that links the potential of the European CE strategy to the achievement of the SDGs set by the 2030 Agenda. Three specific research questions have been formulated. First, could the objectives defined in the 2030 Agenda be considered homogeneous, and could they uniquely measure the concept of sustainability? Second, are there significant correlations between the implementation of a CE in the EU and the SDGs? Finally, is the behaviour of the 28 countries that make up the EU homogeneous in terms of the results of the initiatives aimed at the implementation of a CE? From these questions, nine hypotheses are put forward concerning the possible relationships between a CE implementation and the fulfilment of SDGs in the EU. Using a correlation analysis, an exploratory factor analysis, and a cluster analysis, it has been demonstrated that (a) SDGs do not univocally measure the concept of sustainability; (b) there are significant relationships between CE and SDGs in the EU; (c) the behaviour of these European countries is not homogeneous.

Private Firm Support for Circular Economy Regulation in the EU Policy Context

“…Given the CE's growing importance to reach the sustainable development goals [13,86], we investigate what drives firm support for CE regulation in the EU context and at the intersection of the literature fields of CE and CPA. This study is a starting point in the examination of what drives firms to support CE regulation (i.e., CE-specific CPA) and the moderating factors of these relationships.…”

Smart drainage management to limit summer drought damage in Nordic agriculture under the circular economy concept

“…Circular Economy (CE) is a mindset that intends to move away from the end‐of‐pipe systems and linear approaches towards restorative and regenerative business models by intention and design (MacArthur, 2013). In the European Union (EU), the Nordic region is no exception to this trend where political actions have received much attention in the past years to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy (Hosseinian et al, 2021; Rodríguez‐Antón et al, 2021). The Finnish Roadmap to circular economy from 2016, for instance, highlights sustainable food systems as one of the four focus areas and stresses the need for utilizing recycled fertilizers (Hosseinian et al, 2021).…”

Does Circular Economy Contribute to Smart Cities’ Sustainable Development?

“…The Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe; Furthermore, the EU has approved a series of directives and regulations between 2014 and 2019 [22,23]. Nevertheless, relevant aspects appeared in EU regulations as early as the 1970s with a clear impact on the implementation of a CE and SD in the European space [24].…”

“…Many papers highlight the connection between CE, SD, and SDG's [22,24,[36][37][38]. The similarities between the concepts refer to the integration on non-economic aspects in the development equation.…”

“…For instance, in a paper published in 2022, the authors carried out and processed a large number (581) of documents on CE and SDGs and used a correlation analysis, an exploratory factor analysis, and a cluster analysis to demonstrate that SDGs do not univocally measure the concept of sustainability; there are significant relationships between CE and SDGs in the EU and the behavior of European countries is not homogeneous [22].…”