Analysis of the degree of implementation of the circular economy in Europe and Spain

The traditional economic system focuses on generating value under the linear model of ‘extract, produce, consume, throw away’, causing waste and polluting emissions. Resources are limited and the concept of ‘development’ requires the adjective ‘sustainable’, forcing a shift towards a circular model at all stages of the value chain that pursues the efficient use of resources. Government strategies and action plans to implement circularity present opportunities for economic actors, but also significant barriers such as measuring circularity. The EU has developed a common scoreboard, the EU-Monitoring Framework for the Circular Economy (EU-MFCE), to assess the effectiveness of the measures agreed in its CE Plans. However, some of them are undeveloped or have been developed late. Others do not provide data for some Member States and years. Based on the information gathered from statistical sources (Eurostat), this paper collects together and analyses the most recent data concerning the indicators and monitoring frameworks applied to measure circularity at European (EU-MFCE) and Spanish (EEEC-Circular Spain 2030) level, identifying the areas in which progress is being made in the right direction, as well as the possible sectors in which a business opportunity may open up for companies.