Mapping waste generation and supporting the green transition: A waste input-output model for Italy's circular economy

Achieving circularity in economic processes is a key challenge for modern economies, requiring a clear understanding of how economic activities generate waste. Improving resource efficiency, preventing waste generation, and reusing materials are central goals of the circular economy, helping reduce environmental pressures. Secondary waste—from recycling, incineration, and composting—plays a crucial role in assessing the effectiveness of waste management strategies. This paper addresses gaps related to reliance on imported resources and access to critical raw materials by constructing a waste input-output (WIO) table for Italy, linking waste generation data with macro- and regional-level accounts. Using the WIO framework, we explored direct and indirect industrial waste flows, calculated waste-output multipliers, and assessed supply chain impacts. Our findings highlight that secondary waste is key to understanding material circularity, with sectors showing particularly high waste multipliers. These insights offer useful guidance for policymakers aiming to promote resource recovery, reducing reliance on imported raw materials, and strengthen the national circular economy.