European Environment Agency, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The circular economy is now a widely accepted concept. It goes beyond just managing waste: it is more about keeping the value of materials high and making them last longer in their intended use. It also seeks to design unnecessary material use out of the economy. This requires new business models and a more decisive transition from ownership models to service-based solutions. A comprehensive set of new circularity policies has been introduced at EU level and there is evidence of increased circular activities in EU Member States.

European Environment Agency, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

This report undertakes an integrated assessment of the buildings system and proposes a holistic approach to the relevant environmental and climate issues. It explores the future of a sustainable buildings system, key drivers for change and potential responses. The aim is to support policies that promote climate mitigation, preservation and restoration of biodiversity, and a circular economy. The concept of a buildings system encompasses all elements of and activities related to the production, construction, use, renovation and decommissioning of buildings, as well as their associated socio-economic and environmental impacts. It does not include other construction works and complementary systems not primarily designed to accommodate human activities.

Kowalska, M. A., Delre, A., Donatello, S., Faraca, G. and Wolf, O., Background report to the guide for the use of the EU Ecolabel criteria in the green public procurement of graphic paper, tissue paper and tissue products, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/5368919

Green public procurement (GPP) is a powerful tool to achieve environmental objectives by means of incorporation of green requirements into public sector purchasing contracts. Public authorities, by promoting “green” purchases, incentivise an environmental outcome and foster market innovation as well as the transformation towards a sustainable economy. In order to “green” the market, it is essential for producers to be able to make certifiable and credible green claims about their products and for customers to know what to ask for. While the EU Ecolabel policy can provide environmental references or standards for the former, the EU Green Public Procurement policy can provide for the latter.

European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Publications Office of the European Union, 2023.

To develop renewable energy, digital, space and defence technologies, the European Union (EU) needs access to critical raw materials of which a large share is currently imported from third countries. To mitigate the risk of supply disruptions, the Critical Raw Materials Act proposes to diversify sources of imports, while increasing domestic extraction, processing, and recycling.

European Court of Auditors, Publications Office of the European Union, 2023.

A circular economy preserves the value of products, materials and resources and minimises waste. A product’s design determines around 80 % of its environmental impact. We found only limited evidence that the Commission’s two Circular Economy Action Plans, in particular in terms of the circular design of products and of production processes, had been effective in influencing circular economy activities in the EU.

European European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

This brochure highlights solutions for sustainable and circular water management. It features examples of innovative projects that tackle water-related challenges by efficiently saving, recycling, and reusing water sources for on-farm use, through innovation, collaboration and knowledge exchange.

European Economic and Social Committee, Driving the future of sustainability with the European circular economy stakeholder platform, European Economic and Social Committee, 2024, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2864/4302885

As global environmental crises escalate and the EU generates 2.2 billion tonnes of waste annually, a circular economy is not just an option – it is a necessity. The model revolutionises how we manage resources, eliminating waste by keeping products and materials in use through recycling, reusing, and repairing, unlike the outdated ‘take-make-dispose’ approach. This series of fact sheets aims to show our impact on EU legislation, where we brought essential civil society issues to the EU or where we established ourselves as key players.

Directorate-General for Internal Policies of the Union, European Parliament, 2023.

The original full study presents information on the role of e-commerce in implementing the European Green Deal. In particular, the report analyses how companies can uphold high consumer protection standards with online sales in the internal market using digitalisation; explore the potential of new sustainability standards in the context of the upcoming revision of the packaging directive; investigate the environmental footprint of e-commerce including how it is calculated, and how the footprint can be reduced assess the role e-commerce plays, or could play, in implementing the EU Green Deal’s goals; and analyse the link between e-commerce and the single market’s circular economy.

European Investment Bank, 2023.

The EIB Circular Economy Guide highlights the need and rationale for a circular economy transition, with the aim of inspiring circular change. The guide presents how the EIB supports the circular economy through financing, advisory and awareness raising. It is regularly updated in response to our evolving understanding of circular economy needs and opportunities, reflecting changes in the policy framework.

Mubareka, S. B., Briem, K., Frankowska, A., Fritsche, U., Jurcoane, A. et al., Environmental impact, novel foods, and urban well-being – EU bioeconomy monitoring system indicator update, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/8288882

The conceptual framework of the EU Bioeconomy Monitoring System (BMS) was designed to assess the EU’s progress towards a circular and sustainable bioeconomy. Indicators were selected to cover the various parts of the framework but gaps in the knowledge or data still exist. This document describes the progress made in filling gaps in the indicators that had been identified as being important to understand the progress of the EU Bioeconomy. In 2023, the gaps of environmental impacts of bioeconomy, novel foods and urban well-being were identified. In this report we describe the background and rationale of including these indicators, and describe the approaches to derive indicators from different data sources.

European Environment Agency, Publications Office of the European Union, 2023.

Textiles are on average the fourth-highest source of pressure on the environment and climate change from a European consumption perspective, as shown in previous EEA briefings. Europe faces major challenges managing used textiles, including textiles waste.

Katalin Tóth, Szvetlana Ács, Karin Aschberger, Giulia Barbero Vignola, Stephanie Bopp, et al., European Commission, Joint Research Centre, 2025.

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) the European Commission service providing evidence-based science and knowledge to support EU policies has set up its first monitoring framework to provide information on progress towards a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system, built on a set of environmental, economic and social (including health) indicators. More than 350 indicators on underpinning policies were screened and their suitability assessed for the intended objective. The selected indicators have been visualised in a monitoring dashboard, an information system and a communication tool created by the JRC. This report summarises the main steps taken to develop the system, the principles governing the selection of the indicators and plans for further work.

Huygens, D., Bakowska, O., Mora, I., Walsh, S., Van Duijn, H. et al., Fate and composition of textile waste from Italy, the Czech Republic and Romania, Huygens, D.(editor), Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/3332076

This study investigates the characteristics of post-consumer textile (PCT) waste collected separately as well as disposed of in municipal waste in terms of its reusability and recyclability. The geographic focus of this study is on previously under-researched EU Member States in South and Eastern Europe. An international consortium of partners collected 18 tonnes of waste from three countries: the Czech Republic, Romania, and Italy (with separately collected Italian textile waste being sorted in Bulgaria) between November 2023 and June 2024. Currently, literature provides limited information on the quantities and qualities of textile waste in these areas. However, it is urgently needed due to the increasing volumes of PCT waste being disposed of and separately collected across Europe and the pressing need to enhance sustainable waste management practices.

European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Radovanovic, N. and Stevanovic Carapina, H., Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The Western Balkan region is in an advanced stage of the Smart Specialisation design process, with several economies deeply involved in its implementation. The commitment of these economies to adopt an EU-style, transformational innovation policy reflects a dedication to evidence-based and bottom-up innovation policymaking. This approach aims to enhance regional competitiveness sustainably. The EU Green Deal and the associated Green Agenda for the Western Balkans represent templates for transformative change that should underpin innovation policies.

European Environment Agency, Preventing waste in Europe – Progress and challenges, with a focus on food waste, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2800/9052533

Waste prevention is central to the circular economy and plays a critical role in addressing climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. It helps reduce resource extraction, manufacturing and transportation, and lowers carbon emissions. Because of this, waste prevention protects natural ecosystems and enhances the EU′s strategic autonomy and materials supply security. The Waste Framework Directive (WFD) prioritises waste prevention as the most effective strategy for reducing environmental impacts and improving resource efficiency. It mandates Member States to implement waste prevention programmes (WPPs).

European Commission: European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, Hausemer, P., Gorman, N., Squillante, F., Spūle, S. et al., Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The general objective of this study is to assess the socio-economic weight of the “Proximity Economy” as an industrial ecosystem and its contribution as a sustainable, innovative, and resilient ecosystem. More specifically, the objective is to define the concept of proximity, assess how it adds value and analyse how it impacts various sectors. Further, it is to develop an understanding of how the concept is implemented across the EU and define how it could be measured. Finally, it is to position the findings of the study within the context of wider EU policies and global challenges.