In 2023, 11.8% of materials utilized in the EU were derived from recycled sources. This metric, referred to as the ‘circular material use rate’ or ‘circularity rate,’ assesses the proportion of recycled materials in the total material consumption.

Source: Eurostat

In comparison to 2022, this circularity rate saw an increase of 0.3 percentage points (pp), marking the highest level recorded to date.

This data is sourced from the circular material use rate statistics released by Eurostat today. The article highlights several key findings from a more comprehensive piece on circular economy statistics.

In 2023, the Netherlands led with the highest circularity rate at 30.6%, followed by Italy at 20.8% and Malta at 19.8%.

Conversely, the lowest rates were noted in Romania (1.3%), Ireland (2.3%), and Finland (2.4%).

When evaluating material types, the EU's circularity rate was highest for metal ores at 24.7% (+2.2 pp compared to 2022), followed by non-metallic minerals at 13.6% (+0.3 pp), biomass at 10.1% (+0.7 pp), and fossil energy materials/carriers at 3.4% (+0.6 pp).

The 2020 Circular Economy Action Plan aims to double the EU’s circular material use rate by 2030 to achieve a target of 23.2%.

This article is part of the lead-up to the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference, scheduled to take place from November 11 to 22, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan.