The impact of the circular economy on the sustainable development in the EU
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15611/aoe.2026.1.11Keywords:
circular economy, sustainable development, sustainable development goalsAbstract
Aim: The goal of this research was to investigate the impact of the circular economy on the sustainable development of EU countries.
Methodology: The sample consisted of data from 27 EU countries, including eight selected circular economy indicators as independent variables and the Sustainable Development Goals Index (SDGI) as the dependent variable, covering the period from 2012 to 2021. Panel regression modelling was used to evaluate the impact of selected circular economy indicators on sustainable development.
Results: The findings of this research demonstrate that reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing the circular material use rate, raw material consumption, and the recycling rate of municipal waste have a positive impact on the SDGI of EU countries.
Implications and recommendations: CE serves as a tool for a long-term sustainability strategy, ensuring that all the countries, and by understanding its role, policymakers can implement more effective measures that foster economic resilience, environmental protection, and social equity.
Originality/value: Although the circular economy and sustainability are gaining popularity in research, they are often examined separately, with limited discourse connecting the two. The study addressed this gap by investigating the impact of the circular economy on the sustainable development of EU countries, offering new insights into their interrelation.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ugnius Jakubelskas, Viktorija Skvarciany, Vaiva Vainoriūtė
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Accepted 2025-12-12
Published 2026-05-29
