Circularity for the green transition
JRC research activities on circular resource management investigate how circularity can play as an enabling factor for the green transition and contribute to industrial competitiveness and economic security.
Developing policy measures that support the circular economy requires sound scientific insights, as well as a clear understanding of the possible socio-economic and environmental impacts at stake. Here is where JRC provides indispensable scientific support to policy making, with its state-of-the-art assessment methodologies and involvement of stakeholders, based on the Sevilla process, as well as intensive collaboration with other European Commission departments.
Delivering science to support circular economy policies
The JRC circular resource management conducts advanced research that inform and support the development of EU policy initiatives aimed at enhancing the resilience, competitiveness, fairness, and sustainability of the European Union's economy through increased circularity.
The team’s work centres on delivering evidence‑based scientific input, through knowledge generation, technical proposals, and policy recommendations to support policy making, including:
The potential of circular economy
A circular economy can contribute to EU competitiveness by reducing resource dependencies and making EU markets more resilient to external shocks, while respecting nature and people’s health. Its benefits include:
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions: Circular economy practices could substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions in sectors such as plastics, steel, aluminium, cement and concrete. Improved materials management — including reduction, reuse and recovery measures — could help EU industry reduce between 189 and 231 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per year.
Improving the EU’s trade balance: Beyond environmental benefits, circular economy strategies have the potential to substantially improve the EU’s trade balance by reducing the import of raw materials and fossil fuels.
Realising circular economy potential requires establishing a Single Market for secondary raw materials. Increasing the supply of high-quality recycled materials and stimulating demand for these materials in the EU are all means to achieve that.
As the world around us is evolving, circular economy legislation needs to be updated to keep pace with the latest technological and societal developments and ensuring a smooth and effective transition to enhanced circularity.
JRC circular resource management work: competencies and methodology
The JRC Circular Resource Management team possesses a blend of scientific expertise and policy support capabilities that are crucial for advancing the EU's circular economy objectives.
Key elements of JRC research methodology on circular resource management include:
- Data analysis & product system modelling – collect, clean and validate data on industrial processes and economic activities from literature, statistics and industry; apply Material Flow Analysis and Life‑Cycle Assessment to quantitatively map material and energy flows and evaluate environmental impacts across the value chain.
- Cost-benefit assessment & economic modelling – conduct cost‑benefit and techno‑economic analyses, complemented by macro‑economic input‑output modelling to capture both detailed technical performance and economy‑wide repercussions.
- Stakeholder engagement – organise workshops, surveys and expert panels to enable technical discussions and concensus building with stakeholders, gather structured feedback and ensure the relevance of the findings.
The JRC approach on circular resource management work enables to develop environmental and techno-economic research studies and analysing the links between circularity, sustainability, and economic performance.
Completed projects, news and resources
See our list of active and completed projects
See the list of publications and news on circular resource management.