Abstract

AbstractCircular economy (CE) is a new development strategy adopted by the European Union (EU) authorities in 2014, aiming to boost global competitiveness, foster sustainable economic growth, and generate new jobs. The CE approach maintains the added value in products for as long as possible and eliminates waste; moreover, it implies totally systemic change and innovation not only in technologies, but also in organization, society, finance methods, and policies. Such an approach leads to a new model of production and consumption and a new relationship between stakeholders at the local, regional, national, and EU levels. The first consideration of CE priorities in Poland started in 2016 when the Inter-ministerial Committee for Circular Economy was established. Representatives from nine ministries became committee members, and the chief document they prepared was the Roadmap for Circular Economy Transition. The document proposed an action plan for CE implementation and focused on increasing resource efficiency and waste reduction in Poland. Prepared with the active involvement of all possible stakeholders—businesses, NGOs, the academic and research community, and local and regional authorities—the Roadmap can be seen as a quick and effective guide. In addition to national government initiatives, there were numerous attempts to implement CE principles at the local and regional levels. The main goal of the current research was to examine the effectiveness of such national, regional, local, and business CE projects for influencing Poland’s CE transition during the past three years. This study reviews the main policy documents, reports, and expertise of national, international, regional, and local organizations and NGOs involved with CE in Poland. The research is also supported by a review of the relevant academic literature. As a result, it was possible to estimate the current level of achievement, as well as future prospects for CE in Poland. Moreover, this research identifies potential opportunities for updating existing planning policies and tools related to CE-based development in Poland.

Highlights

  • According to the European Commission, the circular economy (CE) is an economic model based inter alia on sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling in an closed loop that aims at retaining the highest utility and value of products, components, and materials over time (Commission of European Communities, Communication No 398, 2014)

  • The Roadmap for Circular Economy Transition is one of the elements of successful realization of the Poland Strategy for Responsible Development for 2020, where the Strategy of Transformation to Circular Economy was mentioned as one of the strategic projects (Poland Strategy for Responsible Development for 2020, 2019) (Fig. 3). Another Polish national-level document that has already accounted for the recommendations and assumptions of “Towards a circular economy: A zero waste programme for Europe” (Commission of European Communities, Communication No 398, 2014) and Closing the Loop—An European Union (EU) Action Plan for the Circular Economy (Commission of European Communities, Communication No 614, 2015) is the updated National Plan of Waste Management 2022 adopted by the Council of Ministers of Poland in July 2016 (Resolution No 88 of the Council of Ministers 2016)

  • This study has examined the recent achievements, trends, and future prospects of the Polish CE model of development

Read more

Summary

Introduction

According to the European Commission, the circular economy (CE) is an economic model based inter alia on sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling in an (almost) closed loop that aims at retaining the highest utility and value of products, components, and materials over time (Commission of European Communities, Communication No 398, 2014). In the last few years, numerous researchers have endeavored to define and apply the main concepts of the CE approach in business and public administration strategies for sustainable development. For the Circular Economy with EU Member States, Poland presented its main national priorities for CE transition as follows:. The main goal of the current research was to determine the effectiveness of such CE initiatives in Poland at achieving CE model transition during the past three years.

Concept and Method of Research
CE Development in Poland
NEW BUSINESS MODELS
IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING, AND FUNDING OF CE ACTIONS PLANNED WITHIN THE ROADMAP
CE-Related Projects
Pilot CE Project in Polish Municipalities
Polish Circular Hotspot
Circular Cities Program
Reconomy Coalition “Reconomy”—the Coalition for
CE Future Prospects in Poland
Conclusions
Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.