STATISTICS OF INNOVATION IN INFORMATION AND ANALYTICAL SUPPORT OF CIRCULAR ECONOMY DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Abstract. The article aims to substantiate the areas for improvement in the innovation statistics in Ukraine for information and analytical support of circular economy development. The lack of a measurement framework for the study of this model of economic development in Ukraine, as well as the understanding of the circular economy as a basis for the SDG implementation determine the relevance of the subject study. The authors focus on the following research questions: 1. To what extent are the indicators of SDG implementation in Ukraine related to the principles of the circular economy? 2. To what extent do Ukrainian innovation statistics assess the contribution of innovation activity to the development of a circular economy? 3. What statistical tools does the European Union use to measure the circular economy development and the impact of innovation on development progress? 4. What should be the system of indicators for the circular economy development in Ukraine and the contribution of innovation to this process? This study used systemic and comparative analysis to substantiate a set of indicators used to monitor the implementation of principles of a circular economy and the introduction of environmental innovations in Ukraine. According to our study of 183 indicators of implementing SDG in Ukraine, 28 of them are related to the principles of the circular economy, and most focus on such goals as «Responsible Production and Consumption», Affordable and Clean Energy, Decent Work and Economic growth. The selected indicators can be used as a database for monitoring the circular economy in Ukraine. However, the “blind spot” is the lack of indicators that measure progress of implementing the principle of reuse of resources, including secondary raw materials. In addition, there are no indicators in Ukrainian innovation statistics that measure the impact of innovation on the implementation of the principles of the closed-loop economy. A study of the EU’s experience shows that European statistics use three main tools to measure the circular economy development and innovation activity in this area: 1) Circular economy monitoring progress 2) European Innovation Scoreboard and Innovation Index 3) The Eco-Innovation Scoreboard and Eco- Innovation Index. Taking into account the European intent to integrate with Ukraine and the current state of Ukrainian statistical practice, the authors identify the following areas for its improvement: 1) the introduction of monitoring of the circular economy based on the selected indicators of the SDG and 2) expand the list of selected monitoring indicators by including indicators such as the use of circular materials and the level of recycling of various types of waste. The practical significance of the study lies in the development of a measurement framework that can be used as information and analytical support in governing the circular economy development in Ukraine. Keywords: Sustainable Development Goals, circular economy principles, innovation statistics, environmental innovation, Innovation Index, Eco-Innovation Index, monitoring, Ukraine, European Union.