It was way back in 2019 when the first edition of the report we are about to talk about was created. Far away, even more so than for the period of time that has passed, because the key topic, the circular economy, was practically unknown to the general public at the end of the last decade.
But since then a lot, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge, with theItaly which has been able to carve out an undisputed leadership role in the field. This is certified by the current sixth edition of the report, produced as usual by Circular Economy Network (CEN) with the collaboration of ENEA and the patronage of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security as well as the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy.
The judging criteria change
A record, that of our country in the circular economy, which takes on even more value considering that in this edition of the report the judging criteria change. In fact, as regards the five main European Union countries analyzed (Italy, France, Germany, Spain and Poland), both the comparative evaluation of circularity performances in the most recent year available (2022) and the trend of the last five years, were obtained using for the first time the specific sets of indicators published by the European Commission.
In particular, the Brussels technicians have developed the indicators by grouping them into five broad dimensions. These are:
- Production and consumption,
- Waste management,
- Secondary raw materials,
- Competitiveness and innovation,
- Ecological sustainability and resilience.
And each of these indicators, as also happened with the previous judging criteria, expresses a score for each national performance.
Circular economy, Italy ahead of Germany and France
Well, even by applying the new European set of indicators for the circular economy, as anticipated, the primacy of Italy which in 2022 scored 45 points, followed by Germany with 38 points and France with 30 points. Poland and Spain close the ranking of the major European countries, with 26 points tied.
If, however, we look at the circularity trend indicators, based on the dynamics of the last five years, Italy’s certain difficulty in maintaining its leadership position emerges. In fact, our country remains in the lead, but with only 41 points, immediately followed by Germany and Spain at 40 points. However, Poland and France remain decidedly further behind, in fourth and fifth position respectively with 25 and 21 points.
Excellence in waste management
Looking at the “behavior” of the various indicators in more detail, what emerges first of all is what determines the excellent performance of Italy, which in 2022 trailed the second-placed team by seven points. Our country benefits above all from the good result achieved in the dimension that collects the national indicators that refer to waste management, where it scores 18 points.
However, again in relation to Italy, the performances achieved in the dimensions of Production and consumption (10 points) and Competitiveness and innovation (10 points) should not be overlooked. However, we are noticeably weaker in the case of secondary raw materials (only 3 points) and ecological sustainability and resilience (4 points).
Differences between the two rankings
The report also carries out the same analytical work in determining the second ranking, the one that analyzes the circularity trend in the last five years. In this case, despite having a similar overall result relative to our country, in first position thanks to the 41 points scored, significant differences emerge, even if the primary contribution of the Waste Management indicator (14 points) and the role negative for secondary raw materials (3 points).
The differences for Italy consist first of all in the even more important contribution that was provided in the five-year period by Competitiveness and Innovation (14 points), while the value of both Ecological Sustainability and Resilience (rises to 9 points) and Production and Consumption (drops to just one point).
