Authors : Amen Lafi

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 10 - October

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/2p9zbyf8

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26Oct939

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : The European Union has committed to doubling its circular material use rate (CMUR) by 2030, yet it is unclear which countries are gaining circularity, whether laggards are catching up, and what drives the gains. This paper examines circularity gains in the 27 EU Member States from 2010 to 2024 using official Eurostat material-flow and waste statistics combined with real GDP per capita. Four analyses are conducted: β- and σ-convergence tests, an Environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) test of circularity against income, a Tapio decoupling analysis of domestic material consumption (DMC) against real GDP, and an exact Shapley decomposition of each country's circularity change into domestic waste recovery, net trade in recyclables and material consumption.

Keywords : Circular Economy; Environmental Economics; Circular Material Use Rate; Convergence; Environmental Kuznets Curve; Decoupling; Shapley Decomposition; European Union.

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