Every inhabitant of the Earth uses more than 11 tonnes of materials a year, a third of which quickly becomes waste and ends its brief existence in landfill. The world's population continues to grow (according to estimates, by 2050 it will reach 9.7 billion), but material consumption is growing at twice that rate and, if current lifestyles continue, by that date we will be consuming resources as if we had not one but three planets at our disposal. The quantity of waste generated by the world's population is estimated to increase by 70 per cent. This unsustainable economic model, responsible for a large part of the climate and environmental crisis that is upending the planet, must therefore be progressively abandoned in favour of a model of consumption that puts resources back into circulation: the circular economy.

This was highlighted by the Rapporto nazionale sull'economia circolare in Italia 2020, produced by the Circular economy network (Cen), in collaboration with Enea, and presented at the Conferenza nazionale sull'economia circolare 2020.

It is in this context that the European Commission has approved a new Circular economy action plan dedicated precisely to the circular economy. The stated objective of the plan, which forms part of the broader green new deal, is to push the accelerator on eco-design of materials. And therefore on production capable of reusing raw materials: at present, in fact, only 12 per cent of the resources used finds a second life. For this reason, the plan focuses on how to contain the waste of resources, encourage the reuse, recycling and repair of goods, and move beyond the logic of single use.

Every year, we produce 173 kg of packaging per inhabitant in Europe

A central problem from the perspective of the circular economy is packaging. It is in constant growth: in 2017 alone, in Europe, 173 kg per inhabitant per year was produced. On the subject of waste, the plan requires that by 2030 all packaging placed on the market must be fully reusable or recyclable in a sustainable way (thereby reducing its complexity — for example, the use of different components that mean it has to be disposed of as unsorted waste).

Also by that date, the plan states, the legislative framework on reuse will need to be revised. This is intended, on one hand, to replace single-use packaging and items. On the other, to harmonise the labelling system and make separate waste collection simpler. It is no coincidence that the plan speaks of reducing and preventing packaging waste — a fundamental issue for reducing the impact on raw materials and limiting the waste of resources.

Plastic deserves a chapter of its own, as it accounts for 20 per cent of total global oil consumption. A figure that, without intervention, will double by 2050. It therefore follows that while dependence on plastic bottles will need to be reduced, single-use products will have to be eliminated and replaced with durable reusable alternatives and ones made from biodegradable or compostable bioplastics.

Italy still a leader in the circular economy

Fortunately, in terms of recycling our country is already among the world's leading performers, thanks to the growth in the quantities of waste treated and the increase in companies operating in the recycling sector. "We rank first, among the five largest European economies, in the circularity index ranking — the value assigned according to the degree of efficient resource use across five categories: production, consumption, waste management, the secondary raw materials market, and investment and employment," the report states. All that remains is to keep it up.