Circular Economy in the Nordics
The circular economy offers an alternative to the current linear model dominating the global economy. The approach promotes durable products designed for long-term use, repair, upgrading, reuse, and recycling. This allows the same resources to be used repeatedly, minimizing losses, resource depletion and waste.
For several years, Nordic co-operation has focused on circular economy and has been at the forefront of producing knowledge for policy development regionally and in the EU. The Circular Economy in the Nordics Programme builds on these experiences to further advance the transition to a circular economy in the Nordic Region. This involves changes in product design, production methods, business models, and consumer behaviour.
The programme contributes to the Nordic Region's circular economy goals by addressing material footprint and resource consumption, while contributing to European and international processes.
Focus areas:
- Developing Nordic input for the European Commission’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Product Regulation and standardizing life cycle assessments.
- Creating a long-term Nordic collaboration framework to support waste prevention policies, aligning with EU regulations and Nordic priorities.
- Increasing knowledge and data on critical raw material recycling and reuse, enhancing recovery potential from waste.
- Developing effective policy mixes for a circular economy through a deeper understanding of regulatory and financial instruments.
- Contributing to cross-cutting initiatives, such as Nordic collaboration on circular textiles and sustainable online shopping.
The transition to a circular economy requires systemic changes beyond the scope of a single programme. Therefore, the programme focuses on areas crucial for the Nordic Region, aiming to drive valuable systemic change and set an example for the world.
READ MORE: norden.org
