Consumption and the Environment in Europe’s Circular Economy

Europe and the world face unprecedented sustainability challenges, largely as a result of unsustainable consumption. Since similar consumption patterns are expected to continue, technological gains and further efficiency improvements appear to be insufficient to keep environmental and climate pressures within sustainable limits. A more circular economy in Europe has the potential to reduce environmental and climate pressures and impacts from our consumption, but will require to substantially transform consumption and production systems. This report presents trends in European household consumption and its resulting environmental and climate pressures while exploring conditions and pathways to a transition towards more sustainable and circular consumption patterns in Europe.