Circularity Gap Report
Poland's economy has transformative potential: it can almost double its circularity and nearly halve its material and carbon footprints.
This report has laid out a first approximation of how resources are used to meet Poland's societal needs and wants, and in which amounts.
It lays out the strategies the country could put into practice to drive its circularity from 10.2% to 19.9%.
Poland could reshape its economy. It has the potential to cut its material footprint by 40.4%, bringing it down to 308.7 million tonnes, while lowering its carbon footprint by 49.1% (excluding direct emissions), bringing it down to 174.8 million tonnes.
Read all report HERE
About Circularity Gap Report
Poland is 10.2% circular - leaving a Circularity Gap of 89.8%.
This 'Gap' highlights the extent of Poland's virgin material use: of all the materials flowing through its economy—from metal ores and non-metallic minerals to biomass and fossil fuels—only one-tenth come from secondary sources. The country consumes a total of 613.4 million tonnes of materials per year, with virgin material consumption ringing in at 517.9 million tonnes—or 13.8 tonnes per person, per year. This figure is moderate compared to other European countries: Norwegian residents, for example, consume 44 tonnes per person per year on average.1 However, Poland's material footprint still tops the global average of 11.9 tonnes per person per year, which is already wellexceeding planetary boundaries.
Our current global rate of consumption requires 1.75 Earths to sustain2— so even Poland's 'moderate' material footprint leaves much room for improvement. What's more: at 16.7 tonnes per capita per year, the country's domestic extraction rate significantly tops the EU average (10.3 tonnes per capita), owing to its dominant coal industry and production of non-metallic minerals. While these high rates of consumption and extraction are common amongst high-income European nations, it also calls for an approach that goes beyond simply cycling, and provides broader environmental, social and economic benefits. To this end, this report presents means for cutting Poland's excess material use while also boosting its circularity—a means to provide a high-quality lifestyle to all residents without surpassing planetary boundaries.