As the European Union publishes new directives for recycling and the circular economy, Lithuania is trying to keep up and set ambitious goals. Studies show that we are above the EU average in some areas, but there is still room for improvement. Specialists from abroad come to find out the principle of operation of our deposit system, and government support programs encourage businesses to reduce the amount of waste and recycle as much as possible.
The possibilities of the circular economy in Lithuania – the broad goals of the European Union – to become a climate-neutral economy by 2050 and to decouple economic growth from the use of resources – make it possible to predict that the circular economy will more or less affect all economic activities and sectors. Based on this, long-term (until 2050) and short-term (until 2030) are formulated. The goals of the transformation of Lithuanian industry into a circular economy. The long-term objectives are closely correlated with the EU’s industrial transformation objectives: full circularity (use of secondary raw materials), competitiveness, and climate neutrality.
At the end of 2021, on the Ministry of Economy and Innovation initiative, a compass for the transition of Lithuanian industry to a circular economy was prepared. The Lithuanian Government’s programme aims to achieve a value of the circularity index not lower than the EU average. In 2021, our circularity rate was 4%, according to Eurostat (EU average: 11.7%).
In this area, even closer interinstitutional cooperation is needed, which can ensure more detailed monitoring and analysis of circular economy indicators at the Lithuanian level. This could include one-stop-shop services for businesses: advice on regulatory changes, financial support, promoting the development of circular and green technologies and related innovative business models, public information and international networking.
Changes in EU regulation that have already been adopted or are still planned in the coming years will contribute to the changes, including corporate sustainability reporting, ecodesign, waste, packaging and packaging waste and other directives.