Foreword
The circular economy has gained traction in Ireland’s political agenda, mainly as a result of European Commission agendas such as the EU Green Deal and Circular Economy Package. Unprecedented shocks such as Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic and more recently the war in Ukraine have further emphasised the importance of shifting towards carbon-neutral economies with sustainable production and consumption patterns. Ireland’s rapid population growth, which is almost double the OECD average (1% per year compared to 0.6%, between 2013 and 2018) further raises the urgency of efficient resources management, in line with the Irish government’s goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
While Ireland has made good progress, the country’s circular economy policy could be further strengthened in three priority areas. First, move from a narrow focus on waste to a broader view of resources management to leverage the circular economy as a cross-sectoral driver of economic growth, job creation, social well-being and environmental protection. Second, enlarge the focus beyond recycling and recovery to embrace waste prevention in food, the built environment and other sectors, and repairing and reusing material. Third, adopt a place-based approach to the circular economy to respond to urban challenges related to service provision and infrastructure, to close material loops in waste, water and energy, as well as strengthen urban-rural linkages.
Through this project, Ireland has made a valuable contribution to the OECD Programme on the Circular Economy in Cities and Regions, which supports national, regional and local governments with evidence-based analysis, multi-stakeholder dialogues, policy recommendations and customised action plans. The programme has enabled knowledge sharing and the exchange of solutions to common challenges and opportunities among circular economy pioneers, including Glasgow (United Kingdom), Granada (Spain), Groningen (Netherlands), Montreal (Canada), Tallinn (Estonia), Umeå (Sweden), and Valladolid (Spain).
This report supports the implementation of the 2021-2022 Programme of Work and Budget of the OECD Regional Development Policy Committee. The report was approved by written procedure under cote [CFE/RDPC/URB(2022)2] on 30 March 2022.