Circularity Gap Report 2026: How circular economy transforms the liniar loses into real economic value
The global economy loses more than €25.4 trillion every year due to the linear way in which resources are managed — according to the Circularity Gap Report 2026, published by the Circle Economy Foundation.
For the first time, the report translates economic inefficiency into monetary terms, introducing the concept of the Value Gap: the value lost due to wasted materials, energy and assets.
Why is this relevant for companies in Romania?
Circularity is no longer an environmental agenda — it is an economic one.
The report shows that for every €3 created, €1 is lost before reaching the final consumer.
For Romanian companies, this indicator becomes a strategic benchmark:
- it highlights the hidden costs of linear models
- it provides a basis for sustainable financial decisions
- it shows how circularity can become a real competitive advantage
What does the report reveal?
CGR 2026 identifies five major sources of value loss:
- end‑of‑life waste: ~€10 trillion
- energy losses: ~€8.7 trillion
- depreciation of fixed capital: ~€5.2 trillion
- industrial losses: ~€904 billion
- food losses: ~€650 billion
These losses are not marginal — they are systemic, embedded in the way the global economy operates.
What does this mean for the European market?
Circularity is becoming a competitiveness tool.
Companies that invest in material efficiency, traceability and circular business models will be the ones that win in the long term.
For Romania, the report provides a clear direction: reducing the demand for primary materials and increasing the value recovered.
Full article and official document — available on SustainabilityPro
The full analysis of The Circularity Gap Report 2026: The Value Gap is available exclusively to Reciclad’OR partners on the sustainabilitypro.ro platform.
Access includes detailed data, charts and recommendations for companies, financiers and policymakers.
Reciclad’OR, your trusted OIREP partner, provides Romanian companies with access to the most relevant European analyses on the circular economy and PPWR compliance.
Reciclad’OR is one of the most important OIREP-type organizations in Romania, with expertise in responsibility transfer, collection and recycling, environmental consulting, and circular economy.
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