Circular economy: Role and importance in environmental protection

As the global population grows, the demand for raw materials is increasing, and the available resources are decreasing. The intensive processing of raw materials has enabled significant economic growth, but also an exponential increase in the amount of various waste materials, without adequate environmental awareness of the consequences. The consequences of the current patterns of resource consumption on the climate and the environment are great - energy is being wasted and CO₂ emissions are increasing. In order to overcome the problems of increasingly intensive resource consumption (especially non-renewable ones) and the complex negative impact on the environment, the concept of a circular economy was developed, which, with an adequate approach, should bring multiple benefits. The circular economy is currently a very popular concept in the world, which aims to ensure sustainable development and resource efficiency, especially after the presentation of the European Green Deal, as a new growth strategy of the European Union towards a modern, climate-neutral, resource-efficient and competitive economy

By signing the Sofia Declaration on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, Bosnia and Herzegovina committed to a number of concrete actions, including the implementation of measures in the field of circular economy. However, the implementation of this concept in the existing legal and strategic framework represents a major challenge, especially progress in harmonization with the legal framework for waste management (provisions regulating recycling, plastics, chemicals, eco-design, etc.). To achieve this, measures should be taken to address the entire life cycle of products, from design and production, to consumption, repair, reuse, recycling and returning resources to the economy. Preventing waste is key, but once waste is created, it should be transformed into a high-quality resource. This book presents the implications of implementing the circular model, its environmental, social and economic benefits. In addition to the benefits that the circular economy brings, the challenges, or obstacles that could hinder and delay the establishment of the circular model, are also analyzed