Empowering Sustainable Consumer Behavior in the EU by Consolidating the Roles of Waste Recycling and Energy Productivity

Mihai Dinu, Simona Roxana Pătărlăgeanu, Radu Petrariu, Marius Constantin and Ana-Mădălina Potcovaru
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Mihai Dinu: Faculty of Agri-Food and Environmental Economics, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010374 Bucharest, Romania
Simona Roxana Pătărlăgeanu: Faculty of Agri-Food and Environmental Economics, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010374 Bucharest, Romania
Radu Petrariu: Faculty of International Business and Economics, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010374 Bucharest, Romania
Marius Constantin: Faculty of Agri-Food and Environmental Economics, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010374 Bucharest, Romania
Ana-Mădălina Potcovaru: Faculty of Administration and Public Management, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010374 Bucharest, Romania

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 23, 1-24

Abstract: The growth in population and economic activities has direct implications on the deterioration of the natural capital, especially when referring to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions. However, improvement is possible by empowering sustainable consumption and production patterns. Through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations call for a mix of economic development, environmental sustainability, and social inclusion. The agenda also provides the instruments needed to track progress, as each Sustainable Development Goal has a set of indicators meant to assess various dimensions of sustainability. Energy productivity is only one of many, but still special because it reflects sustainable consumption behaviors and production patterns. The 2030 Climate Target Plan elaborated by the European Commission consolidates and brings its contribution to the aims of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by adding weight to the importance of the greenhouse gas emissions target. The objective of this research was to study the relationship between energy productivity, greenhouse gas emissions, biowaste recycling and nominal GDP in the EU in order to highlight the key of a smooth transition towards sustainable consumption behaviors and production patterns. The results show that recycling, greening the economy and energy productivity are the vectors of this transition.

Keywords: sustainable consumption habits; sustainable development goals; European Union; climate target plan; green economy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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