Green economy and recycling in Europe

Recycling has traditionally been promoted for environmental reasons, but it also has increasing economic importance. A review of the development of the concept of green economy indicates that recycling is an integral part of green economy. This report is about recycling and different aspects of its economic importance for Europe such as turnover, trade within and out of Europe and job creation. The report also covers how much recycling ensures total consumption of different materials in Europe currently and what the potential is for increasing this share. Special focus is also placed on the question of current and future need of rare metals.