Abstract
This paper analyses the effect of circular economy practices on the Ecological Footprint in Eurozone countries over the period 2004–2023 using a disaggregated panel econometric approach. By decomposing the Ecological Footprint into six sub-components, namely carbon, cropland, grazing land, forest products, fishing grounds and built-up land, the study examines multiple dimensions of environmental pressure. The Principal Component Analysis method is first used to construct a Circular Economy Index from five indicators: circular material use rate, resource productivity, packaging waste recycling rate, municipal waste recycling rate and per capita municipal waste. The short- and long-run relationships between the index and the Ecological Footprint components are then analysed using the Panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag model. The results show that circular economy practices significantly reduce the total Ecological Footprint and, especially, the carbon footprint. However, the effects on cropland, grazing land and fishing grounds footprints are statistically insignificant. These findings indicate that current circular economy policies mainly influence industrial and energy systems, while food and bio-economy systems remain weakly integrated. The study also evaluates the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis and shows that Eurozone economies need more sector-specific circular economy strategies to achieve sustainability objectives.
Keywords
Circular Economy; Ecological Footprint; Eurozone; Panel ARDL; Environmental Sustainability
Derived from the title and available description; not stated by the work.
Anahtar kelimeler
Döngüsel Ekonomi; Ekolojik Ayak İzi; Avro Bölgesi; Panel ARDL; Çevresel Sürdürülebilirlik
Topics
Sustainable finance / Sürdürülebilir finans Circular economy / Döngüsel ekonomi Ecological footprint / Ekolojik ayak izi ARDL bounds testing / ARDL sınır testi 2004 2023 JEL C2 · Single Equation Models • Single Variables / Tek Denklem Modelleri • Tek Değişkenler JEL Q5 · Environmental Economics / Çevre İktisadı Sustainable Development Engineering Economics Organization Logistics Marketing Waste Management/Waste Technology Science
JEL classification / JEL sınıflaması
- C22 Time-Series Models • Dynamic Quantile Regressions • Dynamic Treatment Effect Models • Diffusion Processes
Zaman Serisi Modelleri • Dinamik Kantil Regresyonlar • Dinamik Müdahale Etkisi Modelleri • Difüzyon Süreçleri - Q56 Environment and Development • Environment and Trade • Sustainability • Environmental Accounts and Accounting • Environmental Equity • Population Growth
Çevre ve Kalkınma • Çevre ve Ticaret • Sürdürülebilirlik • Çevresel Hesaplar ve Muhasebe • Çevresel Hakkaniyet • Nüfus Artışı
JEL codes: American Economic Association classification. Turkish descriptions are an unofficial translation. Türkçe açıklamalar gayriresmî çeviridir.
Cite this work
- APA 7
Medetoğlu, B., Kavas, Y. B., Saldanlı, A., & Tutar, S. (2026). The Link between Circular Economy and the Disaggregated Ecological Footprint in the Eurozone: A Panel ARDL Analysis (2004–2023). Circular Economy and Sustainability, 6(334). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-026-01062-3
- MLA 9
Medetoğlu, B., et al. "The Link between Circular Economy and the Disaggregated Ecological Footprint in the Eurozone: A Panel ARDL Analysis (2004–2023)." Circular Economy and Sustainability, vol. 6, no. 334, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-026-01062-3.
- Chicago 17 (author-date)
Medetoğlu, B., Y. B. Kavas, A. Saldanlı, and S. Tutar. 2026. "The Link between Circular Economy and the Disaggregated Ecological Footprint in the Eurozone: A Panel ARDL Analysis (2004–2023)." Circular Economy and Sustainability 6 (334). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-026-01062-3.
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BibTeX
@article{medetoglu2026the,
title = {The Link between Circular Economy and the Disaggregated Ecological Footprint in the Eurozone: A Panel ARDL Analysis (2004–2023)},
author = {Medetoğlu B. and Kavas Y. B. and Saldanlı A. and Tutar S.},
year = {2026},
journal = {Circular Economy and Sustainability},
volume = {6},
number = {334},
doi = {10.1007/s43615-026-01062-3}
}