Amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and economic instability, the European Union’s reliance on imported raw materials has become a pressing issue. Between 2014 and 2023, Romania doubled its imports of recyclable raw materials from non-EU countries, increasing from approximately 448,000 tons to over 910,000 tons, according to Eurostat data analyzed by Clean Recycle.

Similarly, imports from EU countries also rose during this period, from over 462,000 tons to more than 765,000 tons.

These imported materials primarily fall into five categories: plastic, paper and cardboard, precious metals, iron and steel and non-ferrous metals (copper, aluminum, and nickel).

However, EU countries still import more raw materials than they export, contributing to a €35.5 billion trade deficit in 2021, according to Clean Recycle’s analysis.

The EU currently imports nearly half of the raw materials it consumes.

A solution to reduce reliance on imported recyclable raw materials is to move to a circular economy model, to extend the life cycle of products.

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