CGR Ireland

Discover key circular indicators for Ireland

Ireland’s residents consume 22 tonnes of raw materials per person annually

This surpasses both the EU average of 17 tonnes per capita and the estimated ‘sustainable’ level of consumption of 8 tonnes per capita.

The built environment is the largest contributor to Ireland’s material consumption, reflecting the housing and infrastructure needs of its rapidly growing population. The services sector, led by booming tech and finance industries, follows closely as the second-largest consumer.

Over 97% of materials in Ireland’s economy come from virgin sources

Only 2.7% of the materials consumed by the Irish economy come from secondary sources—considerably less than the global average of 7.2% in 2023. However, not all non-circular materials are wasted: Ireland’s Circularity Indicator Framework shows a broader picture of material flows, including stock build-up.

This figure shows the full picture of circular and non-circular materials as well as stock build-up that make up Ireland’s Circularity Gap.

58% of Ireland's carbon footprint is linked to imported products

The country's consumption-based carbon footprint—12 tonnes per capita—is more than double the global average. While Ireland’s territorial emissions have only recently started to decline, its consumption-based emissions remain below average for high-income nations.

Click the button below to dive further into the material use in the Irish economy

Explore the sankey diagram

Dive into priority areas for the circular transition

The built environment: Balancing housing needs with sustainability

In recent years, Ireland’s population has soared, and with it—the demand for housing and infrastructure. If business as usual continues, the built environment’s embodied carbon emissions could increase fivefold by 2030.

The sector should prioritise long-term sustainability and circular principles by, for example, increasing the use of renewable and secondary construction materials. It is also crucial to leverage private investment for circular projects and reskill the workforce—requiring an additional 120,000 construction workers by 2030 to meet its housing demand sustainably.

Ireland’s bioeconomy is rooted in tradition

With two-thirds of its land dedicated to agriculture and 11% to forestry, Ireland’s bioeconomy is central to its history and culture. Building a circular bio economy can mitigate climate change, enhance resilience, protect biodiversity and improve water and air quality, all while fostering rural development.

Ireland is well-positioned to lead this transition by evolving its farming system sustainably and increasing forest cover to support cross-sectoral bioeconomy development. Addressing labour shortages and skills gaps is another crucial step toward circularity in this sector.

The circular transition will be driven by innovation, work and workers

Currently, around 5.5% of jobs in Ireland contribute to the circular economy. Roughly 3.4% of them are direct circular jobs, while 2.1% contribute to the circular economy indirectly, such as through resource management, services and knowledge sharing.

To boost circularity, major sectors like services and manufacturing must address skills gaps and labour shortages. Key industries include data management, automation, smart technology, electrical engineering, construction, reverse logistics, bioeconomy, and traditional craftsmanship.

Explore five pathways to closing the Circularity Gap

There is a way for Ireland to maintain its high living standards while reducing its environmental impacts. By adopting circular strategies in key sectors, the nation could decrease material use by 29%, reduce its carbon footprint by 32%, and boost its Circularity Metric to 8.4%—all without compromising its high quality of life.

Build a circular built environment

Material footprint is reduced by 12.6%; carbon footprint is reduced by 17.3%

As the biggest contributor to material demand and energy consumption, Ireland’s built environment is a priority area for circular interventions. The country could harness the sector’s circular potential by optimising building stock expansion through repurposing vacant office buildings and reusing building materials, for example. Creating a low-carbon, energy-efficient building stock through retrofitting is another impactful solution, along with resource-efficient building practices such as lightweight design and bio-based materials.

Shape a circular food system

Material footprint is reduced by 2.9%; carbon footprint is reduced by 1.65%

With biomass accounting for 41% of material extraction and farming employing over 100,000 people, Ireland’s agriculture sector plays a central role in the circular transition. A circular food system in Ireland focuses on sustainable farming and land-use practices, more sustainable diets, and minimising food waste. By upcycling agricultural waste into by-products, Ireland can create a resilient, circular food system.

Advance circular manufacturing

Material footprint is reduced by 0.8%; carbon footprint is reduced by 0.8%

While Ireland has become a tech and manufacturing hub, the sector is today the third-largest contributor to material and carbon footprints, although emissions started to fall over the past few years.

To shift further away from linear manufacturing, Ireland should boost industrial symbiosis and resource efficiency and roll out R-strategies such as reuse and remanufacturing for industrial machinery and equipment.

Redesign transport and mobility

Material footprint is reduced by 10%; carbon footprint is reduced by 14%

With 69% of journeys made by private cars, mostly powered by fossil fuels, transport is the second-largest contributor to Ireland’s territorial emissions. A circular transition in mobility would reduce unnecessary travel, improve public transport and promote active travel (like cycling and walking). Additionally, the sector could shift to cleaner mobility options, such as smaller, lightweight and electric vehicles.

Embrace circular consumer goods

Material footprint is reduced by 8.9%; carbon footprint is reduced by 5%

Ireland’s rising affluence has led to overconsumption and growing waste, especially plastic waste generation which more than doubled in a decade. A circular approach encourages a shift towards a sufficiency-based lifestyle, favouring local and circular products and supporting repair services, for example.

The Circularity Gap Report

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