The Circular Economy in the Western Region, Ireland

The Western Region, Ireland, is a predominantly rural area with a strong concentration of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, alongside a growing focus on industrial clusters. The region accounts for a relatively small share of the national economy and faces significant environmental challenges, including high greenhouse gas emissions and low recycling rates. The long-term vision of the circular economy in the Western Region is included in the National Waste Management Plan for a Circular Economy 2024-2030. Although circular economy principles have been implemented on a project basis or as part of EU-funded projects, the Western Region’s circular transition is hindered by a lack of life-cycle thinking in key sectors of the economy, an emphasis on downstream rather than upstream and middle-stream circular actions, and the absence of place-based considerations. This scan provides policy recommendations for accelerating the circular transition in the Western Region, guided by the OECD 3Ps framework — People and Firms, Policies, and Places.