COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ECO-INNOVATIONS USING THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY PERSPECTIVE IN EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the crucial role of eco-innovations in driving the transition towards a circular economy model, with a focus on the development of patents related to recycling and secondary raw materials. The purpose is to fill the research gap on this topic, internationally and domestically, with a specific focus on the European Union and its member states. The research utilized secondary data obtained from the Eurostat website, specifically in the field of Competitiveness and Innovation within the circular economy model. Patents related to recycling and secondary raw materials used as the indicators for eco-innovation. The statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, trend analysis, and forecasting. The research results show that Germany is the leader, followed by France and Poland, while all other countries have the significantly lower rankings. The trend analysis for European Union countries and Germany shows that the maximum result was achieved in a year 2019, with a significant decline in a year 2020. Predictions indicate a trend of increasing the number of patents for recycling and secondary raw materials in the year 2021, for both the European Union countries and Germany, followed by downward to the year 2024. All things considered, this research presented new and significant results, considering it analyzes the situation in EU countries. The recommendation would be to intensify efforts in creating new patents for recycling and secondary raw materials in order to increase eco-innovation