The Effects of Information and Communication Technologies on the Level of Implementation of Circular Economy in European Union Countries
摘要
Given the growing use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), there is a need to analyse their effect on any and all aspects of society; the implementation of a Circular Economy (CE) is no exception in this regard. However, there is little literature on the effects of ICTs on the implementation of the CE, and what few studies there are focus on analysing the effect of implementing one or several specific technologies, in a specific sector or sectors and in a specific geographical area or location. Thus, this paper analyses the overall effect of ICTs—considering ICT use, connectivity and capacity—on the level of implementation of the CE, considering its different dimensions, in 28 European countries with information available for 2022. Therefore, this paper tackles two lacks in the literature considering an european geographical zone and measuring the CE implementation with an overall point of view to analyse the effect of ICTs over the CE implementation. The results show that ICTs influence the dimensions of the CE. In addition to ICT usage, ICT capacity is key to improving the implementation of the CE through its effect on the dimension that is least well developed in European countries; namely, secondary raw materials. ICT capacity is also critical for waste management. However, connectivity has a negative and significant influence on CE implementation in the dimensions of competitiveness and innovation and global sustainability and resilience.