Open Access

Erica Lubrano

• Climate change, commodity price volatility and scarcity of natural resources are some of the clear signals that indicate the unsustainability of the traditional linear economy. Manufacturing companies in the European Union are becoming aware of playing a key role at the heart of these problems, as they are responsible of determining the impact that products have on the environment and on the economy, during their first lifecycle and after. Manufacturers therefore started to acknowledge the possibility of adapting their business model to circular strategies. The main objective of circular economy is the decoupling of economic growth from natural resources while providing economic and environmental prosperity. This study aims to determine whether circular economy can represent a viable alternative to the current linear economic system in the context of European manufacturing sector. To answer this question, a literature review was conducted to gather qualitative existing data that has been selected according to relevance and analyzed. The results showed that circular economy has the potential to be successfully applied to the European manufacturing sector, representing a prosperous alternative to the traditional linear economy.