Circular economy A production and consumption model which involves reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products to keep materials within the economy wherever possible. A circular economy implies that waste will itself become a resource, consequently minimising the actual amount of waste. It is generally opposed to a traditional, linear economic model, which is based on a 'take-make-consume-throw away' pattern.

Municipal waste Waste from households and similar waste from other sources (such as offices). This may be collected by municipalities, on their behalf, or by private operators. Municipal waste includes bulky waste, but excludes waste from municipal sewage networks, municipal construction and demolition waste.

Domestic material consumption (DMC) Total amount of materials directly used by an economy. This is calculated as the quantity of raw materials extracted from the domestic territory, plus physical imports, minus physical exports.

Raw material consumption (RMC) Total amount of materials consumed by an economy. Calculated as the quantity of raw materials extracted from the domestic territory, plus the mass of raw materials needed for physical imports (calculated through modelling), minus physical exports.

Resource productivity Indicator of how efficiently resources are used in an economy. Measured as gross domestic product (GDP) over raw material consumption (RMC) – or in some cases, domestic material consumption (DMC).

Critical raw materials Materials combining a high economic importance to the European Union with a high risk associated with their supply. The European Union has identified 20 critical raw materials.

Secondary raw materials Recycled materials which can be used in manufacturing processes instead of, or alongside, virgin raw materials.

The sharing economy The sharing economy (also referred to as the collaborative economy, peer-to-peer economy or collaborative consumption), is based on the sharing of human and physical resources such as creation, production, distribution, trade and consumption of goods and services. For consumers, this stresses a shift from ownership to accessibility. The sharing economy takes advantage of new technologies by using internet platforms as well as information and communications technology applications, leveraging communities or crowds to rent, share, swap, barter, trade, or sell access to products or services. It is argued that the sharing economy reduces the environmental impact of consumption (e.g. car-sharing or carpooling).

Planned obsolescence No overarching definition of the term 'planned obsolescence' exists. The term can be used interchangeably with programmed obsolescence, and may refer to either product or technology obsolescence. Described as the intentional production of goods and services with short economic lives, stimulating consumers to repeat purchases within a shorter period of time, or simply too frequently. The European Commission defines planned obsolescence as a commercial policy that involves deliberately planning or designing a product with a limited useful life so that it will become obsolete or non-functional after a certain period of time.