2025

Milošević, Isidora 
Plotnic, Olesea
Stanković, Zorana
Tick, Andrea
Buzdugan, Adriana

Syros Institute, Greece

Sustainable development, culture, traditions

16a

8

15

English

In contemporary society, the idea of a circular economy plays a crucial role in achieving sustainable development goals. It promotes efficient resource use, enabling reuse and recycling instead of single-use. It is based on economic systems and business models that replace the linear model with alternative approaches such as reducing, reusing, and repairing. As consumer needs become more complex and technologies advance, it is necessary to focus on circular strategies that enable responsible resource management and strengthen consumer awareness. This paper aims to identify barriers to implementing circular strategies by analyzing consumer education and the relationship between systems, needs, and opportunities, focusing on the local specificities of the countries involved in the COSTEco4All action. The research includes data from 30 countries collected through surveys. The results will be processed through statistical analyses to identify differences in barriers and opportunities between these countries, providing insights for creating more effective circular strategies at regional and national levels. The paper highlights the importance of consumers as catalysts for circular transformation, whose protection and engagement have a fundamental impact on the success of this concept.

This abstract for the special session is based upon work from COST Action CA22124 -ECO4ALL, “EU Circular Economy Network for All: Consumer Protection through reducing,reusing, repairing,” supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology—www.cost.eu).

Circular economy, Customer, Strategies, Barriers, Sustainable development

DOI

10.26341/issn.2241-4010-2025-16a-1-K02140

ISSN

2241–4002

URI

https://repozitorijum.tfbor.bg.ac.rs/handle/...