Abstract:

More than two billion tonnes of waste are produced in the European Union every year, and Europeans are aware of the importance of transforming the linear economy into a circular economy, namely sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible.

This paper explores programs and strategies used to educate students, at different levels, from pre-schools to universities, about the circular economy.

We use a narrative literature review on articles that include different educational programs, initiatives, and interventions in Europe, aiming to raise awareness or change behavior in the direction of the circular economy. Studies for the past 10 years (2020-2025) were included based on relevance criteria, focusing on educational environments, as education is the basis of producing significant and durable changes in behaviors and attitudes.

The findings illustrate:
(1) in which countries such initiatives are concentrated;
(2) at which educational levels;
(3) what types of programs and initiatives were tailored and with what purpose;
(4) what were the main outcomes of such educational initiatives in generating change and enabling the transition to the circular economy

Keywords:

Education, circular economy, education for circular economy.