Assessing the Impact of Environmental Sustainability and Energy Efficiency on Economic Growth: A Multivariate Analysis Aligned with the EU’s Sustainable Development Goals

This study analyzed how both environmental sustainability and energy efficiency influence economic growth in Romania. The analysis in the research is based on sustainable development goals such as SDG8, SDG11 and SDG13, and several key indicators in the area of sustainability are analyzed for the period 2000–2022, such as: municipal waste recycling rate (RRMW), energy productivity (EP), greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and renewable energy share (RENE). In this regard, the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model was used to capture both short-term and long-term effects. The results obtained show that energy productivity has a positive and significant impact on economic growth. This confirms the important role of energy efficiency in strengthening a sustainable economy. It has also been observed that greenhouse gas emissions are positively correlated with GDP in the short term, and the waste recycling rate has a negative effect. Regarding renewable energy, the long-term influence is not statistically significant, indicating the need for more effective policies to accelerate the energy transition. The analysis highlights the significance of a comprehensive strategy in the field of environmental and energy policies to promote stable and sustainable economic development, while providing valuable guidance for Romania’s strategic alignment with the European Union’s sustainable development goals.