Circular Economy in the West Asia & North African (WANA) Countries: Challenges and Opportunities

As an environmentally friendly substitute for the conventional linear economic paradigm, the idea of a circular economy has acquired considerable traction. Sharing, leasing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling current resources and products for a longer period of time is at the heart of the Circular Economy (CE), also known as circularity. Efforts to attain social, environmental, and economic sustainability are driving the global promotion of CE as a policy. The WANA region, characterized by its rich natural resources and rapid economic development, faces unique opportunities and challenges in adopting CE practices. The ongoing economic landscape of this region puts emphasis on region’s heavy reliance on resource extraction which has clear cut implications for sustainability. Transitioning to a circular economy model can mitigate environmental degradation, reduce scarcity of available resources, and foster economic resilience. In this chapter an analysis is made of some important industries for instance water management, construction, manufacturing, energy to illustrate the potential benefits of circularity in these economies. While the WANA region faces challenges such as political instability and varying levels of sectoral technological advancement, there exists a growing awareness and commitment among governments, business establishment, and civil society to embrace sustainable practices. Case studies from WANA countries covering Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries etc. highlight pioneering initiatives and policies aimed at promoting the seven basic principles of CE. Those are management of waste, energy, industry, agriculture, water, tourism, and hospitality, renewable energy, infrastructure, and sustainable urban development projects. The information presented in this chapter is on current scenario of development and usage of natural resources in the WANA region; what a shift to the CE model entails for the region; which possibilities a transformation can bring open; the current progress towards a CE model; current challenges and the necessary enabling conditions. While the possibilities within a CE are immense, there are global and regional gaps in both a shared understanding of the concept. By embracing the CE practices, WANA region can achieve the objective of attaining a higher level of socio-economic wellbeing that is accompanied with an improved environmental sustainability outcome.