Circular Economy Transition in Italian Regions: A First Attempt to Measure the Contribution of Households, Firms and Public Administration

The shift towards a Circular Economy (CE) is increasing, especially at the regional level, although comparable local indicators remain scarce. This study investigates how households, firms, and public administration have promoted the CE across Italian regions. Using regional data from ISTAT, ISPRA, and OpenCoesione for 2015 and 2019 – marking the first European Union Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) – we developed synthetic indicators through Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Results reaffirm the North-South divide but also reveal subtler regional differences. The proposed framework supports local monitoring of the circular transition and highlights critical data and policy gaps to enhance regional efforts.