Developing Circular Economy in Belarus: Barriers and Challenges

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to better understand the obstacles and limits that Belarus faces in moving to a circular economy (CE). Three separate studies were used to achieve these goals. In the first study, a research-based questionnaire was created to collect data on the business operations of Belarusian enterprises and their use of circular business models. In the second study, we used an interview-based assessment of the Belarusian economy's circularity. In the final section, we used the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method to analyze the impediments to the circular economy in the Republic of Belarus. The overall findings of this three-part study indicate that businesses are interested in and working to adopt various CE activities like waste management, resource efficiency, cost savings, and carbon emissions. However, Belarus lacks planning possibilities and CE-related initiatives due to a lack of consistent legal standards or frameworks. This is one of the earliest CE-focused studies on Belarus, focusing on the country and giving policy recommendations for the country's transition to a CE.