Cleantech Firms and Green Policies

Over the past few years, there has been a growing recognition of global climate change as a significant challenge for humanity. Climate change is leading to a range of environmental and social impacts, including rising sea levels, an increased frequency and severity of natural disasters, and shifts in the distribution of plants and animal species. Mitigating the effects of climate change is a global challenge that requires international cooperation and actions. Throughout the years, the European Union has taken a leading role in addressing the challenge of climate change. By adopting progressively more ambitious targets, plans, and strategies, the EU has promoted a sustainable mindset in all its member states. To wit, my research work is mainly focused on "The European Green Deal" which aims to shift the EU's economy into a more sustainable one while ensuring that the transition is fair for all parties involved. The Green Deal is a far-reaching plan that involves a range of policy initiatives and measures aimed at reaching the EU's most ambitious objective: achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Among all the Green Deal areas, the core of my research is the Circular Economy chapter and more specifically the Circular Economy Package which includes updated proposals on how to manage wastes. This transition is expected to enhance the competitiveness of the region on a global scale, thus encouraging economic growth that is sustainable, and creating new job opportunities. The goal of this work is to examine the key directives within the Circular Economy Package, and how these directives have been enforced by member states at the national level. Specifically, from a methodological point of view, the primary objective is to build a comprehensive list of policies and regulations implemented at both European and national level, and categorize them based on relevant criteria such as environmental stringency and market-based or non-market policies. This dataset will serve as the initial step of a broader analysis, which will investigate the factors that enables the growth of clean technology companies in Europe. Keywords: European Union, Green Deal, Environmental Policies, Circular Economy, Waste, Plastic