Circular Economy in Croatian Society

The circular economy appears as a kind of opposite perspective to the ubiquitous “paradox of resources”, one of the foundations of the traditional industrial society. It represents the establishment of sustainable development and Industry 4.0. It is based on smart production, an increased supply of services, and improved management of production resources, all of which make it one of the basic elements of global state competitiveness. Although often neglected in the past, the need for conscientious exploitation of resources and environmentalism are gradually becoming the direction of policy development at the highest level, as both governments and international organizations have recognized the risks of late response to imminent challenges to economic and social growth. The European Union acknowledged the problem by presenting the legislative package as well as strategic documents Europe 2030 and the European Green Deal, which also oblige the Republic of Croatia to act as one of the member states. Based on a comparison of available statistical data, the paper focuses the presence of the circular economy as one of the indicators of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Croatia. Finally, the paper points to difficulties regarding transformation from a linear to a circular model of the economy.