Quantifying Service Sector Waste: Insights from the Spanish Economy

Global waste generation is projected to rise significantly in the coming decades, with high-income countries contributing disproportionately to per capita waste production. While the European Union’s Circular Economy Action Plans prioritize resource-intensive sectors, the service sector’s contributions to waste generation remain underexplored. This study offers a detailed assessment of waste generation in Spain, distinguishing between direct and indirect contributions as well as their domestic and foreign origins, with a particular focus on disaggregated data for service activities. By employing environmentally extended input-output (IO) modeling, this research reveals the significant indirect contributions of the service sector, driven by complex supply chain interactions. The findings underscore the critical need to integrate detailed service sector data into waste management strategies, offering actionable insights to enhance the design and implementation of circular economy policies. This study contributes valuable knowledge of the service sector’s role in waste generation and highlights key areas for future research aimed at fostering sustainable economic practices.