European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform

One advantage of land-based aquaculture is that emissions can theoretically be contained and reused. However, the techniques for doing so keep evolving. If the Nordic aquaculture industry is to grow in an environmentally sustainable manner, information is needed on the best available techniques.

The Nordic Council of Ministers therefore requested a report on the best available techniques for reducing and reusing emissions from land-based aquaculture. This report explores the state of play of Nordic aquaculture and takes stock of emerging and established techniques for reducing emissions and managing waste, with a focus on the circular economy. Improving waste management might improve the viability of land-based aquaculture, supporting the sustainable growth of this sector.

The Waste Framework Directive mandates that from 2025, EU Member States must establish separate collection systems for used textiles.

This briefing provides an overview of the state of play of textile waste generation, collection systems, treatment capacity and the different classifications for used textiles in Europe. It also identifies factors which must be considered when implementing separate collection systems, with a view to fostering the circularity of textiles without inadvertently increasing exports, incineration or landfilling.

It is underpinned by a report from the European Environment Agency’s European Topic Centre on Circular Economy and Resource Use.

The publication of CEMBUREAU's Net Zero Roadmap is a key moment for the EU cement sector: the roadmap looks at its climate ambition, the key levers to decarbonise cement production, and the policies needed to get there.

Cement and concrete are also going circular. Circularity is an integral part of the net zero ambition, allowing for significant CO₂ reduction throughout the cement and 
concrete value chain. Over the past decades, the European cement industry has promoted circularity by using waste materials to make cement, both as raw materials and as fuel in its kilns. 

This shift has picked up the pace over the last few years, with the adoption of new methods to develop the role played by cement and concrete in the circular economy.

EFPIA, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, supports the principles of the Circular Economy Action Plan. 

In the healthcare industry, circular opportunities could be centred around eco-design of products, packaging & devices, and end of life; circulation of products and materials to maximise the value of resources; reduction of reliance on single-use plastics, regeneration of natural systems by preserving finite materials and exploring renewable resources and associated services; suppliers and customer engagement for equipment return.

Safe and sustainable closed-loop recycling within the industry is the goal, but where this is not yet feasible, these valuable materials must be circulated as secondary raw materials for other sectors.

Flexible packaging provides lightweight, efficient protection for various products. Given just how important it is to recycle packaging, FEICA has published a report taking stock of how laminating adhesives meet design-for-recycling guidelines and how sortability and recyclability testing relate to flexible plastic packaging.

Highlights:

• What are laminating adhesives and why are they important for plastic packaging?
• What are the challenges and criteria for recycling flexible plastic packaging?
• How are laminating adhesives reflected in design-for-recycling guidelines and what are the sortability and recyclability test methods for flexible plastic packaging?
• How to enhance recyclability for adhesive applications, and future prospects.

The report comprises detailed descriptions of 25 good practices in the field of sustainable food systems, identified by desk research organised by FOODRUS project partners in 2022-2023. They cover initiatives in 15 European countries and one in the USA.

While some initiatives act at local level, others have spread within the country or into neighbouring countries and sometimes throughout the world. They have been classified based on the actors that initiated them, specifically businesses, communities, non-profits and public administrations, and cover a wide range of measures such as teaching practices, food waste collection and donation activities, reuse of food waste or local food policies. 

Each initiative has chapters on barriers, regulatory aspects, impact and area covered.

Europe has changed fundamentally since the single market was launched.

The global demographic and economic landscape has shifted, the rules-based international order faces serious challenges, the EU pillars of free trade and openness are being called into question and the sectors covered by the single market need to be updated.

The single market therefore needs to be adapted to new requirements, including the imperative to embed circular economy principles. A new framework is required: it must protect the fundamental freedoms, based on a level playing field, while supporting the objective of establishing a dynamic and effective European industrial policy.

The report contains policy recommendations for the future of the single market, such as establishing a Circular Single Market.

In 2023, signatories of the Circular Cities Declaration were asked to report on their progress in transitioning towards a circular economy. 

54 cities and regions from all over Europe contributed to this Progress Report which provides an overview of how the circular economy is being implemented by cities, the challenges they are facing, and how they are showing the way forward.

It also sheds light on measuring and reporting progress, as what isn’t measured cannot be effectively managed, and regenerating nature, a central yet often overlooked principle of the circular economy.

This Progress Report will bring valuable insight for decision makers at every level of government. To cities, it will provide inspiration, and to governments or to the EU, it will hopefully inform policies.

A critical review of the Circular Flanders partnership was conducted in 2023 at the request of its steering group. The report considered what the partnership has set in motion, what significant changes would not have happened without the Circular Flanders partnership, and what would make the partnership even more powerful.

This report takes stock of what Circular Flanders has achieved and what else it can do to promote the circular economy in very practical terms. It lists the projects and initiatives through which the partnership supports the circular transition.

The GO-GRASS White Paper for grassland opportunities demonstrates innovative and diverse ways of considering surplus grass and grasslands as new resources for the benefit of society, the environment and businesses. It shows the importance of a supportive business environment that encourages innovative, grass-based businesses. 

The GO-GRASS project aims to create new business opportunities in rural areas based on grassland valorisation, and to support their replication throughout rural communities in the EU. Since October 2019, the project has connected 22 partners from eight countries, which are developing small-scale demonstration sites for a circular agrifood system in four EU countries - Denmark, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.