European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform

Recovery from the Covid-19 crisis presents an important and unique opportunity for the EU to accelerate its transition towards a climate-neutral and circular economy. While there is little dispute about the opportunities offered by the funds available for the low-carbon and circular economy, the longer-term impact on Europe’s decarbonisation trajectory will depend on the choices made in the National Recovery and Resilience Plans and on how the overall policy framework is adapted.

After describing the EU recovery plan, this paper discusses various policy instruments – both new and existing – to create demand for circular materials and lower-carbon products, illustrated by examples of four resource and carbon-intensive sectors, namely construction, steel, textiles and plastics.

McKinsey & Company and Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) has published the report, Fashion on Climate - How the fashion industry can urgently act to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions (2020). The report is an analysis of the current situation of emissions produced by the fashion industry, and presents solutions as to how the industry can intensify their efforts to meet climate targets. The report outlines the two scenarios for the industry’s abatement efforts. The first one outlines the current pace trajectory if the industry continues with the current decarbonisation initiatives, and the accelerated abatement to reduce current emissions to align with the 1,5 degree pathway. Read more here. 

This UNEP report aims to apply an evidence-based value chain approach, mapping the textile value chain with its stakeholders, as well as environmental and socio-economic impacts along different value chain stages.

Based on this analysis, the report identifies associated hotspots in all sustainability dimensions. Giving examples of the many initiatives that are already being undertaken, the report outlines gaps, barriers and opportunities to work towards a more sustainable and circular textile value chain, highlighting priority actions.

The report concludes that circularity goes beyond incremental improvements and requires a system-wide approach, transforming the way textiles are designed, produced, consumed, and disposed of.

European consumers lack the means to improve the durability of their products. In addition to harming the environment by emitting CO₂, extracting non-renewable resources unnecessarily and creating waste, premature obsolescence in all its forms affects citizens’ purchasing power, their right to repair and their freedom to make their products last longer.

This white paper aims to give all stakeholders suggestions and ideas to move towards a world in which repair and responsible consumption are the norm. This will necessarily imply new constraints on manufacturers, that can no longer make products without taking durability and repair into account. It will also require new tools to inform citizens so that they are empowered in their consumption choices.

This policy brief from the ATI project (Technopolis Group, IDC, Fraunhofer, IDEA, Capgemini and NESTA) aims to promote policy initiatives and good practices of advanced and digital technologies that deliver solutions to the pressing environmental problems of our times. It outlines policy challenges in Europe, presenting the positive and negative impacts of digital technologies. It couples the objectives within digital and circular economy, showing national and industrial strategies that foster green investment. It also explains the various policy measures at societal levels within research and innovation programmes, energy solutions, regional ecosystems, smart mobility, resource consumption and voluntary industrial initiatives.

Different types of waste have been successfully co-processed as alternative fuels and raw materials (AFR) in cement kilns in Europe, Japan, USA, Canada and Australia since the beginning of the 1980s.

In 2006, the first edition of the GTZ-Holcim Guidelines on Co-processing Waste Materials in Cement Production was published (GIZ-Holcim, 2006), aiming to gather the lessons of these experiences and offer it particularly to low and middle income countries as an option to improve approaches to waste management. Since then, waste management has earned a much more prominent place on the political agenda.

This revised edition of the guidelines updates technical, institutional, legal and social aspects of the original document as well as incorporate new ideas and information.

Pollution caused by incorrect packaging of waste is a serious problem. It can be addressed by designing products that are easier to recycle and by investing in collection and recycling systems. Establishing these kinds of systems requires a strong coordination body, backed up by transparent and stable sources of funding.

Experience suggests that the principle of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) can have significant potential to achieve a range of policy objectives. The EPR Toolbox contains detailed information about EPR and provides an introduction to a number of distinct issues.

So far, the debate on material use and recycling has primarily been held in terms of tonnes, cubic metres, and environmental impact. This is all highly relevant, but a focus on volumes and flows also leaves important questions unanswered.

The report takes a step towards painting a more complete picture, taking an economic value perspective on material flows, and it assesses Europe’s use of steel, plastics and aluminium in terms of Euros instead of tonnes. Its objective is to answer the following questions:

1. When 100 Euros worth of raw materials enter the European economy, how much economic value is retained after one cycle of use?
2. What are the main reasons for loss of material value?
3. How could more value be retained?
4. What business opportunities arise as a result?

The report takes an economic value perspective on
material flows and assesses Europe’s use of steel, plastics
and aluminium in terms of Euros instead of tonnes. The
‘exam questions’ we ask ourselves are: If 100 Euros of raw
materials is entered into the European economy, how much
economic value is retained after one use cycle? What are
the main reasons that material value is lost? How could
more value be retained? What business opportunities arise
as a result?”

The study sheds light on the background of the prevention of plastic waste from packaging and disposable products by explaining the need for action, the environmental impacts and risks to human health.

Experiences of the members of the PREVENT Waste Alliance and their partners in the prevention of plastic waste by multi-actor partnerships are presented by means of 17 best practice examples.

Finally, the study gives recommendations for the reduction of plastic waste and the further work of the PREVENT Waste Alliance. These include success factors for waste prevention, necessary next steps and conclusions regarding the necessary political framework conditions.