European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform

This report examines the relevant literature on behaviour change, psychology and environmental issues to learn which strategies can be effective – and which might be counterproductive – when it comes to shifting people’s actions around plastic. 

The aim is to radically alter patterns of consumption and production so that Sweden becomes the world’s first fossil-fuel free welfare state. The use of plastic will play an important part in the strategy.

From the review of scholarly articles, media reports and surveys of the public, a number of recommendations emerge that can be put to use by anyone creating a campaign about plastic use.

Industry faces major challenges with regard to handling the transition to an economy with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. As yet, we are far from fully understanding the potential wider environmental impacts of this transformation. Furthermore, we are largely unaware of the untapped potential of industrial facilities in sectors covered by the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) to contribute to the circular economy.

The study aimed to provide an initial overview of the potential wider environmental impacts of industry's transition within the scope of the IED to a low carbon economy, and to gain a better understanding of how IED facilities could contribute to a circular economy.

The Circular Economy and Society Hub of Utrecht University has prepared a white paper analysing the key strengths and weaknesses of the way in which Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is organised in the Netherlands. Based on this analysis, it then sets out three pathways for improving EPR with a view to enabling it to contribute to the circular economy goals:

1. Optimising EPR as an instrument for post-user circularity
2. Re-designing EPR as an instrument for circular economy transformations
3. Beyond EPR: other means of support.

Across the world, cluster organisations have taken a leading role in the green transition. Cluster Excellence Denmark recently released a new e-book titled Towards a New Greener Normal – How Clusters are Dealing with Circular Transition in Times of COVID-19, exploring how this work has continued despite the current pandemic.

The e-book contains informative insights into how clusters are integrating the green transition and digitalisation, leading to brand new and innovative solutions with market potential.

IVA, the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, has, in 2016, presented an action plan to reduce food loss and waste. As part of IVA’s project “Resource Effectiveness and Circular Economy”, the Food subproject has introduced proposals for action plans to reduce the loss and waste of food and is proposing an ambitious implementation schedule. Among the concrete measures, it has submitted a national framework proposal for how companies in different parts of the food supply chain should measure and report their data on this and how it can be done in a way than allows all the data to be compiled at the national level. Moreover, it seeks solutions for facilitating and making it possible financially for companies to measure and report lost and wasted food.

IVA – the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences – set up, in 2016, the project “Resource Efficient Business Models – Greater Competitiveness”, which resulted in a report presenting analyses and conclusions in five sectoral reports:

1. input goods
2. infrastructure
3. capital goods and durables
4. consumer products and
5. food.

Among its proposals, it suggests solutions for a sustainable usage of plastic for a more resource-efficient food chain, with an emphasis on circular flows. It also provides perspectives from companies in the infrastructure sector. Moreover, it presents its vision for mapping of resource flows, optimal use of infrastructure and other resource-efficient solutions, including aiming at increased use of recycled materials and the reuse of products.

In 2016 the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) issued a report on how to make the textile sector more sustainable, providing proposals for a resource-smarter textile sector within topics, e.g. challenges and definitions of solutions towards a smarter sector. It suggested the possibility of creating tax relief programmes and industrial parks for resource-efficient textile.

This is one of the sector reports from the IVA project Resource Effectiveness and Circular Economy (ReCE). The purpose is to make Sweden more competitive in a future with finite resources in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The project has established platforms for dialogue between actors in the public and private sectors and academia who have produced proposals in various areas.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences IVA has presented an action plan to reduce food loss and waste. As part of IVA’s project Resource Effectiveness and Circular Economy, the Food subproject has introduced proposals for action plans to reduce the loss and waste of food and is proposing an ambitious implementation schedule.

Among the concrete measures, IVA has submitted a national framework proposal for how companies in different parts of the food supply chain should measure and report their data on this and how it can be done in a way than allows all the data to be compiled at the national level. Moreover, it seeks solutions for facilitating and making it possible financially for companies to measure and report lost and wasted food.

In 2015, the European Commission adopted the Circular Economy Action Plan to help stimulate the transition towards circular economy. The growing number of plastic products and packaging marketed as ‘biodegradable’ or ‘(home) compostable’ raises the question of the extent to which biodegradability and compostability of plastic is beneficial in the context of the transition towards a circular economy.

The study assesses this question, identifying conditions in which (home) compostability of products could be of added value, compared to reuse and other forms of recovery. The results indicate weak evidence in favour of beneficial agronomics associated with compostable plastic material. Choices of materials for products and packaging should prioritise recyclability over compostability.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) has issued a report on how to make the textile sector more sustainable. It provides proposals for a more resource-efficient and smart textile sector, covering topics such as challenges and definitions of solutions towards a smarter sector. It suggests, for instance, to introduce tax relief programmes and industrial parks for resource-efficient textile production.

This report is one of several sector reports from IVA project Resource Effectiveness and Circular Economy (ReCE). The purpose is to make Sweden more competitive in a future with finite resources in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

The project has established platforms for dialogue between actors in the public and private sectors.