The circular economy is about designing out waste, but what about the emissions resulting from the manufacture and use of products and services?

Switching to a circular economy could help reduce carbon emissions and avoid climate breakdown. To stabilise global temperatures, businesses and governments must reach net zero emissions. This means that they need to implement measures first to reduce emissions as far as humanly possible and then to remove all artificial greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere.

In May and June, the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP) and Normative will be holding a two-part #EUCircularTalks to discuss the role of carbon emissions in closing the loops in a circular economy and discuss the role played by EU policies and legislation in reducing carbon emissions.

This #EUCircularTalk on Measuring Circularity on 17 May 2022 aims to reach out to and hold an interactive dialogue with stakeholders outside the leadership group. This session will address the link between ISO work on international circular economy standards and circular procurement practices.

The national Norwegian GPP audit will be presented as an example of measuring green public procurement efforts and their impact.

This EU Circular Talk aims to share insights and impressions from the collaboration of the German-based Packaging Club, learn about experiences in other European countries and regions, and discuss implications for the future with interested European stakeholders. 

The transition to a circular economy entails the systemic transformation of entire value chains, covering design, production and consumption. Cities and regions are hubs of innovation and socio-economic transformation, with great potential to lead the transition to a circular economy. However, such a deep transformation often requires supporting mechanisms to make it happen.

ACR+, EIB Advisory Hub, the European Commission, the Government of Navarra, the Interreg MED Green Growth community, EIT Raw Materials, Dublin city, EUCF and the ECESP invite you to attend this #EUCircularTalks to discuss how different supporting initiatives are being used by cities and regions in their transition towards a circular economy. The talk will take place on 13 December at 10:00-11:30 CET.

While the circular economy is widely discussed, there are still numerous challenges to ensure that the current innovations and models can be upscaled and mainstreamed. Closing the loops will require substantial investments, a total shift in how we do business and consume, and many policy enablers.

Where should we set the priorities to close these loops? How can standardisation support circular design without hampering innovation? What are the essential criteria to be developed for improving the design of our products without other environmental trade-offs?

EuroCommerce, EIT Community Circular Economy and the ECESP invite you to actively engage with stakeholders in discussing the fundamental principles and circular design as drivers for the uptake of the circular economy on 29 November, at 11:30 CET.

Circular procurement is one of the answers to the changing functional needs of users within an organisation. It is also an essential tool for promoting a circular economy in the procurement process by stimulating the market for circular products and services.

On 25 November 2021, at 10.00-12.00 CET, the ECESP Leadership Group for Circular Procurement invites you to join the #EUCircularTalks on circular procurement. The debate will centre on the policies to drive circular procurement, thereby accelerating the transition to a circular economy within the EU. From policy levels varying from the European Commission to cities, speakers will share their experiences with circular and green procurement policies. These will set the stage for an interactive dialogue.

Although there is a well-established body of literature on measuring the circular economy and its implications, most monitoring frameworks focus on measuring materials and waste production. However, the multi-dimensional aspect of the circular economy and the range of objectives underpinning circular economy strategies mean that we need to identify new targets and indicators.

ACR+, Zero Waste Scotland, EEB, ICLEI, EIT Circular Economy Community, Circular Regions and the ECESP invite you to discuss the implications of measuring circular economy actions in cities and regions on 17 November at 10:00 CET.

Food waste is one of the main challenges of the 21^st century worldwide. Our food system remains one of the biggest contributors to climate change, generating significant amounts of solid waste, but at the same time, 55 million EU citizens cannot afford a quality meal every day.

The IRCEM, the CSCP, BBI, Innowo and the ECESP are organising an #EUCircularTalks event on 26 October at 10:00 CEST.

The speakers of the event will discuss the different implications of waste and resource efficiency from a macro perspective to study cases and stakeholder engagement.

The “take-make-waste” model of production and consumption dominating our linear economy today is not only highly wasteful but also an essential contributor to climate change. Up to 45% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are associated with land management and the production of consumer goods, food, fashion, buildings, and other products used day-to-day.

The ECESP Coordination Group Members EIT Climate KIC, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Sitra, Generation Climate Europe, and OVAM invite you to this #EUCircularTalks at the UN Climate Conference COP26 in Glasgow on 6 November at 11:00 CET. The panel will discuss integrating and upscale circular solutions into national climate strategies like the Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs).

Consumer electronics, computers, laptops, TVs, tablets, gaming consoles, wearables, cameras etc., have become an essential part of our daily lives, with smartphones representing most retail sales. In the context of increased digitalisation, our reliance on these devices is likely to increase. But, how to address the critical environmental, societal and behavioural challenges to reduce their overall impact in the coming years? How to define the clear responsibility and opportunity of each actor when their roles are constantly changing?

EuroCommerce, the Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP), the European Environment Agency and the ECESP invite you, on 19 October at 11:00 CEST, to this #EUCircularTalks to discuss the role and responsibility of electronic retailers to support the circular economy.

Collaboration is the key to a successful and effective circular transformation. But how do different stakeholders collaborate on the ground? How do they collaborate with the government? With what impact?

On 11 October at noon CEST, Circular Change and Holland Circular Hotspot invite you to this #EUCircularTalks on the role of Network Governance and circular economy hubs in the EU circular transition. Special guest Prof. Jacqueline Cramer will introduce her survey on network governance's results, followed by presentations and exchanges on past experiences from stakeholders.

The building and infrastructure sectors show high potential for circularity given their significant resource and energy consumptions. Despite several EU initiatives in the sector, little attention is given to sustainable and circular infrastructure. ENEA, Alchemia-Nova, Innowo, the ECESP Coordination Group on construction and infrastructure and the ECESP invite you to the twin #EUCircularTalks on 28 and 30 September at 10:00 a.m. CEST.

Join us and learn more on connections between the construction and infrastructure value chain and the other value chains, and also the strength and weaknesses of using secondary materials in the market.

The design stage will determine up to 80% of a product’s environmental impact. Designing better is key to reduce this impact. But what do these principles mean in practice for textiles? Where are the gaps in current standards and benchmarks, and how can we account for the variability of textile products when deciding on specific ecodesign criteria?

ECOS, OVAM, EMF, EuroCommerce, the Policy Hub, the Leadership Group on Textile and ECESP invite you on 9 November at 10:00 CET to this #EUCircularTalks event to discuss and expand the current Ecodesign directive to include textiles and within the upcoming EU Textile Strategy. Speakers and experts will set the scene for the forthcoming SPI and provide the theoretical framework for applying eco-design principles to textile products. Business owners will present cases of how they used these ideas in practice.

Resource extraction and processing are responsible for 90% of land-use related biodiversity loss. Nature conservation and restoration on their own will not be enough to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. The transition to a circular economy provides a pivotal opportunity to explore this issue. Join the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, L'Institut National de l'Economie Circulaire (INEC), the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the ECESP on 8 September at 3 p.m. CEST for the first hybrid #EUCircularTalks from the EU Pavilion at IUCN’s World Conservation Congress.

The European Commission considers the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) as a regulatory measure to promote sustainable textiles and treating textile waste under the waste hierarchy. Register now for the #EUCircularTalks on 21 September at 13:00-15:00 (CEST). OVAM, European Environmental Bureau, EuRIC, Ecopreneur.eu, Eurocommerce, and the ECESP invite you to discuss ongoing developments around setting Extended Producer Responsibility schemes for textiles.

The linear way of producing and consuming products is ruining fragile ecosystems and causing the loss of valuable natural resources. The circular economy brings more sustainable solutions where products are in use longer, and materials are reused to manufacture new products.
GS1, TCO Development, EIT Circular Economy Community and the ECESP invite you to the #EUCircularTalks on the green digital passport. Mark your calendars on 14 September, and stay tuned via our communication channels for updates.

Euric, Innowo, the Leadership Group on Economic Incentives and the ECESP invite you to this #EUCircularTalks event to take place from 2 to 4 p.m. CEST on 3 September 2021. The event aims to foster discussion on the importance of aligning taxation with the strategic goals enshrined in the Green Deal and the new Circular Economy Action Plan. High-level policy makers will talk with experts from industry and non-governmental organisations about the key factors involved when developing a fair taxation system.https://circulareconomy.europa.eu/platform/sites/default/files/femke-groothuis-green-tax_0.pdf

The textile industry has also been identified as a priority sector for the EU’s move towards sustainability in the European Green Deal and the New Industrial Strategy for Europe, due to its high use of resources and high impact on the environment. The upcoming EU Strategy for Sustainable Textiles aims at shifting the European Union to a circular economy where textiles are designed to be more durable, reusable, repairable & recyclable.

On 6 July 2021, EuRIC, RREUSE, RVO, SMEunited and the ECESP are organising a #EUCircularTalks policy Q&A. Registrations are now open.

The University of Turin, the Leadership Group on Food waste, food systems and the bioeconomy and the ECESP will be holding a #EUCircularTalks event on the role of cities in boosting the circularity of food systems. The event aims to share insights and best practices on how we can help design and build circular food systems that foster the Urban Food Transformation.

Understanding today's deconstruction practices is crucial to understanding the challenges and opportunities of the renovation wave. Join us on 19 July at 3 p.m. CEST for the #EUCircularTalks on the relevance of deconstruction design to enable the renovation wave.

Young people have an important role to play in the transition to a circular economy, both acting as a representative of consumers with different and higher expectations than the generations before them regarding sustainability, and as the face of innovative entrepreneurs aware of the limit of the current economic model and ready to rethink production and consumption habits as they enter the professional world.

The circular economy promises a brighter future for the European economy. Industrial symbiosis is a way to achieve a more sustainable and integrated industrial system, identifying business opportunities that leverage underutilised resources. Join the EIT Community Circular Economy, Circlean and the ECESP for an event on Industrial Symbiosis and the Green Deal, on Wednesday 16 June from 9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. CEST.

The Circular Electronics Initiative is part of the European Commission's new Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP), announced in March 2020. The initiative aims to promote longer product lifetimes and includes, among others, the 'right to repair' and an improvement in the collection and treatment of no longer used electronic appliances.
CSCP, its partners and ECESP invite you on 25 May (11.00 a.m. - 12.30 noon CEST), to an #EUCircularTalks to share Insights on the EU Circular Electronics Initiative & the Skills required to make it happen.

The ECESP Leadership Group on Food waste, Food system and bioeconomy organises its first #EUCircularTalks of a series of four. This first talk will take on the subject of governance and system change, that is indispensable for a just and effective bioeconomy and food system circular transition that simultaneously tackles food waste. The talk, organized by Innowo, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Alchemia Nova, Interreg MED Green Growth Community, and the ECESP, takes place on 18 May, 10.00 a.m. - 12.00 noon.

On 11 May at 3 p.m. CEST, join Rijkswaterstaat, Madaster, Restado/Concular and Institut National de l’Economie Circulaire for online interactive workshops showcasing success stories and identifying challenges and opportunities in fields such as public procurement, digital logbooks and circular design for infrastructure work. Registrations are open!

On 19 March, OVAM, EEB, UNEP partners and ECESP organised a webinar on trade, resource extraction and circular economy. The event brought together the trade and circular economy communities to:

• increase awareness of the issues identified in the UNEP-IRP’s report
• to feed the upcoming discussion on the EU’s trade policy review and the WTO’s future.

Join the Finnish innovation Fund Sitra, the European Environment Agency and the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform to discuss how to create a level playing field for circular businesses and how to enable a transition to a circular economy through incentives that promote circularity. Rendez-vous on 25 March (13:00 to 14:30 CET). 

On 10 February, ACLIMA, ATI, EASME, DG GROW and ECESP organised the policy seminar on circular economy and advanced technology/digital policies. The panel discussed the ways industrial recovery policies realise a green, climate-resilient economy in the short and long terms, and how digital transformation respects the environment.