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.
The UNECE Regional Conference on the Circular Economy will take place on 26 June at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The Conference is held under the auspices of UNECE’s regional knowledge-sharing network, Circular STEP.
Tilos is a tiny Greek island, and in 2021 it undertook to become 'zero waste'. And it succeeded: in 2023, it was officially proclaimed a Zero Waste Certified City.
They achieved this by setting up the Just Go Zero Tilos project, in collaboration with Polygreen, a waste management company which provides solutions for industrial waste and marine pollution. The project successfuly minimised waste production and cut out landfilling.
Circe.med is a network of Mediterranean organisations involved in the transition towards ecologically and sustainable ecosystems. Established at the start of 2024, it wants to help deliver a carbon-free, circular economy which will improve people's quality of life.
The initiative aims to deepen, promote and implement a circular economy based on efficient and reduced use of natural resources.
Three main strands:
Sustainable food
Tourism and plastic in coastal areas
The built environment
The network's member organisations strive to deliver an effective circular economy in the Mediterranean which will benefit their individual ecosystems and the region as a whole.
The network is supported by an online platform, Circemed.org, which promotes cooperation and acts as a resource centre.
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-recyclingguidelines and what are the sortability and recyclability test methods for flexible plastic packaging?
How to enhance recyclability for adhesive applications, and future prospects.
This workshop is being held in conjunction with the EU-funded project BRINC (Brokering cross-border innovation through clusters project) and is the fifth in a series of training sessions on public procurement for public authorities.
Through examples from across Europe, it will show how and when it is most useful to work together to find successful purchasing solutions, and how that can be done.
World environmental challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss pose considerable risks to health and well-being. Linear resource extraction and processing account for half of total greenhouse gas emissions and more than 90% of biodiversity loss and water stress. Institutional and European stakeholders agree that transitioning to a circular economy could help solve these existential crises.
With the coming change in the European political landscape, the members of the Coordination Group of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform want to flag up this issue to incoming legislators and advocate keeping the Green Deal and the circular economy as a primary focus for the next Commission and European Parliament.
Build UP, the European portal for energy efficiency and renewable energy in buildings, is hosting a series of six webinars organised by CircularB Action. The second webinar will focus on Policy Shapers and Regulators.
It will shed light on the policies, regulations and initiatives introduced by the OECD, the EU and local authorities to promote circularity in construction.
The BUILD-LIMONENE initiative is working on additives and biodegradable materials with a lower carbon footprint that can be used in the construction industry and become viable alternatives to the fossil-based materials currently available.
This new technology will contribute to the recovery of waste by using citrus peels and CO2 emissions.
