The first horizontal call in support of the Clean Industrial Deal has just opened with a budget of EUR 540 million. Organised under the Horizon Europe 2026–2027 work programme, the call has two topics: Decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries and Clean technologies for climate action. See what each topic covers!
Each year, the EEA takes stock of progress towards meeting the six objectives of the 8th Environment Action Programme (EAP), one of which is a regenerative circular economy.
The report finds that the EU's consumption exceeds the planet's 'safe operating space' for resource extraction and its consumption is unlikely to decrease significantly this decade. It is also unlikely that per capita total waste generation will significantly decrease by 2030.
Legislation already in place to prevent waste generation and improve waste management — including through recycling and the reuse of materials — has contributed to a relative decoupling of raw material consumption and waste generation from economic growth but significant additional efforts are needed to reach the 2030 targets.
Specialists, companies and key stakeholders from the packaging value chain will address the challenges and opportunities posed by the transition toward more sustainable models and explore the latest trends in barrier packaging materials and solutions.
This edition of Science for Environment Policy is a collection of seven previously published articles on scientific studies relevant to the circular economy. Read about battery collection, whether laypeople can really understand LCA data, chemical recycling and why people throw away clothing.
With a significant number of ships expected to reach the end of their service life shortly, ship recycling presents a strategic opportunity for Europe. Boosting domestic ship recycling will:
secure a steady supply of secondary raw materials and so strengthen Europe’s industrial resilience and strategic autonomy;
make a meaningful contribution to the decarbonisation of the EU steel and construction sectors, supporting Europe’s broader climate and circular economy goals;
create green jobs in the recycling and waste management sector;
align with EU environmental policies preventing the export of hazardous materials and restrict exports of waste that harm the environment and human health in third countries.
This report looks at how scrap steel from the EU's increasing numbers of end-of-life ships can help decarbonise the European steel industry, strengthen industrial resilience, create green jobs, preserve and develop maritime skills and build a truly circular economy.
The steel industry expects demand for scrap to rise due to calls for lower carbon footprints and the implementation of new steelmaking technologies. Ship recycling is a significant and largely untapped opportunity to meet this demand.
Policies should support the development of safe and environmentally sound ship recycling, and stimulate material recovery and reuse. This will enable the EU to reduce dependence on imports, conserve valuable resources and advance toward climate neutrality.
On 3 December, the European Commission adopted the RESourceEU Action Plan to accelerate and amplify its efforts to secure the EU's supply of critical raw materials. The plan aims to reduce strategic dependencies and contains a number of measures relevant to the circular economy.
Circul'R believes that it is vital to unite regulation, innovation and cooperation if circularity is to drive competitiveness and sovereignty. It feels that it is a mistake to prioritise recycling over circular business models, such as repair and reuse.
It therefore recommends:
supporting circular business models by making them more competitive and boosting market access and financing,
setting an EU target for reducing the material footprint, involving reducing consumption and coming up with more reliable and comprehensive indicators,
changing the tax environment, including incentives for circular solutions and disincentives for linear ones, establishing European standards on repairability and binding circular targets and models of circular-oriented public procurement.
This joint statement is a collaborative effort by the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Environmental Coalition on Standards, European Environmental Bureau, Institute for European Environmental Policy, Reuse and Recycling European Union Social Enterprises (RREUSE) and Zero Waste Europe.
It calls for the Act to embed circular economy principles into Europe’s entire economic system. It underscores the urgent need for robust legislation that can accelerate the transition and secure the EU's leadership in the global circular economy.
Key points:
Set science-based targets on resource use
Harness the potential of keeping products and components in use, not just materials
Accelerate safe material circulation by integrating chemical and circular legislation.
