Europe’s green and digital transitions are increasing demand for CRMs, just as geopolitical risks and trade tensions are reshaping global supply chains. The EU has been taking steps to secure and diversify supplies by building strategic partnerships with resource-rich countries, which includes recovering CRMs from mine waste and tailings.

The Western Balkans region is a natural partner: they are integrated into EU markets and transport networks and have a legacy of old industrial sites and mine tailings.

This study recommends mapping mining waste, linking local actors more closely to EU instruments and initiatives, and using the EU accession process to advance regulatory and administrative alignment on mining, waste management and water protection with the EU acquis.

This report supports the implementation of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation within the framework of the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan 2.0.

Prepared by the Joint Research Centre for the Directorate-General for Environment, it draws on contributions from external contractors, over 25 000 EU citizens and more than 250 expert stakeholders. The study addresses the fragmentation of waste-sorting labels across Member States, a key barrier to efficient recycling and the functioning of the internal market.

The technical proposal sets out a harmonised system of waste-sorting labels for packaging and receptacles across the EU, geared to removing market barriers while ensuring that consumers receive clear, consistent and actionable sorting instructions.

Brazil’s mining sector has underpinned national growth and is a major global supplier of iron ore, bauxite, niobium and copper. However, the linear model is producing declining ore grades, rising waste volumes and growing environmental and social pressures.

To remain competitive, Brazil must shift to a circular model. Strategies such as reprocessing tailings, recovering by-products, designing for reuse and establishing closed-loop partnerships can unlock significant economic and environmental value.

This report looks at circular solutions being implemented in the mining sector and how designing urban renewable energy systems for reuse will turn cities into urban mines.

The EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles calls for policy interventions to reduce waste and overconsumption in this sector. However, future policies may have unintended impacts. 

This study examines the unintended effects of past and future textile policies, with the goal of evaluating scientific tools for improving ex ante impact assessments and so mitigating unintended effects in future.

It finds that the unintended impact of a policy can be just as important as the impact that it was designed to achieve. Stakeholder engagement, combined micro- and macro-economic modelling, extended consideration of the EU's resilience and the inclusion of a behavioural and social component are all key to reducing unintended impacts.

This report presents the key insights that emerged from the workshop on Re-Valuing resources: cross-sectoral circular solutions for a sustainable future.

It sets out how the eight participating EU projects enable cross-circularity through material reuse, digital tools and systemic approaches that intersect across industries, governance levels and territorial levels.

It then identifies the conditions that enable replication and scaling, drawing on real-world demonstrations and stakeholder experiences.

Lastly, it highlights the social, community and governance dimensions that underpin successful circular transitions, with a focus on participatory practices, long-term trust-building and multi-actor collaboration.

Every year, our global economy consumes around 100 billion tonnes of resources — three quarters of which it cannot replenish. This reliance on a constant flow of virgin raw materials leaves our economies increasingly exposed to price shocks, supply disruptions and the universal inefficiencies of resource waste. One direct way to relieve this pressure is to keep materials circulating at their highest value.

Plastic pollution continues to pose a major challenge for communities across Europe, and the question of who should finance the management of litter has become increasingly important. This first ACR+ policy paper on litter evaluates the progress made by Member States in establishing and rolling out the EPR systems required by Article 8 of the Single Use Plastics Directive (SUPD).

It finds that few Member States have started implementing these systems. It is easier to establish systems for packaging-related SUPD products (because of the EPR systems already in place) than for new products such as balloons and wet wipes.

However, the most challenging part of the implementation is the calculation of littering costs. Public authorities pay the bulk of this, but more transparency is needed.

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.

The circular economy is increasingly recognised as essential to achieving both environmental and socio-economic objectives, yet little is known about how many people work in circular economy activities and under what conditions. Circular economy employment spans all countries and sectors and includes both formal and informal settings. However, definitions, classifications and methodologies for measuring such employment remain unaligned.

This report addresses these gaps by developing and applying an internationally applicable methodology for measuring circular economy employment. The approach builds on existing labour and environmental frameworks and expert consultations, providing the first global baseline covering 177 of 187 ILO Member States.

Reuse activities are an essential part of the EU’s moves to tackle the growing waste crisis.

However, the current combined targets for reuse and recycling generally prioritise recycling. This disregards the fact that quantitative reuse and preparing-for-reuse targets are an essential policy tool to implement the EU’s waste hierarchy.

This report presents an overview of existing targets and a detailed look at 24 targets set in different product categories and waste streams. The policy recommendations will help policymakers as they shape the Circular Economy Act, the revised WEEE Directive and other relevant measures at EU level. They cover issues such as setting specific targets for product streams with high environmental impact and job creation potential.