This research project lists ecodesign criteria for circular fashion and textiles.

It focused on giving consumer textiles a longer lifespan with optimal reuse potential, making disassembly and recovery possible, and exploring upcycling and high-quality recycling. Extending the life of textile products turned out to have the greatest impact in the short term. Quality seems to be the most impactful ecodesign criterion when it comes to improving the sustainability and circularity of consumer textiles as quickly as possible.

The project defined seven product categories, identifying a set of minimum criteria for each. The report looks at existing labels, standards and regulations and the authors hope it will help expand the Ecodesign Directive by adding a textile category.

This report, prepared by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, provides an analysis of the Dutch procurement system.

The Dutch Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) approach embraces six themes, two of which are explored in this study: climate-neutral procurement and circular procurement. Included in these two themes are aspects such as CO₂ and other greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the reuse of raw materials at the highest possible level of value. SPP is a highly topical issue for a steadily growing number of organisations in the Netherlands: action plans are being written, requirements and criteria are being formulated, and tools are being produced. Together, these activities are creating growing demand for instruments that evidence the impact of SPP.

This literature review identified and categorised circular economy (CE) practices within all stages of the food and feed production chain in Europe to provide an overview of current and envisaged practices. There are four macro areas:

1. primary production of food and feed
2. reducing industrial/manufacturing/processing waste
3. reducing food and feed waste in wholesale, food retail, catering and households and
4. reducing food and feed packaging waste.

It is recommended that future primary research in novel food and feed in the CE focuses on areas other than insect farming, and that there are further investigations into the potential risks associated with importation into the EU of livestock/goods that may have been subject to different restrictions/legislation.

134 people died in the devastating flooding in the German region of Ahrweiler in July 2021, caused by a climate change-induced weather situation. Over 400 000 tonnes of waste were created by the floods in one night. 40 000 households were hit, and massive damage to infrastructure such as roads, schools and hospitals was reported. The situation was described as being similar to the massive destruction following a war.

Thinking Circular’s report summarises the process of waste management and learning from this regional crisis.

Is it possible to enjoy both economic growth and environmental sustainability? This question is a matter of political debate between green growth and post-growth advocates. Considering what is at stake, a careful assessment to determine whether the scientific foundations behind this decoupling hypothesis are robust or not is needed.

This report reviews the empirical and theoretical literature to assess the validity of this hypothesis. The conclusion is both overwhelmingly clear and sobering: not only is there no empirical evidence supporting the existence of a decoupling of economic growth from environmental pressures on anywhere near the scale needed to deal with environmental breakdown, but also, and perhaps more importantly, such decoupling appears unlikely to happen in the future.

The availability of a quality infrastructure system – networks of roads, railways, bridges and waterways – is a prerequisite for all economic activity to flourish and is also paramount for people’s health, wellbeing and safety. Infrastructure is very important for human society - but its adverse environmental impact on our planet is undeniable.

To mitigate the long-term catastrophic effects of climate change and depleting material resources, a circular economy for infrastructure is crucial. The publication Circular Infrastructure: the road towards a sustainable future aims to bring this aspect into the limelight to inspire action by public actors and practitioners.

This paper by ENEA focuses on circular economy in the construction sector, by illustrating the main market dynamics related to materials for buildings and infrastructures, and active and/or potential value chain collaborations in a circular and industrial symbiosis perspective.

The paper offers an overview of:

1. the relevance of construction and infrastructure value chains within the EU economy,
2. their potential for circularity, resource efficiency and decarbonisation and
3. the main barriers and levers.

Contributors:

• the Environmental European Bureau (EEB), within the ECESP Leadership Group Construction, led by ENEA in 2020, and
• alchemia-nova and Innowo, within the ECESP Leadership Group Construction & Infrastructure, led by Holland Circular Hotspot in 2021.

This report, which contains best practices and policy recommendations, provides updated information relevant to all organisations and stakeholders, both in the public and private sector, who wish to learn more about material recycling.

The objective is to help stakeholders - throughout the whole value chain - work collaboratively to achieve APEAL’s vision of zero steel packaging to landfill by 2025.

Steel for packaging is already the most recycled primary packaging material in Europe (2019 recycling rate: 84%), bringing great savings in emissions, resource and energy use.

Steel’s unique inherent qualities give it a natural advantage. Its magnetic properties make it easy and economical to recycle. As a permanent material, it can also be recycled forever.

There is an intense debate about how to close the gap between the current climate policy and the aim of the Paris Agreement to achieve close to net-zero emissions by mid-century. The materials and chemicals that heavy industry produces are essential inputs to major value chains: transportation, infrastructure, construction, consumer goods, agriculture.

Material Economics' study starts with a broad mapping of options to eliminate fossil CO₂-emissions from production, including many emerging innovations in production processes. It also integrates them with the potential for a more circular economy: making a better use of the materials already produced and so reducing the need for new production.

In this project, a subset of Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) partners have developed an approach with Bel Group for setting Science-Based Targets (SBTs) for nature in a single dairy farming landscape. A proof of concept for determining ecological thresholds has been developed that can be used as the basis for setting science-based targets for nature within a Dutch dairy landscape.

Project partners have worked with the Initial Guidance of the SBTN, and used the Biodiversity Monitor for the Dairy Farming Sector (Biodiversity Monitor) (an instrument developed through a collaboration of FrieslandCampina, Rabobank and the Dutch chapter of the WWF) as the basis for target and Key Performance Indicator (KPI) development.