GCE welcomes the Circular Economy Act initiative as a very important step forward in enhancing the circular economy in the EU. It highlights the need to rethink the current economic system in order to secure intergenerational and resource justice, uphold planetary boundaries and ultimately ensure the resilience and security of the EU.

However, incentivising the market for secondary materials will not suffice, and additional actions are needed:

• recycling is not enough: reusing and remanufacturing must be prioritised;
• steps must be taken to address overconsumption and overproduction;
• harmonised end-of-waste criteria, a systemic shift in business model, appropriate waste collection and the promotion of reuse and repair are particularly necessary in the textiles and electronics sectors.