This report provides an analytical assessment of existing circular economy frameworks, standards and indicators from the specific perspective of automotive suppliers.
It examines the practical challenges of translating high-level circular economy objectives into measurable and operational indicators for industry.
This white paper provides one of the first action frameworks for the circular transition of the hospitality industry. It shows how circular strategies are both essential for the long-term wellbeing of the destinations, ecosystems and communities on which hospitality depends and a clear business imperative.
It identifies 10 key systemic barriers hindering progress, including the absence of a shared industry framework. In response, it focuses on 5 strategic opportunities through which circularity can help overcome these challenges: procurement, operations, built environment, business and guest culture, and destinations. To support wider adoption and scale impact, the paper also identifies 6 key enablers that can help unlock circularity across the whole value chain.
This report aims to provide a diagnostic to underpin the Clean Industrial Deal and the Single Market Strategy. It responds to calls from businesses to prioritise competitiveness.
The circular economy is identified as one of the keys to making the EU more competitive. The report looks at the barriers to this transition, such the higher cost of secondary raw materials, the difficulty of scaling up and replicating solutions in a fragmented market and diverging national regulatory frameworks which hinder the development of enhanced supply chains and discourage upscaling innovative recycling facilities.
The Critical Raw Materials Act and Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation will enhance conditions for circular business models and the circular transition needs to pick up the pace.
From a circular economy perspective, maintaining most of a building's structure is preferable to building a new one.
Repurposing offices into housing can expand affordable supply in high-demand areas while supporting inclusion and climate objectives.
This report aims to inform policymaking by exploring examples from various EU regions and identifying regulatory, technical, financial and social aspects that enable successful conversions of offices to affordable housing. It also highlights the multiple benefits of repurposing non-residential buildings into housing and provides insights into essential measures for scaling up such initiatives.
Natura Mater is a Brussels-based company which specialises in training professionals in the use of sustainable construction materials. They have a library of materials and run training courses.
The Access Economy Alliance promotes the sharing economy: the concept that you don't need to buy something if you're only going to use it a few times.
It aims to develop the network of sharing stations, self-service lockers where you can go to borrow everyday items, from DIY tools to sports equipment. It is also a forum where access economy practitioners can engage in strategic discussions, meet other organisations in the field, learn from experts and contribute to access economy innovations.
Public authorities, businesses and researchers come together to accelerate Europe’s transition to a circular economy through access-based services.
The Alliance is supported by the EU through the Digital Kiosks project which is piloting 22 new sharing stations across Europe.
The textile and apparel value chain is one of the most resource-intensive sectors, generating significant waste and relying heavily on a vulnerable workforce.
In recent years, businesses in this sector have adopted circular economy strategies to address sustainability challenges. However, most of these efforts focus on material efficiency and waste reduction, often neglecting social dimensions.
This PhD dissertation addresses this gap by exploring how to integrate social justice and equity into circular transitions at the business level. Through case studies in the Netherlands, Spain and India, it investigates how businesses can adopt circular practices inclusively and how policymakers can enable a more just circular transition.
The transition to a circular economy in the textile and apparel value chain is an opportunity to address the environmental challenges facing the industry. However, without a strong focus on social justice, this transition risks perpetuating poor working conditions, gender inequality and vulnerability for workers, particularly in low-wage, labour-intensive roles.
This policy brief identifies five key recommendations for policymakers:
Align circular economy goals with just transition principles
Identify and protect vulnerable populations
Address income disparity and strengthen labour regulations
Enhance participatory mechanisms and access to justice
Implement restorative mechanisms and support reskilling initiatives
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 study assesses the potential to enhance the circularity of bio-based waste within the framework of the 2025 update of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy.
It focuses on identifying opportunities to move bio-based waste streams up the waste hierarchy, retain technical and economic value and minimise environmental impacts. This refers to bio-based waste which could potentially be recycled into new materials or substances.
The study maps waste generation, collection, treatment and reporting practices across the EU and the technologies for managing biowaste.
It finds that better separate collection and development of high-value recovery pathways could reduce environmental pressures, greenhouse gas emissions and import dependence, though technological feasibility and scalability remain uncertain.
