The boating industry in Europe, represented by EBI (European Boating Industry), has developed a roadmap for solving the roadblocks to end-of-life boat recycling. It sets ambitious targets and policy recommendations to reach by 2030. The boating industry also commits to phasing out unsustainable recycling practices.
The roadmap and recommendations were developed by EBI following the work of the Stakeholders’ Group on end-of-life recreational boats. The Group is co-chaired by the European Commission's DG MARE and EBI and includes national authorities of the Member States and key stakeholders (industry, users, academia and related industries).
In recent years, plastic waste generation has become a prime concern in the global political arena.
A dedicated strategy on plastics was adopted at EU level, leading to the Single-Use Plastics Directive. Nonetheless, plastic waste management data show that achieving a circular economy for plastics in the EU is still a long way off. Available studies suggest that plastic waste generation may stay high in the future or even increase without ambitious circularity policies.
This report looks at the challenges associated with plastic waste generation and discusses the potential for using chemical recycling technologies as part of an ecosystem of solutions for increasing the circularity of plastics. It is based on evidence collected through desk-research.
CircEUlar is a four-year European Research and Innovation Action that will develop new modelling approaches for analysing circularity from a systems perspective.
The Procurement Transformation Workshop can be set up by organisations who want to rethink their procurement processes and integrate circularity in their procurement department.
The Circular Procurement Toolboxis built upon existing tools and methodologies designed to assist procurers in their efforts. It comprises a collection of original tools and methods that have been compiled throughout the project's duration, and continues to be refined based on practical experiences gained through their implementation.
Accumulating environmental and climate pressures and impacts are bringing unprecedented sustainability challenges. These problems are largely caused by unsustainable consumption, and require a fundamental shift in production and consumption systems in Europe and beyond.
Pressures and impacts from consumption can be reduced by:
consuming differently by shifting to less material-intensive options and using renewable or recycled materials,
consuming less through, for example, longer product lifespans or sharing models that can reduce the demand for new products, and
scaling up circular product design that enables circular consumption and reduces environmental impact.
Europe and the world face unprecedented sustainability challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion and pollution. These challenges are largely caused by unsustainable consumption as countries strive for economic growth and people pursue well-being.
Environmental and climate pressures and impacts from consumption accumulate over the years, and many ecosystems are now under pressure beyond their regeneration capacity. Scientific evidence suggests that the pressures associated with Europe's consumption are so high that the planet's ability to recover from them is seriously compromised.
Academics are studying the challenge of including the informal recycling sector (IRS) in the circular economy.
This review explores the direct and indirect contributions of the IRS to various circular economy fields, drawing on relevant literature.
The modi operandi of different recycling value chains are captured in a typology.
Information on reported forms of collaboration, tensions and challenges in urban waste management is summarised in a conceptual framework to facilitate the transition to circular and inclusive wise-waste systems.
Important aspects related to circular business models and approaches to the IRS are discussed and avenues for further research proposed.
Siptex is the world’s first large-scale facility for sorting textiles by colour and fibre composition through near-infrared light to handle large flows and produce textile fractions suited to different recycling processes. As textile waste is a growing concern around the world, innovative solutions are required to tackle this environmental problem.
