The European Commission has launched an open public consultation to offer users of imaging equipment and stakeholders involved in all areas of the value chain (original equipment manufacturers, component suppliers, users, repairers, remanufacturers of cartridges, recyclers, etc.) the opportunity to express their views on how to best address the policy challenges outlined in the call for evidence for this initiative. The initiative aims to ensure that:

• imaging equipment, such as printers, is designed to be energy- and resource-efficient
• consumers have the information needed to use their devices sustainably, including through maintenance and repair
• the generation of waste through the use of consumables (e.g. ink cartridges) is minimised.

On 3 July, the Court of Auditors issued a special report on the roll-out of the circular economy in the EU, entitled "Circular economy: slow transition by member states despite EU action".

The report provides recommendations on monitoring and investments. These are currently being addressed by the Commission which will take them into account when developing future circular economy policies.

On 27 June 2023 the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue and the European Union launched the ASEAN Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ACESP).

GO CHAMPLAST is a circular economy project that will produce advanced char from the waste substrate of mushroom cultivation and compostable films to replace current fossil products. 

ASOCHAMP, AIMPLAS and the companies Ingelia and SAV are developing this project to increase farm profitability by using advanced materials and reducing costs associated with treating agricultural waste.

The ELLIPSE project will address the valorization of two heterogeneous waste streams - slaughterhouse waste and paper and pulp sludge - generated in significant amounts in Europe, to produce cost-efficient polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs).

The technology will impact the European bioeconomy by valorising 20,000 tons of rumen content waste and 50,000 tons of paper sludge per year.

The European Commission has launched the LIFE Programme’s 2023 Calls for project proposals. This year, there are 611 million EUR available for nature conservation, environmental protection, climate action, and clean energy transition projects.

The Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) of the European Commission has launched work on a study regarding “Background Data Collection for Future EU End-of-Waste Criteria of  Construction and Demolition Waste”.

In this context, the Commission is opening an online stakeholder survey, available until 31 August 2023.  

The European Commission has published the revised Circular Economy monitoring framework. This framework helps to track progress in the transition to a circular economy in the EU and considers how the circular economy can contribute to climate neutrality, resilience and global sustainability. The framework includes new indicators, covering material footprint, resource productivity and waste prevention targets.

The CircularInvest project, approved under the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI), launched its first open call for circular economy projects on 28 April. CircularInvest will help circular projects become investment-ready and access financial resources through free, tailor-made support delivered by experts. CircularInvest's services will improve the selected projects' circularity, provide a business plan and guide them through the process of securing funding. Circular project promoters will also have the opportunity to participate in knowledge transfer and networking events and live pitch sessions with potential investors.

Researchers from the Food Design and Consumer Behaviour section of the University of Copenhagen are currently conducting a survey as part of the EU-funded FOODRUS project. The main objective of this research is to learn more about how European consumers feel about upcycled foods and what prevents them from consuming this type of food. All citizens are invited to fill out the questionnaire.