This interactive workshop will explore where investment, leadership and effort can deliver the greatest circular economy impact in 2026.
With four panellists including Ladeja Godina Košir, chair of the ECESP, it will look at the circular economy in real-world conditions, circular education programmes and how EU-Australia cooperation can drive on the circular economy.
CE-PRINCE (Central Europe Green PRocurement and Innovation Network for Circular Economy) is an Interreg Central Europe project. It aims to standardise circular procurement approaches across central European countries and industries.
Every year, our global economy consumes around 100 billion tonnes of resources — three quarters of which it cannot replenish. This reliance on a constant flow of virgin raw materials leaves our economies increasingly exposed to price shocks, supply disruptions and the universal inefficiencies of resource waste. One direct way to relieve this pressure is to keep materials circulating at their highest value.
Part of a policy series on accelerating the circular economy transition, this brief sets out a targeted approach to keeping materials in use. A focused mix of policies can promote design, business models, and incentives that favour reuse, repair and remanufacturing alongside regenerative practices such as cascading, composting and returning nutrients to soil.
the call for evidence focuses too much on measures to enhance collection and recycling and too little on prevention, repair and reuse;
tackling consumption rates and increasing reuse will also reduce the EU’s reliance on imports;
welcomes the move to develop EPR schemes but feels that the non-profit sector and other key stakeholders involved in the design and implementation process should be involved as well as producers;
more effective circularity metrics and targets are needed, including separate targets for consumption reduction, repair, reuse and preparation for reuse;
dedicated and sufficient financial mechanisms and funding streams are needed to ensure the viability of prevention, repair and reuse initiatives across the EU.
Plastic pollution continues to pose a major challenge for communities across Europe, and the question of who should finance the management of litter has become increasingly important. This first ACR+ policy paper on litter evaluates the progress made by Member States in establishing and rolling out the EPR systems required by Article 8 of the Single Use Plastics Directive (SUPD).
It finds that few Member States have started implementing these systems. It is easier to establish systems for packaging-related SUPD products (because of the EPR systems already in place) than for new products such as balloons and wet wipes.
However, the most challenging part of the implementation is the calculation of littering costs. Public authorities pay the bulk of this, but more transparency is needed.
Reuse activities are an essential part of the EU’s moves to tackle the growing waste crisis.
However, the current combined targets for reuse and recycling generally prioritise recycling. This disregards the fact that quantitative reuse and preparing-for-reuse targets are an essential policy tool to implement the EU’s waste hierarchy.
This report presents an overview of existing targets and a detailed look at 24 targets set in different product categories and waste streams. The policy recommendations will help policymakers as they shape the Circular Economy Act, the revised WEEE Directive and other relevant measures at EU level. They cover issues such as setting specific targets for product streams with high environmental impact and job creation potential.
Paper recycling is one of Europe’s greatest circular economy achievements. However, regulatory fragmentation, market imbalances and rising operational risks are placing pressure on recyclers.
Recycling Europe calls on EU policymakers to act. This manifesto proposes four measures to safeguard the success story of paper recycling:
Design circular paper products: recycling should be expected and the CEA should drive demand;
Reduce EU administrative burdens: EU-wide rules on end-of-waste criteria for recovered paper and shipments are needed;
Secure access to global markets for recovered paper: not all recovered paper can be re-used within Europe;
Address the fire risk from lithium batteries in waste management facilities: proper waste sorting is crucial.
Circul'R believes that it is vital to unite regulation, innovation and cooperation if circularity is to drive competitiveness and sovereignty. It feels that it is a mistake to prioritise recycling over circular business models, such as repair and reuse.
It therefore recommends:
supporting circular business models by making them more competitive and boosting market access and financing,
setting an EU target for reducing the material footprint, involving reducing consumption and coming up with more reliable and comprehensive indicators,
changing the tax environment, including incentives for circular solutions and disincentives for linear ones, establishing European standards on repairability and binding circular targets and models of circular-oriented public procurement.
This joint statement is a collaborative effort by the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Environmental Coalition on Standards, European Environmental Bureau, Institute for European Environmental Policy, Reuse and Recycling European Union Social Enterprises (RREUSE) and Zero Waste Europe.
It calls for the Act to embed circular economy principles into Europe’s entire economic system. It underscores the urgent need for robust legislation that can accelerate the transition and secure the EU's leadership in the global circular economy.
Key points:
Set science-based targets on resource use
Harness the potential of keeping products and components in use, not just materials
Accelerate safe material circulation by integrating chemical and circular legislation.
Drawing on more than 30 years' experience, lessons learned from EU-funded projects and the expertise of local and regional authorities across Europe, ACR+ is sharing its recommendations for the Circular Economy Act.
This position paper outlines 26 recommendations to strengthen the EU’s circular transition, focusing on:
Establish a Circular Single Market with binding targets to increase circular material use and reduce residual waste;
Leverage public procurement to drive demand for sustainable and circular products;
Reinforce EPR to support prevention, repair and reuse;
Tackle WEEE through stronger collection, treatment and recovery of critical raw materials;
Create a more circular built environment via sustainable (de)construction practices;
