12 Jan 2021
The roadmap for the EU strategy for sustainable textiles has been published and will be open for feedback until 2 February 2021.
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12 Jan 2021
Call for proposals for textiles implementing partners in Africa - deadline extended until 25 January 2021.
27 Jun 2022
The European Economic and Social Committee has adopted an own-initiative opinion on the European furniture industry's recovery and shift towards an innovative, green and circular economy. The opinion calls on the European Commission to provide more integrated strategies for specific economic sectors, coordinating the various policy fields into an ongoing transition of the European economy.
27 Jun 2022
To celebrate Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day, 10 innovative projects by #CirCoAX30 will be presented to promote inclusiveness and empower these 10 businesses. The key role played by fashion and textile entrepreneurs in the green transition will be celebrated by sharing good practices and innovative solutions.
29 Jun 2022
The EURE project is organising a conference in Brussels on 29 June (09:30-16:00 CEST) on the new territorial models for the management of European urban policy and the role of small and medium-sized cities in proposing a renewed European urban policy adapted to the challenges of our times.
16 Jun 2022
The European Commission is carrying out an impact assessment in preparation for the revision of the Waste Framework Directive. You have until 16 August to tell the European Commission what you think about waste management and its environmental impact!
The Taxshift: An EU Fiscal Strategy to Support the Inclusive Circular Economy
The Taxshift: An EU fiscal strategy to support the inclusive circular economy
The EU Green Deal includes a commitment to shift the tax burden from labour to pollution. EU companies seek to adopt circular practices, but financial incentives in their tax systems curb circular growth.
This study presents a roadmap for a rebalancing of the tax mix, both at national and EU levels. It assesses the impact of 20 taxshift measures significantly decreasing the tax burden on labour while increasing taxation of resource use and pollution.
The analysis shows that a well-considered, broad-based tax reform could lead to more jobs, higher economic growth, fewer emissions and less dependence on imports. It also shows that it is possible to design policy measures addressing environmental issues (Polluter Pays Principle) and social issues (leaving no-one behind) simultaneously.
07 Jul 2022
This webinar on 7 July aims at presenting a leaflet providing road transport SMEs with tips on how to start their decarbonisation journey by becoming more circular and sustainable. The leaflet was drafted jointly by SMEunited, its sectoral member UETR and the EU LIFE Programme. Participants enrolling for the webinar will receive a copy of the leaflet.
14 Jun 2022
The European Commission has published a call for proposals on “Social innovations for a fair green and digital transition”, under the Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) strand of the European Social Fund+.
08 Jul 2022
The Digital Product Passport (DPP) promotes sustainable production. The passport lists all materials and components used in a product or a building and the information on their location. Providing this information could increase the product circularity and contribute to reaching the net-zero objective.
What are the challenges ahead? What are the initiatives in place at the European level? Join us online on 8 July from 09:00 to 10:30 CEST to learn more from frontrunner stakeholders that have already conceptualised digital product passports and are operating them on the EU market.
09 Jun 2022
The European Commission has launched new resources to help buildings professionals to start using Level(s), the EU common language framework for monitoring and assessing the sustainability performance of buildings. Level(s) is a simple entry point for applying circular economy principles in our built environment.
Growth without economic growth
By building on the insights from previous EEA reports on drivers of sustainability transitions, this briefing explores alternative ideas about growth and progress with the aim of broadening the sustainability debate.
Economic growth is closely linked to increases in production, consumption and resource use and has detrimental effects on the natural environment and human health. It is unlikely that a long-lasting, absolute decoupling of economic growth from environmental pressures can be achieved at the global scale. Societies need to rethink what is meant by growth and progress and their meaning for global sustainability.
The briefing outlines how circular economy may not deliver the transformation to sustainability when growth strategy still leads to increased material consumption.
MERLIN: a project increasing the quality and rate of multilayer packaging recycling waste
The MERLIN project (Increasing the quality and rate of MultilayER packaging recycLINg waste) aims at designing innovative solutions for all the processes required to increase the quality and rate of recycled plastic materials coming from multi-layer packaging waste. MERLIN’s new solutions will meet the growing number of plants that are seeking effective solutions.
07 Jun 2022
The first Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) Info Day will take place online on 7 June 2022.
Join the event to find out about the new CBE JU partnership and the 2022 call for proposals and build your network via the CBE JU platform.
A Compendium of Small Scale Actions to Promote the Circular Transition in Cities
A Compendium of Small Scale Actions to Promote the Circular Transition in Cities
Small Scale Actions (SSA) are a new element introduced for this round of URBACT action planning networks (2019-2022). This compendium summarises all of the SSAs carried out within the Resourceful Cities Network. It aims to support and inspire other cities which want to accelerate their circular transition.
A wide range of SSAs were carried out by Resourceful Cities partners, each one responding to an identified need within the individual city context. Actions included promoting citizen engagement and participation, enhancing knowledge and raising awareness of the circular economy, business support, data collection and monitoring and trialling new business models.
07 Jun 2022
This Policy Dialogue will take place on 7 June starting at 14:00 CEST. It will consider the importance of strategic resources, notably critical raw materials, for achieving the European Green Deal objectives, and the role for a circular economy in enabling access to those resources.
07 Jun 2022
In the frame of the Leiden European City of Science Festival, the H2020 project SUSMAGPRO will be showcased in an interactive exhibition on campus at the Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML) on 7 June 2022. Interested visitors can learn all about rare earth magnets, why they are essential to our modern lives, the challenges connected to them and which solutions SUSMAGPRO provides.
In addition to an interactive exhibition and hands-on activities, the team of project partner Leiden University have prepared exciting lectures on the topic and visitors will have the opportunity to see one of the SUSMAGPRO pilots in action: the automated, mobile sensing line to separate Rare Earth magnets from WEEE.
Coffeefrom: processing coffee grounds into a durable and resistant alternative to single-use plastic
Coffeefrom is an innovative project from Italy, the second circular economy project run by Il Giardinone Cooperativa Sociale. It has built a supply chain based on the recovery and processing of industrial coffee grounds. Coffee grounds from the food industry are blended with biopolymers to become a new bio-based material that is a durable and resistant alternative to single-use plastic.
RE.WIND: routing used packaging film to a dedicated supply chain that recycles it efficiently
The RE.WIND project routes used film to a dedicated supply chain that allows it to be recycled more efficiently, ensuring that the film obtained is of a high quality. The material goes back to the company in the form of film that can be used again to wrap pallets of goods.
NP-bioTech: catalytic biostabilisation for a fast treatment of citrus pulp or sewage sludge into a rich biofertiliser
NP-bioTech uses a biocatalyst, adsorbed onto an inert material (catalytic substrate). This enables the accelerated fermentation of critical biomass (such as citrus pulp or sewage sludge), transforming it into a biostabilised and pasteurised material with excellent agronomic properties.
17 Jun 2022 to 18 Jun 2022
ECOFUNCO is a European research project developing new bio-based coatings for plastic and cellulose substrates. For the project's closing event, the ECOFUNCO consortium is organising the 1st Conference on Green Chemistry and Sustainable Coatings. The conference will take place on 17 and 18 June 2022 in Pisa, Italy, and will be streamed online.
31 May 2022
The European Commission's Directorate-General for Environment is organising an information session on Circular Economy - Designed to last: sustainable and connected products in connection with Green Week.
31 May 2022
This webinar on 31 May will discuss how Europe can meet the Industrial Sustainable Carbon Challenge and defossilise its economy to reach the targets set out in the EU’s Sustainable Carbon Cycles Communication. It will also highlight how innovative technologies and circularity can contribute to reaching these EU goals.
15 Jun 2022
On 15 June, Small Business Standards (SBS) will hold its annual conference on the opportunities and challenges arising for SMEs from the EU Sustainable Product Initiative and the role that standards play in the implementation of this initiative.
31 May 2022
Join this EU Green Week partner event on 31 May at 9:00 - 10:00 CEST and learn more about Novelis’ collaboration with Lithuania’s Reposit return system and discuss how we can make this frontrunner example common practice across Europe.
01 Jun 2022
On 1 June 2022, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Circular Economy – Sustainable Competences for Youth project will jointly host an interactive conference with experts in circular economy competences and youth, policy makers, academics and business representatives.
During this conference, participants will learn more about the outputs from the CESCY project, but will also be given the opportunity to share their views on the topics at stake, as well as to hear from speakers and participants from different sectors and backgrounds.
Youth competencies in the circular economy labour market – A taxonomy of competencies
Youth competencies in the circular economy labour market – A taxonomy of competencies
In the research Youth competencies in the circular economy labour market – A taxonomy of competencies, 50 circular entrepreneurs across Europe were interviewed on the competences that are relevant in their work. The central question is: How should young people be equipped to shift the labour market towards circularity and sustainability?
The results provide an overview of the types of skills, knowledge and attitudes that characterise circular entrepreneurship and leadership. The study concludes with a discussion on the role of youth workers in developing these competences.
This report is the second intellectual output of the Circular Economy - Sustainable Competences for Youth (CESCY) project, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the EU.