This position paper synthesises youth perspectives on the EU Circular Economy Act through a consultation survey of 57 responses across Europe, a youth check at the ECESP Annual Conference 2026 and additional qualitative stakeholder input.
There are two main parts: Youth Priorities: What the Act Still Needs identifies what young people consider is missing or insufficiently addressed in the current framing of the CEA. From Policy to Practice: What Effective Implementation Needs explains how these priorities could be addressed through the Act and its implementation.
The paper concludes that lower material demand, durable product design, reuse, effective collection systems and strong public governance play a key role: recycling is not enough.
Cillian Lohan discusses why the CEA should mark a systemic shift in EU industrial policy, the role of public procurement in driving demand for circular products, and how Europe can reconcile reindustrialisation with lower resource consumption.
Vorarlberg's annual Environmental Festival is designed to produce as little waste as possible, to promote reuse and generally to familiarise people with the concepts of the circular economy without preaching about it.
People come for the festival experience but leave having learned why it's a good thing to donate what you don't need and not to produce extravagant amounts of waste!
The LIFE Awards 2026 included the Circular Economy & Quality of Life category.
The winner proposed a replicable way to reduce the amount of WEEE generated, and one of the runners up designed tools to optimise wastewater treatment while reducing waster consumption.
Join the Hubs4Circularity Community of Practice for an online workshop to reflect, celebrate and make sense of the journey around the value of community in innovation.
Circular Change, a globally recognised think-tank, is celebrating its tenth anniversary.
It was founded in 2016 by Ladeja Godina Košir, currently Co-Chair of the ECESP, with a view to collaborative leadership and cross-border cooperation, strengthening international dialogue and advancing the circular transition.
Achievements include organising conferences geared to co-creation and systemic change, assuming a European leadership role by chairing the ECESP and gaining global recognition with a Circular Leadership Award nomination at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Circular Change has also contributed to national circular economy roadmaps in Serbia and Chile, advanced the concept of transition brokers and highlighted the need for circular diplomacy.
Berlin's Zero Waste Agency aims to make Berlin a zero-waste capital. As well as providing useful information via its website, it organises Zero Waste Action Weeks each year and brings together stakeholders in working groups and general meetings.
REkrabička offers a returnable packaging system designed for restaurants, cafés and canteens. Their sturdy reusable food and drink containers can be used 400 times, replacing 400 single-use items.
