The Circular Aluminium Action Plan is the aluminium sector’s strategy for achieving aluminium’s full potential for a circular economy by 2030. The action plan aims to ensure that all end-of-life aluminium products are collected and recycled efficiently in Europe to maximise the aluminium recycling rates and to keep the material in active use. It builds on the aluminium industry’s Vision 2050 and provides policy recommendations for the sector.
The aluminium industry has the potential to be a key driver in achieving Europe’s ambitions for a climate-neutral and circular economy. Aluminium is by nature circular and fit for multiple recycling: it can be recycled over and over again without losing its original properties (lightness, conductivity, formability, durability, impermeability).
The Joint Initiative on Circular Economy (JICE) brings together the EU’s largest public promotional banks and institutions.
Against the backdrop of the expected EU Circular Economy Act and a shifting regulatory environment, JICE is launching a webinar series to deepen market understanding of financing needs, gaps and bottlenecks for the circular economy across selected sectors.
This webinar will focus on critical raw materials from e-waste.
The Rethinking Materials Summit will bring together brands, innovators, investors and policymakers to explore the next frontier of materials innovation.
It is an opportunity for targeted networking, curated deal flow, live pitches and fresh tech discovery across the value chain.
The Circular Economy Show Podcast looks at the various aspects of the circular economy and the people driving it. There are over 200 episodes so far, covering a huge range of issues.
Europe’s green and digital transitions are increasing demand for CRMs, just as geopolitical risks and trade tensions are reshaping global supply chains. The EU has been taking steps to secure and diversify supplies by building strategic partnerships with resource-rich countries, which includes recovering CRMs from mine waste and tailings.
The Western Balkans region is a natural partner: they are integrated into EU markets and transport networks and have a legacy of old industrial sites and mine tailings.
This study recommends mapping mining waste, linking local actors more closely to EU instruments and initiatives, and using the EU accession process to advance regulatory and administrative alignment on mining, waste management and water protection with the EU acquis.
Brazil’s mining sector has underpinned national growth and is a major global supplier of iron ore, bauxite, niobium and copper. However, the linear model is producing declining ore grades, rising waste volumes and growing environmental and social pressures.
To remain competitive, Brazil must shift to a circular model. Strategies such as reprocessing tailings, recovering by-products, designing for reuse and establishing closed-loop partnerships can unlock significant economic and environmental value.
This report looks at circular solutions being implemented in the mining sector and how designing urban renewable energy systems for reuse will turn cities into urban mines.
With a significant number of ships expected to reach the end of their service life shortly, ship recycling presents a strategic opportunity for Europe. Boosting domestic ship recycling will:
secure a steady supply of secondary raw materials and so strengthen Europe’s industrial resilience and strategic autonomy;
make a meaningful contribution to the decarbonisation of the EU steel and construction sectors, supporting Europe’s broader climate and circular economy goals;
create green jobs in the recycling and waste management sector;
align with EU environmental policies preventing the export of hazardous materials and restrict exports of waste that harm the environment and human health in third countries.
This report looks at how scrap steel from the EU's increasing numbers of end-of-life ships can help decarbonise the European steel industry, strengthen industrial resilience, create green jobs, preserve and develop maritime skills and build a truly circular economy.
The steel industry expects demand for scrap to rise due to calls for lower carbon footprints and the implementation of new steelmaking technologies. Ship recycling is a significant and largely untapped opportunity to meet this demand.
Policies should support the development of safe and environmentally sound ship recycling, and stimulate material recovery and reuse. This will enable the EU to reduce dependence on imports, conserve valuable resources and advance toward climate neutrality.
On 3 December, the European Commission adopted the RESourceEU Action Plan to accelerate and amplify its efforts to secure the EU's supply of critical raw materials. The plan aims to reduce strategic dependencies and contains a number of measures relevant to the circular economy.
