This conference took place on 10-11 December in Spain, bringing together over a hundred plastics recycling specialists who debated competitiveness and regulation in plastics recycling in Europe. See the highlights!
Waste To Resources Latvia - boosting regional sustainability and circularity is a Lifeproject which provides a framework for coordinating, testing and scaling up circular economy solutions at national level, involving multiple partners and thematic implementation areas.
So far, it has launched national digital platforms for reuse and industrial symbiosis, improved data availability and decision-support tools for the waste management sector, and enhanced quality assurance of secondary materials through an accredited polymer testing laboratory.
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.
Specialists, companies and key stakeholders from the packaging value chain will address the challenges and opportunities posed by the transition toward more sustainable models and explore the latest trends in barrier packaging materials and solutions.
This edition of Science for Environment Policy is a collection of seven previously published articles on scientific studies relevant to the circular economy. Read about battery collection, whether laypeople can really understand LCA data, chemical recycling and why people throw away clothing.
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.
A number of ECESP Coordination Group members have published their contributions to the call for evidence on the Circular Economy Act. The Group covers a wide spectrum of interests, and this necessarily influences their views on what should be included in the CEA and just how the Act should drive on the circular economy. Have a look!
In this position paper, FEAD offers its input for the Circular Economy Act consultation.
It supports a CEA that turns circularity into a core competitiveness strategy for Europe by:
creating a predictable, integrated single market for recycled materials;
activating strong, durable demand for recycled materials;
aligning fiscal and financial tools with circular outcomes;
strengthening governance, enforcement and administrative capacity so rules deliver in practice.
It proposes a binding target of 25% by 2030 for the Circular Material Use Rate. It argues that recycling and recovery must become industrial-scale resource streams, and that robust recovery and final treatment systems for residual waste are key for safeguarding system resilience and environmental protection.
