Join RREUSE, Europe’s largest network of social enterprises active in reuse, repair and recycling, for a deep dive into the opportunities and challenges of public procurement as a way to advance climate and social goals.
This half-day conference on 18 April, followed by a chance to network, will bring together EU policy makers, public procurement practitioners and experts, representatives of social enterprises, their networks and Brussels-based NGOs.
The event will also be an opportunity to present RREUSE's report "Advancing climate, environmental and social goals through public procurement".
A modern society needs access to all the critical raw materials (CRM) necessary to maintain and develop its industries, infrastructure and welfare. CRM are especially important for ongoing technology shifts like the European Green Deal and digitalisation processes.
Five milestones must be reached to establish Nordic secondary value chains for CRM:
A system that makes it possible to identify waste streams with CRM-recycling potential.
A system for cost-effective and efficient collection of waste streams with CRM-recycling potential.
A system for separating materials enriched with CRM from other materials in the waste stream.
A recycling technology that allows for recovery of all relevant CRM at acceptable rates.
Used clothing exports from the Netherlands totalled more than €193 million in 2022: not an insignificant amount.
Understanding the realities of second-hand clothing markets in export destinations will be crucial to develop appropriate policy at national and supranational levels. The aim is to support the socially equitable and environmentally sustainable processing of used textiles, and ensure that this industry is in line with the EU's 2020 Circular Economy Action Plan and the European Green Deal.
To this end, the report explores what happens to textiles collected in the Netherlands in their various destination countries, and highlights the impacts and risks associated with these exports, as well as how they are addressed.
This briefing looks into how circular economy and waste sector policies and measures can reduce greenhouse gas emisions.
It analyses how European countries include circular economy and waste actions in their reporting on climate change mitigation policies and measures and how the introduction of additional measures can help accelerate future reductions of GHG emissions.
The briefing finds that waste management and the circular economy have considerable potential for mitigating climate change. Therefore, countries would benefit from including policies and measures in these areas in their climate policy mix.
EU policymakers recently decided to introduce a direct ban on the destruction of textiles and footwear, with some exemptions for small, micro and medium-sized companies.
In this briefing, the EEA takes stock of what is currently known about the volumes and destruction of returned and unsold textiles in Europe. The growth of online shopping, flexible return practices, changed consumer preferences and fast-fashion business strategies in Europe have resulted in increased shares of returned and unsold textiles.
Over the past years, fast fashion and luxury brands have been reported as destroying returned or unsold clothing, shoes and other textiles. Textile product destruction is a very good example of a ‘take-make-waste’ approach.
The RECIMAP project aims to recycle blended cotton and polyester fabric waste, thus contributing to the circular economy in the textile industry.
Recovering this waste will make it possible to obtain recycled polyester and lactic acid, both in high demand on the market. Lactic acid is an essential component for the production of polylactic acid (PLA).
The transition towards the circular economy entails complex economic and social changes. Using a survey, the EDUCIRC project will provide policy recommendations on rural development, with particular emphasis on women and young people.
It will devise a new methodology for assessing the capacity of rural areas to deliver this transition and identify the main obstacles, strengths and problems, as well as possible solutions.
The FUSTARISE Project aims to find more sustainable ways to deal with lignocellulosic waste - plant waste from agriculture and forestry. Most of this waste currently ends up in landfills - this project uses solvent-free mechanochemical techniques to transform it into products such as capsules and adhesives.
On 22 February, Tondo will present the report on the Taranto Circolare project in a webinar.
Taranto Circolare has conducted an in-depth study of the level of circularity in the Taranto area. Tondo's team focused on material and energy flows in the macro-sectors of the province of Taranto in 2020, covering inputs, outputs, waste and emissions, and quantifying the region's level of circularity.
This workshop will present, highlight and discuss the state of play and future issues related to sustainability in the fashion, clothing and textiles sector. It will also launch the book on Accelerating Sustainability in Fashion, Clothing and Textiles, withpresentations from the editors and contributors.
There will be roundtable discussions covering key topics highlighted in the book (such as the circular economy, innovation and new business models, design and materials) and networking opportunities.