Every year, our global economy consumes around 100 billion tonnes of resources — three quarters of which it cannot replenish. This reliance on a constant flow of virgin raw materials leaves our economies increasingly exposed to price shocks, supply disruptions and the universal inefficiencies of resource waste. One direct way to relieve this pressure is to keep materials circulating at their highest value.
Part of a policy series on accelerating the circular economy transition, this brief sets out a targeted approach to keeping materials in use. A focused mix of policies can promote design, business models, and incentives that favour reuse, repair and remanufacturing alongside regenerative practices such as cascading, composting and returning nutrients to soil.
the call for evidence focuses too much on measures to enhance collection and recycling and too little on prevention, repair and reuse;
tackling consumption rates and increasing reuse will also reduce the EU’s reliance on imports;
welcomes the move to develop EPR schemes but feels that the non-profit sector and other key stakeholders involved in the design and implementation process should be involved as well as producers;
more effective circularity metrics and targets are needed, including separate targets for consumption reduction, repair, reuse and preparation for reuse;
dedicated and sufficient financial mechanisms and funding streams are needed to ensure the viability of prevention, repair and reuse initiatives across the EU.
Plastic pollution continues to pose a major challenge for communities across Europe, and the question of who should finance the management of litter has become increasingly important. This first ACR+ policy paper on litter evaluates the progress made by Member States in establishing and rolling out the EPR systems required by Article 8 of the Single Use Plastics Directive (SUPD).
It finds that few Member States have started implementing these systems. It is easier to establish systems for packaging-related SUPD products (because of the EPR systems already in place) than for new products such as balloons and wet wipes.
However, the most challenging part of the implementation is the calculation of littering costs. Public authorities pay the bulk of this, but more transparency is needed.
Each year, the EEA takes stock of progress towards meeting the six objectives of the 8th Environment Action Programme (EAP), one of which is a regenerative circular economy.
The report finds that the EU's consumption exceeds the planet's 'safe operating space' for resource extraction and its consumption is unlikely to decrease significantly this decade. It is also unlikely that per capita total waste generation will significantly decrease by 2030.
Legislation already in place to prevent waste generation and improve waste management — including through recycling and the reuse of materials — has contributed to a relative decoupling of raw material consumption and waste generation from economic growth but significant additional efforts are needed to reach the 2030 targets.
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.
Circul'R believes that it is vital to unite regulation, innovation and cooperation if circularity is to drive competitiveness and sovereignty. It feels that it is a mistake to prioritise recycling over circular business models, such as repair and reuse.
It therefore recommends:
supporting circular business models by making them more competitive and boosting market access and financing,
setting an EU target for reducing the material footprint, involving reducing consumption and coming up with more reliable and comprehensive indicators,
changing the tax environment, including incentives for circular solutions and disincentives for linear ones, establishing European standards on repairability and binding circular targets and models of circular-oriented public procurement.
This joint statement is a collaborative effort by the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Environmental Coalition on Standards, European Environmental Bureau, Institute for European Environmental Policy, Reuse and Recycling European Union Social Enterprises (RREUSE) and Zero Waste Europe.
It calls for the Act to embed circular economy principles into Europe’s entire economic system. It underscores the urgent need for robust legislation that can accelerate the transition and secure the EU's leadership in the global circular economy.
Key points:
Set science-based targets on resource use
Harness the potential of keeping products and components in use, not just materials
Accelerate safe material circulation by integrating chemical and circular legislation.
Drawing on more than 30 years' experience, lessons learned from EU-funded projects and the expertise of local and regional authorities across Europe, ACR+ is sharing its recommendations for the Circular Economy Act.
This position paper outlines 26 recommendations to strengthen the EU’s circular transition, focusing on:
Establish a Circular Single Market with binding targets to increase circular material use and reduce residual waste;
Leverage public procurement to drive demand for sustainable and circular products;
Reinforce EPR to support prevention, repair and reuse;
Tackle WEEE through stronger collection, treatment and recovery of critical raw materials;
Create a more circular built environment via sustainable (de)construction practices;
Building on challenges and best practices identified among frontrunner cities and regions, ICLEI Europe and its members have provided nine policy recommendations to address the limitations of the current scope of the CEA:
Leverage circular economy to cut consumption-based emissions
Reduce material consumption to enhance the EU’s economic security
Ensure the transition to a circular economy is just and inclusive, leaving no one behind
Ensure a multilevel governance approach in policy development and implementation
Shift funding from piloting towards scaling-up
Build capacity in cities to support circular economy implementation
Build the case to reform the linear tax system
Leverage public procurement to provide a launch market for circular businesses
