Plateforme des acteurs européens de l'économie circulaire

In "The contribution of the Digital Industry to repair, remanufacturing and refurbishment in a Circular Economy”, DIGITALEUROPE describes longstanding business practices in the ICT sector which represent, next to waste collection and treatment facilities, the circular economy backbone of the ICT industry in Europe.

With roughly 28,000 tons of IT equipment and spare parts being shipped cross-border annually in Europe, the ICT sector is adopting circular business practices such as designing for longevity, durability and reliability, stimulating reuse, and facilitating refurbishment. There is significant market opportunity for circular economy in the ICT sector: in 2015, the business of refurbishing IT equipment already accounted for €3.1 billion in annual turnover across 2,500+ European firms.

Alongside a series of case studies on best practice such as Nokia's Global Asset Recovery & Remarketing Services, DIGITALEUROPE outlines the following position on legislating circular economy for ICT:

• reuse, repair and refurbishment should not be addressed under waste legislation
• recognise authorised repair networks and protect IP rights
• consult stakeholders when legislating ecodesign to ensure feasibility
• ensure requirements for spare parts continue to exist
• keep the two-year guarantee and revise consumer protection without increasing refunds / replacements
• remove administrative burden for and regulatory barriers to shipping products for repair, reuse and refurbishment

When 68 Dutch architectural firms signed a manifesto for circular construction in 2018, it became apparent that this field is committed and eager to apply circular economy principles in designing and building for sustainable development. Nonetheless there are few available resources on commencing such a process, which is why the BNA (Dutch Association of Architects) commissioned a study on 'Designing Circularity Jointly: Circular Architecture and Construction' in 2018.

The transition to a circular economy is a quest where nobody has the correct and precise information on what inputs are required to reduce carbon emissions, ensure raw materials are processed in a circular loop and the built environment is repurposed at end of life. Designing truly circular buildings requires frameworks and insights. These are summarised in the report's eight key messages:

• circular economy is a shared quest full of complexity, obstacles and uncertainty, which is why openness, trust and courage are crucial;
• architects need more circular assignments to be able to benchmark and share experiences with each other;
• architects should play a greater role in designing buildings that can actually be built, maintained and recycled;
• collaboration across the entire value chain is necessary to map out resource flows and design in a truly circular fashion;
• regulation stimulates either renovation or newbuilds, becoming an obstacle when architects attempt to fuse old structures with new materials, linear raw materials with circular processes, and outdated standards with pioneering ones;
• despite a lot of information being available, architects find it difficult to access sustainable materials that have passed the necessary quality checks;
• the lack of clear guidelines about what is circular in the construction sector limits the adoption of corresponding principles;
• there are no easily accessible and understandable tools to guide practitioners in designing a circular structure.

In this position paper, the Spanish Fondacion para la Economia Circular (Foundation for the Circular Economy), summarises the policy initiatives on plastics published by the European Commission in 2018, which includes both the Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy and the Proposal for a Directive on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment.

Outlining its position, FEC argues that:

• the plastics strategy is based on ambiguous definitions
• rigorous implementation of existing legal obligations in relation to plastics is a priority
• concrete measures reducing single-use plastics require greater precision
• a coherent policy framework for reducing microplastic is also necessary
• uptake & depth of quality standards and technological verification should be improved
• demand-side measures must be developed to stimulate th euptake of recycled plastics
• a New Plastics Economy requires global action & cooperation

100 Italian circular economy stories compiles successful innovations from companies, research institutes and non-profits across 11 sectors throughout Italy. Their stories show the transition towards a circular economy is gaining traction on the ground as a sustainable alternative to the incumbent methods of production.

A circular economy will not happen through policy alone: it requires companies, start-ups, foundations, research centres, universities, consortia and associations to apply the principles of a circular economy to practice. This book features 100 such examples from Italy, including Aquafil's regenerated nylon yarn and Favini's non-virgin papers. The whole collection of stories ranges from across the following 11 sectors:

• Clothing and accessories
• Agri-food
• Furniture / Construction
• Industrial automation and other Manufacturing
• Chemistry and Pharmaceutics
• Research & Development
• Electrics and Electronics
• New Materials and Resources
• Enablers and Platforms
• Promotion and Dissemination

​​These 100 stories clearly demonstrate that change is underway by showing how Italian products are brought to market using increasingly integrated technologies and supply chains which exchange materials and energy. The diffusion of such circular processes will enable more and more companies to free themselves from using costly virgin resources, gradually rendering the whole economy more sustainable.

For reference with the Italian circular economy strategy, please check the 2017 white paper "Towards a model of circular economy in Italy"

To obtain empirical policy-relevant insights to assist with the implementation of the EU Circular Economy Action Plan, the European Commission requested a behavourial study that aimed to:

1. identify barriers and trade-offs faced by consumers when deciding whether to engage in the CE, in  particular whether to purchase a more or a less durable good, whether to have a good repaired, or to discard it and buy a replacement;
2. establish the relative importance of economic, social and psychological factors that govern the extent to  which  consumers engage in the CE, especially purchasing durable products and seeking to repair products instead of disposing of them; and
3. propose policy tools to enable and encourage consumers to engage in CE practices related to durability and reparability.

The study focused on five products: vacuum cleaners, televisions, dishwashers, smartphones and clothes. The methodology encompasses a systematic literature review, 50 stakeholder interviews, consumer focus groups, an online consumer survey with 12,064 participants, and a behavourial experiment with 6,042 participants. Whereas the survey collected information on consumers' perception of and experiences with circular practices, the financially incentivised experiments included a repairing and purchasing task.

Findings include a general willingness to engage but little practical action to date. Consumers appear to be hampered by insufficiently developed markets for repair, reuse and refurbish in addition to a lack of information regarding product durability and repairability. Such information appeared seminal in shifting purchasing decisions towards sustainable products in the behavourial experiment, highlighting great potential to bridge the gap between theoretical and practical engagement. This experiment also uncovered substantial consistency between a self-reported circular mindset and corresponding behaviour.

As product size and price increases, consumers also appear to have greater interest in repairability and durability. Whereas repairability is linked to spare parts, durability appears to follow from perceived product quality. Overall this study concludes that the price-quality ratio, followed by convenience, is the most important driver and simultaneously barrier for consumer engagement in the circular economy. Building on these finidngs, the study makes 5 recommendations for policy action to enhance consumer engagement in the circular economy:

• boost CE engagement by increasing awareness of the circular economy;
• make repairing products easier;
• create financial incentives for repairability and durability;
• make information on durability and repairability available at point of sale;
• strengthen legislation requiring the provision of accurate information to consumers.

The book on Circular economy: the political and legislative ambition of the EU provides an overview of this critical evolution of EU politics and legislation.

In its first part, the new strategic orientations informing the EU policy on the circular economy - such as eco-design of products, eco-effectiveness of the production process, durability of products, development of eco-procurement, innovative consumption, waste prevention and creation of a secondary raw material market, as well as reduction of food waste and fight against sea plastic pollution - are examined.

In its second part, the new rules on the circular economy, particularly the EU legislation on waste management, with a special focus on reinforced prevention obligations, the ambitious numerical goals set up for recycling and the extended producer liability system, are tackled.

All what we do in life is connected with Data, Information, Knowledge and Wisdom: this is the most valuable human intangible asset because it encompasses the history, traditions, cultures, explicit and also more and more tacit knowledge, thanks also to social media. This sounds good, but such a so valuable asset and capital is very fragmented, lying unused in ‘cemeteries of information’ and is not used because it still lacks the structure, methods and instruments needed to filter and offer them in ways that brings tangible benefits to the users. The problems we are facing nowadays at global level are (i) the lack of interactive communication and a shared understanding that could make human knowledge and wisdom available internationally, as well as (ii) the ability to quickly identify the value, or non-value, of the enormous amount of data and information we are faced with. The more new technologies gather big data and large-scale information, the more we are confronted with our limited ability to distinguish between the essential, the necessary and the ‘nice-to-have’ elements of data and information.

Austria Glas Recycling Gmbh is setting the course for the future: the Austria Glas Agenda 2030, which it has developed together with stakeholders, experts and scholars, defines the orientation of the glass recycling system according to the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The Austria Glass Agenda 2030 is pioneering work setting new impulses for the implementation of the SDGs. As one of the first companies in Austria, Austria Glas Recycling Gmbh is facing the challenge to implement the SDGs in all its business processes. The Austria Glas Agenda 2030 is the basis for future project developments of the glass recycling system.

In addition, the Austria Glas Agenda 2030 should serve as a role model for other sectors and inspire them to take action for the SDGs.

The EU Guidelines for the feed use of food no longer intended for human consumption are an integral part of the communication Closing the loop - An EU action plan for the Circular Economy.

They were developed by the Commission in close cooperation with the food, feed, animal health and environmental authorities of the Member States and the members of the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste, as well as other stakeholders.

The valorisation of the nutrients of food which, for commercial reasons or owing to problems of manufacturing,  is no longer intended for human consumption, but can be safely used in animal nutrition, prevents these materials from being composted, transformed in biogas or disposed of by incineration or landfilling.

Available in all EU languages by following the Official Journal link, these guidelines should assist the national and local competent authorities, as well as the operators in the food chain, in applying the relevant EU legislation. Legal clarity is therefore enhanced and examples of best practices that are in compliance with the current EU regulatory framework are presented while preventing unnecessary administrative burden.

The report ‘Circular Economy in the Furniture Sector: Overview of Current Challenges and Competence Needs’, provides an overview on how the circular economy is currently being implemented within the furniture sector.

By focusing on existing practices, challenges and opportunities at the micro-level, the main objective of this report is to identify the necessary skills and competences needed to support the transformation of furniture companies towards a circular economy.

Project partners identified 25 furniture companies active in the circular economy throughout Europe.

Interviews, held between March and May 2018 in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Spain, France, The Netherlands, Italy and Sweden, yielded insights on the necessary skills and competences needed to develop circular business models relevant for the furniture industry.

Finally, 10 examples of circular furniture cases are presented in the report. Examples show companies from different EU countries that have implemented different actions to work towards the circularity of the company, as well as specific examples of furniture products that are sustainable.