European Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Commissioner Karmenu Vella is committed “to seizing classical win-win opportunities” arising from a move towards a circular economy.

The European Commission announced in its work programme for 2015 its intention to withdraw the proposal to review waste targets forming part of the circular economy package. The withdrawal is still subject to formal confirmation.

Brussels has, however, confirmed its commitment to promoting the transition to a circular economy and green growth.

“Taking due consideration of resource constraints and wider environmental concerns will be a key prerequisite to pave the way for sustained economic growth in Europe.

“Moving towards a circular economy presents classical win-win opportunities that I am committed to seize,” Vella says.

He considers the circular economy to be the logical solution for a resource-constrained world. “It is a model where almost nothing is wasted, where the reuse and re-manufacturing of products has become standard practice and where sustainability is built into the fabric of society. As a result, we have less waste to deal with, we can generate more from given resources and we will develop and apply new technologies that will improve Europe’s competitive position in the world.”

The Commission wants to reconsider the waste proposal and take into account the reactions of the co-legislators and stakeholders. It wants to look beyond waste alone to close the circle and address other aspects of the product cycle.

If the proposal is redrawn, the plans are to adopt a broader and more ambitious proposal by the end of this year.

A circular economy, it is pointed out, relies on solutions concerning the entire value chain to design out waste. This goes beyond end-of-life waste management and starts at the product design stage.

Vella notes that closing the loop involves a number of measures.

Innovative eco-design solutions can reduce the use of primary material and make products more durable, easier to be maintained, repaired, upgraded and recycled as well as more resource-efficient in production and use phases.

Measures can be taken to enhance the access of consumers and business to reliable information about the environmental impact of products throughout their life cycle.

A circular economy relies on solutions concerning the entire value chain to design out waste. This goes beyond end-of-life waste management and starts at the product design stage

The choice of environmentally-friendly products for consumers can be increased.

Further developing maintenance and repair services as well as supporting new business and consumption models based on renting, lending and sharing instead of owning products are other initiatives that can be taken.

Also, markets for secondary raw materials (recyclates) and facilitating the clustering of activities to prevent by-products from becoming wastes (industrial symbiosis) can be created.

Continuously advancing waste management remains a priority through incentives and support for waste reduction as well as high-quality separation and collection systems. The latter ensure that resources remain within the circle and are available for future use.

The Commission will also continue to promote eco-innovation and investment in clean technologies to build a circular economy. These are areas that will be highlighted in the European Fund for Strategic Investments in addition to the support available via the European Structural and Investment Funds.

Vella acknowledges there are significant differences among EU member states in terms of waste management practices. He says this uneven level of performance is partly linked to the time needed to establish the required infrastructure, develop separate collection systems, introduce economic incentives, raise citizens’ awareness and develop the necessary competences at the local and national levels.

This is particularly so in the case of member states that joined the EU more recently. On the other hand, some other members have not given enough priority to improving their waste management practices and so need to catch up.

Still, the EU legal framework applies to all member states. By 2020 all members must meet the 50 per cent recycling target for municipal waste.

Some member states that have effective separate collection systems in place are already very close to reaching the target and have practically eliminated landfilling of municipal waste. This means that others can learn from their experience and implement policies that have already proved to be successful.

The European Commission is working with member states that are lagging behind by sharing best practices, encouraging smart use of EU funding and ensuring that any investments in waste infrastructure are compatible with the waste hierarchy.

“Targets are important to create legal certainty, especially for those member states that are developing their waste management systems. More ambitious future targets could be met by improving further the separate collection and making more efficient use of the infrastructure that is being put in place for compliance with the 2020 target,” Vella notes.

Source: European Commission

The four Rs

Having a circular economy means reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products. What used to be regarded as ‘waste’ can be turned into a resource. All resources need to be managed more efficiently throughout their lifecycle.

Infographic: European Commission