Implementation of the Circular Economy Action Plan

Circular Economy

Implementation of the Circular Economy Action Plan

2018 Circular Economy Package

As part of its continuous effort to transform Europe's economy into a more sustainable one and to implement the ambitious Circular Economy Action Plan, in January 2018 the European Commission adopted a new set of measures, including:

• A Europe-wide EU Strategy for Plastics in the Circular Economy and annex to transform the way plastics and plastics products are designed, produced, used and recycled. By 2030, all plastics packaging should be recyclable. The Strategy also highlights the need for specific measures, possibly a legislative instrument, to reduce the impact of single-use plastics, particularly in our seas and oceans. A public consultation is open until 12th February. To reduce the leakage of plastics into the environment, the Commission has adopted a new proposal on Port Reception Facilities, to tackle sea-based marine litter and published a report on the impact of the use of oxo-degradable plastic, including oxo-degradable plastic carrier bags, on the environment.
• A Communication on options to address the interface between chemical, product and waste legislation that assesses how the rules on waste, products and chemicals relate to each other.
• A Monitoring Framework on progress towards a circular economy at EU and national level. It is composed of a set of ten key indicators which cover each phase – i.e. production, consumption, waste management and secondary raw materials – as well as economic aspects – investments and jobs - and innovation.
• A Report on Critical Raw Materials and the circular economy that highlights the potential to make the use of the 27 critical materials in our economy more circular.
  2018 Circular Economy package - key documents:
  
  • EU Strategy for Plastics in the Circular Economy - communication
  • EU Strategy for Plastics in the Circular Economy - staff working document
  • EU Strategy for plastics in the Circular Economy - brochure
  • Strategy for plastics - press release and questions and answers
  • Factsheets on the strategy for plastics in a circular economy
  • Factsheet - changing the way we use plastics
  • Communication on the Interface between chemicals, products and waste legislation - staff working document and factsheet
  • Monitoring framework for the circular economy - staff working document - factsheet and Eurostat monitoring framework tool
  • Proposal on Port Reception Facilities - impact assessment and summary of the impact assessment
  • Report on critical raw materials
  • Report on oxo-plastics
  • Eurobarometer: SMEs and the circular economy

2018 Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference

Two years after the adoption of EU Circular Economy Action Plan, more than half of the initiatives foreseen in the Plan have been delivered. To discuss the measures included in the 2018 Circular Economy Package, explore new areas of action, and share the first achievements of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, the Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee will host the 2018 edition of the Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference on 20-21 February in Brussels.
You can find more information on the Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform

Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform

The European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform is a virtual open space which aims at promoting Europe's transition to a circular economy by facilitating policy dialogue among stakeholders and by disseminating activities, information, and good practices on the circular economy. Stakeholders can take part in the Platform by participating in the annual conference and by interacting on the website to look for good practices, to engage with other stakeholders and to share their own good practices and events.
The members of the Coordination Group contribute to gather best practices on circular economy, to raise awareness about existing national, regional or local strategies, to identify challenges and opportunities for the transition to a circular economy among policy makers, businesses, trade unions, civil society, etc. List of organisations – members of the Coordination Group:.
More information: http://circulareconomy.europa.eu/platform/

EU action plan for the Circular Economy

The European Commission adopted an ambitious Circular Economy Package, which includes measures that will help stimulate Europe's transition towards a circular economy, boost global competitiveness, foster sustainable economic growth and generate new jobs.
The Circular Economy Package consists of an EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy that establishes a concrete and ambitious programme of action, with measures covering the whole cycle: from production and consumption to waste management and the market for secondary raw materials and a revised legislative prposal on waste. The annex to the action plan sets out the timeline when the actions will be completed.
The proposed actions will contribute to "closing the loop" of product lifecycles through greater recycling and re-use, and bring benefits for both the environment and the economy.
The revised legislative proposals on waste set clear targets for reduction of waste and establish an ambitious and credible long-term path for waste management and recycling. Key elements of the revised waste proposal include:

• A common EU target for recycling 65% of municipal waste by 2030;
• A common EU target for recycling 75% of packaging waste by 2030;
• A binding landfill target to reduce landfill to maximum of 10% of municipal waste by 2030;
• A ban on landfilling of separately collected waste;
• Promotion of economic instruments to discourage landfilling ;
• Simplified and improved definitions and harmonised calculation methods for recycling rates throughout the EU;
• Concrete measures to promote re-use and stimulate industrial symbiosis - turning one industry's by-product into another industry's raw material;
• Economic incentives for producers to put greener products on the market and support recovery and recycling schemes (eg for packaging, batteries, electric and electronic equipments, vehicles).

The following legislative proposals on waste have been adopted:

• Proposed Directive on Waste
• Annex to proposed Directive on Waste
• Proposed Directive on Packaging Waste
• Annex to proposed Directive on Packaging Waste
• Proposed Directive on Landfill
• Proposed Directive on electrical and electronic waste, on end-of-life vehicles, and batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators
• Analytical note on waste management targets
• Staff Working Document - Implementation Plan

More information:
Circular Economy Package: Press release and questions & answersFactsheet: Closing the Loop: Helping consumers choose sustainable products and services
Factsheet: Closing the Loop: The Production Phase of the Circular Economy
Factsheet: Closing the Loop: Clear Targets and Tools for Better Waste Management
Factsheet: Closing the Loop: From Waste to Resources

Past events

• 2017 Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference: To showcase the key deliverables achieved so far and to debate future deliverables with stakeholders, the Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee organised a Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference on 9-10 March 2017 in Brussels. Have a look at the main highlights of the conference and at the operational conclusions of day 2 in the reports prepared by the European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee.
  • Introduction – An inter-institutional endeavour
  • Plenary Session I – The Circular Economy in motion - Presentations
  • The Plastics Strategy - Presentations
  • Monitoring Framework - Presentations
  • Promotion of water reuse - Presentations
  • Options for Interface between chemicals, products & waste legislations - Presentations
  • Innovation for Circular Economy - Presentations
  • Product policy for resource efficiency, how to make progress? - Presentations
  • Plenary Session II – A financial endeavour
  • Summary - key messages for the next day

• The Circular Economy Missions are a series of high-level political and business meetings in third countries to communicate and promote sustainable and resource-efficient policies.
• Closing the loop - Circular Economy conference: boosting business, reducing waste: As part of the process to develop the new circular economy package, the Commission organised a conference on 25 June 2015 in Brussels, attended by around 700 stakeholders. Participation in this conference was open to all stakeholders wishing to contribute to shaping European economic policy making
  • Split-up sessions key messages and speeches F.Timmermans, K. Vella, J. Katainen
  • Recordings from the conference: Plenary and sessions 2 and 6, sessions 1 and 4, sessions 3 and 5
  
  The conference followed a twelve-week public consultation from 28 May to 20 August 2015 which received around 1500 contributions. Contributions to the public consultation are now available.
  

Background

In December 2014, the Commission decided to withdraw its legislative proposal on waste, but the Commission committed at the same time to use its new horizontal working methods to present a new package by the end of 2015 which would cover the full economic cycle, not just waste reduction targets, drawing on the expertise of all the Commission's services.
Previous proposal on circular economy:

• Communication "Towards a circular economy: a zero waste programme for Europe"
  • Progress report on the Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe
  • Analysis of an EU target for Resource Productivity
• Legislative proposal to review recycling and other waste-related targets in the EU
  • Impact assessment and executive summary of the impact assessment
• Ex-post evaluation of Five Waste Streams Directives - Commission staff working document

The International Resource Panel
Work on resource efficiency and circular economy has profited inter alia from the reports and assessments of the International Resource Panel (IRP). More information on the role of the IRP and its relations with the European Commission can be found here.

Related links

• European Commission - Towards a circular economy
• Eurostat - Circular economy monitoring progress