ESWET welcomes this ambition and considers the initiative an important milestone in the EU’s path towards climate-neutrality and resource efficiency.
The Strategy rightly highlights the relevance of biomass-based energy for energy security, particularly when derived from residual streams that avoid additional environmental pressures and complement other renewables. This approach aligns with the established role of Waste-to-Energy (WtE) in managing unavoidable biogenic waste, recovering partly renewable energy and materials, preventing methane emissions from landfilling, and supporting circular resource use while contributing to climate-neutrality objectives.
The Strategy’s focus on scaling biogenic carbon capture and recognising permanent removals highlights the importance of sectors capable of delivering reliable Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Utilisation (BECCU) and Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) today. WtE facilities are uniquely positioned to contribute: BECCS and BECCU applications at WtE plants can generate verifiable, durable biogenic removals that directly support the objectives of the Industrial Carbon Management Strategy. In addition, the captured biogenic share of CO₂ from residual waste can be reused to produce CO₂-derived materials or converted into e-fuels, providing renewable, fossil-free alternatives for transport and industrial applications.
As the Commission’s Strategy places greater emphasis on innovation and investment, it is essential that support also be directed at technologies capable of efficiently valorising non-recyclable biogenic waste. Prioritising advanced WtE solutions and carbon-capture applications would significantly enhance Europe’s ability to meet its circularity, resource-efficiency, and climate-neutrality objectives.
Looking ahead, ESWET encourages the Commission to ensure that any upcoming legislative processes remain aligned with the EU’s broader energy, climate, environmental, and circularity objectives. As the Strategy emphasises enhanced separate collection of biowaste, WtE complements these efforts by treating the residual biogenic fraction once prevention, reuse, and recycling options are exhausted. This non-recoverable secondary biomass is then converted into stable, partially renewable energy that supports district heating networks, energy security, and decarbonisation. Ensuring that future revisions of the Renewable Energy Directive III (RED III) take this contribution into account will be essential for a coherent policy framework.
